Tax it or lose it, says DVLA

The DVLA has hit the road with a warning to tax it or lose it

The government agency is back on the road targeting motorists across the UK with a communications campaign that has a clear message for those who take a chance on not taxing their vehicle.

The campaign is targeting the 20 regions of the UK where vehicle tax evasion is higher. The areas (with total number of enforcement actions in 2019) are:

• Belfast 78,501
• Birmingham 61,531
• Glasgow 34,375
• Manchester 34,106
• Sheffield 30,467
• South London 29,336
• Cardiff 28,857
• Nottingham 26,134
• East London 26,005
• Edinburgh 24,779
• North London 24,766
• Bristol 24,747
• Coventry 23,739
• Peterborough 23,271
• Leicester 23,174
• Newcastle 22,996
• Northampton 18,729
• Romford 18,325
• Swansea 18,237
• Doncaster 17,885

During 2019, DVLA took nearly 590,000 enforcement actions in these 20 regions against the keepers of untaxed vehicles.

The campaign will focus on showing the real consequences to those who don’t tax their vehicles – from penalties and fines to clamping, and ultimately losing their vehicle.

A giant clamp is at the centre of the campaign, making it clear that DVLA takes action against untaxed vehicles on streets across the country every day, just like those in the image.

DVLA doesn’t need to spot an untaxed vehicle on the road to take action, but any vehicle spotted on the road that isn’t taxed, or is wrongly declared SORN, risks being clamped or impounded by one of DVLA’s enforcement teams. These teams travel in vehicles equipped with number plate recognition cameras, and are based around the UK to take action against untaxed vehicles.

DVLA’s Chief Executive, Julie Lennard, said: “The number of untaxed vehicles on the road is falling, but we are determined to reduce this even further. We operate a range of measures to make vehicle tax easy to pay and hard to avoid, so there really is no excuse if you fail to tax your vehicle. While the vast majority of motorists do the right thing and tax correctly, this campaign highlights the real consequences that motorists face if they don’t tax their vehicles.”

RAC spokesman Simon Williams said: “While the vast majority of motorists abide by the law and tax their vehicles correctly, high-profile enforcement campaigns like this are needed to make sure the consequences of not doing so are fully understood. This DVLA campaign gives a very clear warning of the action that will be taken on untaxed vehicles. Having your vehicle clamped is expensive and inconvenient so it’s far simpler to make sure you tax it.”

You can easily check when your tax is due using DVLA’s vehicle enquiry service on GOV.UK: all you need is your vehicle registration. It’s also really important to tell DVLA straightaway if you move house, so you don’t risk missing the reminder letters that DVLA sends to all vehicle keepers.

Motorists can go online, 24 hours a day, to tax a vehicle or check whether their vehicle tax is up to date. They can also check by asking Amazon Alexa or Google Home.