UK-based readers who haven’t had to renew their car tax lately may be interested to know that when you get the renewal notice from the DVLA, it now includes information on how to go about doing so on the Internet – avoiding the queues in the Post Office. In fact it also avoids the need to dig out your insurance and MOT documents.
You simply go over to www.direct.gov.uk/taxdisc and enter your reference number. The system checks your insurance and MOT are up-to-date automatically, and you can then pay online.
How well this will work in practice remains to be seen – I suspect it will depend on how long it takes for the new tax disc to arrive in my letter box, since I need a new one by the end of the month. However, this is the first time I’ve actually been impressed by a so-called “e-Government” / Directgov service, at least in terms of the ease of use. Fingers crossed the disc arrives and doesn’t ruin my impression of the service.
Another nice surprise was that under the new VED rules that came out in the Budget on Tuesday, the cost for my car has actually gone down by £5 per year. Not that that would ever be enough for me to vote for Mr “squeeze ‘em ’til the pips squeak” Brown, but it was a small bonus.
Update March 30th 2006: the tax disc arrived in good time.
Update January 17th 2006: following a discussion about why this post attracts so much attention, I was very happy to receive a comment from Andrew Rhodes, Head of Electronic Customer Services at DVLA. He explains how this works:
You have to have a computerised MOT to use the service and all garages since March 2006 have been issuing them. By April, everyone needing an MOT will have a computerised one. Until that happens, we only invite the people we know can definately use the service (computerised MOT or car less than 3 years old). Your traffic is probably from people who haven’t been invited but have heard about it and want to find the site. We recently changed the reminder to give information to these people too.
We select and print 3-4 million reminders a month (44 million a year) about 6 weeks before your tax is due. We post them a while before the 15th of the month, which is when you can start taxing your car, bike, lorry, van etc from. Most people get their reminder on around the 14th/15th of the month.
So, now we know 
many thanks, Andrew.
28 responses so far ↓
Simon Brown // March 28, 2006 at 12:32 |
I did this last time I needed to renew my tax disc and it worked a treat, with the tax disc turning up after 3 or 4 days. It was actually quite a relief because I had trouble tracking down my insurance documents at the time.
andypiper // March 28, 2006 at 12:41 |
That’s cool. Glad to hear it (and thanks for the visit!). I’m hoping mine turns up before Saturday.
The lost outpost » Blog Archive » Tax disc arrived // March 30, 2006 at 20:57 |
[...] Following on from Saturday’s post about renewing car tax online, just to report that the tax disc arrived today, 2 days before I needed it, and within 4 working days of the transaction. Maybe this e-government thing does work, when it is implemented properly. [...]
Dennis Howlett // March 30, 2006 at 21:59 |
So – service aside, you’re not easily bribed?
andypiper // March 30, 2006 at 22:35 |
I’m impressed by the service – but it’s only one of the government’s sites that I’ve found that works efficiently, and in 2006 I think it’s probably 5 years later than it needed to be
graham connor // December 22, 2006 at 11:40 |
just got computer its easy and fast impressed by the service
Andy Piper // December 22, 2006 at 11:42 |
This is currently my most popular post, and it has seen a huge spike in popularity. I’m glad people are finding my comments useful.
carol lafferty // January 14, 2007 at 22:43 |
i wish to re-new my tax on line payment is due on 31/01/07
H>P Plato // January 15, 2007 at 9:59 |
your web site is a dead loss. I have tried everyway that came up and no joy.
Andy Piper // January 15, 2007 at 13:01 |
I find that remarkable. The DVLA site still seems to work for me. You just need the relevant reference numbers.
R.Clutton // January 19, 2007 at 13:42 |
tried to renew my vehicle licence over phone, without success.Particulars on phone application went well until Master card details were given. Five seperate attempts were made on four different cards, all cards were declared to be not acceptable, which was ridiculous. Similar attempt on internet proved a waste of time.Information was given but CGIProxy information was required , whatever the hell that is. It@s back to the post Office for us
Andy Piper // January 19, 2007 at 14:50 |
Sounds like the kind of thing I’d report to DVLA as a problem with their site. As a techie, I’d say that a CGI error sounds like a temporary problem – but obviously I don’t know the system.
Fingers crossed that it will be working for me again in March.
M.Walton. // January 20, 2007 at 19:06 |
7.00 pm Sat. 20/01/07. I have now been trying for 1 hour and I seem to have the same problem as R. Clutton in that I am getting a CGI error, and some 6 tries later my baldness is now well advanced!! I could have been to the P O and back at least twice.Trying again to-morrow.
Andy Piper // January 20, 2007 at 23:26 |
That’s unfortunate. Again I’d suggest that you report the issue to the DVLA directly – I’m nothing to do with them, and I can’t really offer support for the problem
Good luck.
Andy Piper // January 23, 2007 at 15:26 |
Wow. As of today (23rd Jan 07) this post appears to have vanished from Google’s results. So no more hits.
Chris Tomkins’ Blog » Blog Archive » Car tax renewal online // January 25, 2007 at 18:36 |
[...] I’ve just renewed my car tax online using the new service from the DVLA as described by Andy here on his blog. As I got a renewal notice in the post there was no need to find my insurance [...]
Stan Newton // April 17, 2007 at 18:54 |
I have just bouhgt a new car with 4th tax disc still in force.It stated on the section v5c2 that I could tax the car using the part of sales doc after 16 days having bought the car.
But I was told that I have to wait a month before I can tax the car ,because the tax had not run out.
p kotecha // April 30, 2007 at 16:21 |
impossible to find the way to renew disc online.
Andy Piper // April 30, 2007 at 16:30 |
Go to the site linked in the post, click on “Apply for a tax disc now”, and then follow the prompts with your documents to hand.
leslie adams // August 15, 2007 at 18:44 |
I have a disabled tax disc. Do I have to take this to the post office to have my form stamped as usual.
Andy Piper // August 15, 2007 at 21:44 |
Hi Leslie, thanks for the visit. Unfortunately I am not associated with DVLA in anyway – I suggest you call them to clarify the position.
Stuart Montgomery // August 20, 2007 at 7:38 |
Hello! I have just renewed my disc for another year and would like to say I found this very much easier by using your telephone line service than trying on-line. The ‘phone service is perfectly simple and easy – excellently clear at every stage (takes less than 4 minutes) but I found the on-line service confusing and not clear. I was not allowed to continue from step one despite entering correctly my details. (which were easy to do on the ‘phone). The lay out is not very clear on-line and should be itemised more obviously
Well done on your ‘phone service and the whole idea is great! Phew now I can get on and enjoy my day!
SM
Strangeparty » Blog Archive » Renewing car tax online // August 23, 2007 at 19:45 |
[...] and found it as simple as I did last year. I am still amazed at how many posts Andy gets on his blog post on the subject from people who keep complaining about it being complex or asking advice. Especially as he is [...]
Roo Reynolds // December 15, 2007 at 16:35 |
I’m amazed and impressed at how many people come here to thank you for, complain at you about, or ask you questions about the online car tax renewal service. Do they know something about you I don’t?
Renata Smith // July 31, 2008 at 10:46 |
This is the 1st time that i actually taxed my car on line, I can’t believe how easy it was to do it. I think it took me about 20 mins from start to finish, how anybody has trouble doing it on line beats me. And i am not very good with internet life, or at least i thought i wasn’t
Renata Smith // July 31, 2008 at 10:52 |
I would also like to point out that i renewed my tax on line late late evening of the 28/7 & received it today 31/7 in time for 1/8
Helen L. Cairns // August 1, 2008 at 8:38 |
“Renew online” I was told. “It’s easy” I was told. Well, I must be a complete moron, because after twenty minutes of frustration and stress, I GIVE UP.!!! I will renew by phone – I HOPE!!!
Games Car // December 6, 2008 at 3:39 |
What Kinda of Car do you drive?