Does car tax transfer when I buy a used car?

No. Since October 2014 vehicle tax does NOT transfer with the car — the moment ownership changes, any remaining tax is cancelled and refunded to the seller. As the new keeper you must tax the car in your own name BEFORE you drive it away, using the green ‘new keeper’ slip the seller gives you. Driving an untaxed car, even one you have only just bought, can trigger an automatic DVLA penalty.

What is a SORN and how much does it cost?

A SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification) tells DVLA your vehicle is off the road — kept in a garage, on a drive or on private land, not used or parked on a public road. It is completely free, it stops you having to tax or insure the vehicle, and it does not need renewing — it lasts until you tax the car again or sell, export or scrap it. You can declare one free at gov.uk/make-a-sorn. You cannot transfer a SORN from a previous owner, and you can only drive a SORN’d car on the road to a pre-booked MOT or test appointment.

What is the fine for an untaxed or uninsured car?

If your vehicle is untaxed and not declared SORN, DVLA issues an automatic out-of-court settlement letter; ignore it and it escalates to a court fine of up to £1,000, plus your car can be clamped or impounded. Separately, if you are the registered keeper of an uninsured vehicle that is not declared off the road, you can be fined £100, have the vehicle clamped, impounded or destroyed, and taken to court for a fine of up to £1,000 — this is ‘continuous insurance enforcement’. Making a SORN stops both clocks. Failing to make a SORN when required is itself an automatic £80 fine.

Do I get a refund when I sell or SORN my car?

Yes. When you tell DVLA you have sold, scrapped, exported or SORN’d the vehicle, your tax is cancelled and you automatically get a refund cheque for any FULL months of tax left — sent to the name and address on the log book, no claim needed. Any Direct Debit is cancelled automatically. You will not get back credit-card fees, the 5% Direct Debit surcharge or the 10% surcharge on a single 6-month payment. Chase DVLA if the cheque has not arrived after 8 weeks — and never pay a third party for a refund DVLA gives you free.

Car tax & SORN: how to tax a vehicle

Q: How do I tax my car?

Tax it free at gov.uk/vehicle-tax (online, 24/7), by phone on 0300 123 4321, or at a Post Office that handles vehicle tax. You need a reference number from a DVLA reminder (V11), your log book (V5C in your name), or the green new-keeper slip if you have just bought it. You can pay annually, in two 6-monthly payments, or monthly by Direct Debit. You must tax the vehicle even if the amount due is £0 because it is exempt.

The trap that catches everyone — tax never transfers

Since the paper tax disc was abolished in October 2014, vehicle tax is tied to the keeper, not the car. The day ownership changes, any remaining tax is cancelled and refunded to the seller — so a car you’ve just bought is almost always untaxed the moment it’s yours, even if the previous owner had paid for months ahead.

Re-tax it in your own name before you drive off. Use the green ‘new keeper’ slip (V5C/2) the seller hands you — it has the reference number you need to tax online or at a Post Office on the spot.
Driving even one mile in an untaxed car you’ve just bought can trigger an automatic penalty — “I only just bought it” is not a defence.
If the car will sit on your drive until you’re ready, declare a free SORN instead (see below) — you can’t inherit the previous owner’s SORN either.

Tax does not come with the car When you buy a used vehicle, assume it is untaxed from the second you own it. Tax it in your name before the first drive — at gov.uk/vehicle-tax or a Post Office, using the green new-keeper slip. The seller gets their unused months refunded automatically; you start fresh.

How to tax your car — free, three ways

Taxing is free (you only pay the tax itself). You need a reference number from one of: a DVLA reminder letter (V11) or ‘last chance’ warning, your log book (V5C) in your name, or the green new-keeper slip if you’ve just bought it.

Online — gov.uk/vehicle-tax, 24 hours a day, the quickest route.
By phone — DVLA on 0300 123 4321, 24-hour automated service (you can’t set up a Direct Debit by phone).
At a Post Office that handles vehicle tax — take your V5C or new-keeper slip, and your bank details if paying by Direct Debit. You may need to show valid MOT evidence.

Paying: you can pay for the whole year at once, in two 6-monthly instalments, or monthly by Direct Debit. Note that spreading the cost is slightly more expensive — there’s a 5% surcharge on Direct Debit and a 10% surcharge on a single 6-month payment, so paying annually is the cheapest. Direct Debit then renews automatically each year (as long as the car has valid MOT and insurance).

How much — and why we don’t print a table What you pay depends on the vehicle’s CO₂ emissions, fuel type and registration date, and the VED rates change every April. Check the exact figure for your car free with the GOV.UK tools: check if a vehicle is taxed and the vehicle tax rate tables. You must still tax the car even if the amount due is £0 because it’s exempt (for example a vehicle registered as ‘disabled’, or a historic vehicle over 40 years old on a rolling exemption).

SORN — free, and it stops you paying for a car you’re not using

A SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification) tells DVLA your vehicle is off the road — kept in a garage, on a drive, or on private land, and not used or parked on a public road. It’s completely free, and it stops you having to tax or insure the vehicle.

SORN fact	What it means
Cost	£0 — free to declare at gov.uk/make-a-sorn, by phone, or by post (form V890)
How long it lasts	Until you tax the car again, or sell, export or scrap it — no renewal needed
When it starts	Immediately (or the 1st of next month if you apply in the month tax expires); can’t be backdated
Transfer?	No — you can’t inherit a SORN; a new keeper must make their own
Driving it	Only to a pre-booked MOT or test — anything else risks a fine up to £2,500

SORN is the free off-switch If a car is going to sit unused — between owners, off the road for repairs, a project car, or you’re away — a SORN stops the tax and the insurance clock and refunds the unused months. It is far cheaper than leaving a parked car taxed and insured for no reason.

The automatic penalties — and the insurance link

DVLA checks its records electronically, so you don’t need to be pulled over to be caught. Get it wrong and the penalties are automatic:

Untaxed and no SORN — DVLA issues an automatic out-of-court settlement letter (a fixed penalty, reduced if you pay quickly); ignore it and it escalates to a court fine of up to £1,000, plus your car can be clamped or impounded.
No SORN when one was required — an automatic £80 fine for failing to declare the vehicle off the road.
Uninsured and not SORN’d — under continuous insurance enforcement, the registered keeper can be fined £100, have the vehicle clamped, impounded or destroyed, and be taken to court for a fine of up to £1,000. You must keep a car insured unless it’s declared SORN.
Misusing a SORN — driving a SORN’d car anywhere other than a pre-booked test can mean a court fine of up to £2,500.

Tax, MOT and insurance are three separate clocks You can’t tax a car without valid insurance and (where due) a valid MOT — and a SORN switches off the tax and insurance requirement together. Check your MOT date with our MOT guide and check a car’s history before you buy with our vehicle check.

Your refund — automatic, no claim needed

When you tell DVLA you’ve sold, scrapped, exported or SORN’d the vehicle (or it’s been written off or stolen), your tax is cancelled and you automatically get a refund cheque for any full months of tax left — posted to the name and address on the log book. Any Direct Debit stops automatically.

The refund is for whole remaining months only — a part-month isn’t refunded.
You won’t get back credit-card fees, the 5% Direct Debit surcharge, or the 10% surcharge on a single 6-month payment.
No cheque after 8 weeks? Contact DVLA. Cheque in the wrong name? Return it to the DVLA Refund Section, Swansea SA99 1AL.

Never pay for a tax refund The refund is fully automatic and free — there is no form worth paying for and no firm to pay. Any website or text offering to “process your car tax refund” for a fee, or asking for your bank details, is taking money for nothing or running a scam. Check anything that looks off with our scam checker.

Do this now

Just bought a car? Tax it in your name before you drive — gov.uk/vehicle-tax with the green new-keeper slip, takes a couple of minutes.

Got a car sitting unused, or insurance lapsing? Declare a free SORN tonight at gov.uk/make-a-sorn — it stops the tax and insurance bills and triggers your refund. And if you sold a car recently, check the refund cheque actually arrived.

Northern Ireland Vehicle tax and SORN work the same way UK-wide through DVLA, but NI has different insurance and MOT rules and you need extra documents to tax at a Post Office — check the current details on nidirect.gov.uk.

Source verification

Primary sourceGOV.UK — Tax your vehicle; Register your vehicle as off the road (SORN); When you need to make a SORN; Cancel your vehicle tax and get a refund; Vehicle insurance (uninsured vehicles) — all read this session

Specific URLgov.uk/vehicle-tax · gov.uk/make-a-sorn

Last verified13 June 2026

ConfidenceHigh for the rules and the fixed penalty figures (£80 no-SORN, £100 uninsured, £1,000 / £2,500 court fines), read from GOV.UK this session. VED amounts are deliberately kept qualitative — rates change every April and vary by emissions, so we link the GOV.UK rate tool rather than print a table that would go stale.

Key factsMust tax before driving · tax does NOT transfer when you buy used (re-tax with the green new-keeper slip) · pay annual / 6-monthly (10% surcharge) / monthly Direct Debit (5% surcharge) · SORN free, no renewal, can’t backdate or transfer, drive only to a pre-booked MOT · untaxed-no-SORN = out-of-court settlement → up to £1,000 + clamp; no-SORN = £80; uninsured-no-SORN = £100 + up to £1,000 (continuous insurance enforcement) · auto-refund of full unused months to registered keeper, chase after 8 weeks

ScopeUnited Kingdom (DVLA, Swansea). Northern Ireland has different insurance and MOT/Post-Office requirements — check nidirect.gov.uk. Not legal advice.

Car tax & SORN — common questions

Does the tax come with a car when I buy it?

No. Since October 2014, vehicle tax doesn’t transfer — the seller’s remaining tax is cancelled and refunded to them, and the car is untaxed the moment it’s yours. Tax it in your own name before you drive, using the green new-keeper slip.

How do I tax my car?

Free at gov.uk/vehicle-tax (online, 24/7), by phone on 0300 123 4321, or at a Post Office. You need a V11 reminder, your V5C log book, or the green new-keeper slip. Pay annually (cheapest), 6-monthly (10% surcharge) or monthly by Direct Debit (5% surcharge).

What is a SORN and does it cost anything?

A SORN tells DVLA the vehicle is off the road, so you don’t have to tax or insure it. It’s free at gov.uk/make-a-sorn, never needs renewing, and lasts until you tax the car again or sell it. You can only drive a SORN’d car to a pre-booked MOT.

What happens if my car is untaxed or uninsured?

Untaxed with no SORN: an automatic out-of-court settlement letter, escalating to a court fine up to £1,000 and clamping/impounding. Failing to make a required SORN is an automatic £80. Uninsured and not SORN’d: £100, possible clamp/impound, and up to £1,000 in court. A SORN stops all of these.

Do I get money back when I sell or SORN my car?

Yes — DVLA automatically sends a refund cheque for every full unused month to the name on the log book, no claim needed, and cancels any Direct Debit. You don’t get back card fees or the Direct Debit/6-month surcharges. Chase DVLA after 8 weeks, and never pay anyone to get a free refund.

Sources How to tax, documents and payment options · GOV.UK — Tax your vehicle (read this session). SORN rules, validity and driving restrictions · GOV.UK — Register your vehicle as off the road and When you need to make a SORN. Refunds · GOV.UK — Cancel your vehicle tax and get a refund. Insurance penalties (continuous insurance enforcement) · GOV.UK — Uninsured vehicles. VED amounts change each April — check yours with the GOV.UK rate tables. SortedUK is not DVLA and this is general information, not legal advice. Last reviewed: 13 June 2026.

Car tax and SORN, sorted — tax before you drive, and reclaim what you’re owed.