Buying road tax with 24 hours insurance cover?

[Peter C]

Once I get my Merc,

 

See:

 

http://autoshite.commlm/forum/viewtopic.ph ... 6494110328

 

I will arrange 24 hour insurance to enable me to get the car home and to buy some tax.

 

I propose to use these guys:

 

https://www.dailycover.co.uk/

 

They state that it is possible to buy road tax over the counter from the Post Office by presenting their insurance certificate.

 

Is there any reason why the PO would refuse to sell me road tax if I present a valid insurance certificate, albeit one that is only current for 24 hours?

 

Peter C

[pogweasel]

I reckon 99% of post-office counter staff would give you the big FO if you tried to tax a motor with that.

 

Though possibly depends how well known you are.

Go to a large post office where they don't know you from adam and chances are billy-oh.

However, IF you've lived in the same place village for decades and are on good terms with the postmaster and don't have a reputation for scumbaggery, you might find they'd do it...

[Peter C]

Surely a valid insurance certificate is a valid insurance certificate?

[pogweasel]

Yes, that's as maybe.

But if you get a refusal from the post office, what can you do about it?

If they interpret them differently (or are just plain wrong) you can argue with them till you are blue in the face and there are 900 angry pensioners in the queue behind you, you'll still be going home without.

 

I'm sure you can appreciate why the post office would not want to issue tax on the basis of a 1-day certificate. Doesn't matter how honest your intentions are, for every one of you there's 1000 scumbags looking to exploit this 'loophole' and then spend the next 364 days merrily driving around uninsured, possibly whilst smoking crack.

[Volksy]

From FAQ on Daycover...

 

Can I tax a car using a daycover certificate..

 

Yes. You may need to select the posted certificate option to evidence the cover to the post office/licensing authority. When presenting a Temporary Cover Certificate to the Post office for taxation purposes, it is at the discretion of the post office to issue tax. Temporary Cover Ltd has no influence over this desicion.

 

I agree with Pog though, I recon there is slim to no chance of most PO's doing it.

[Cavcraft]

Have you got a local DVLA office? They're usually more receptive to this sort of thing than the Post Office.

[Peter C]

Have you got a local DVLA office? They're usually more receptive to this sort of thing than the Post Office.

The nearest one is miles away!

 

What about if I drive around with my car insured but in place of a tax disk I will leave a note stating:

 

Awaiting receipt of insurance documentation, will purchase back dated road fund licence upon receipt of cover note!

 

The trouble I have is that if I transfer my insurance from my MR2 onto the Merc, I won't be able to drive either of them until I tax the Merc! Ok, I still have my W123 and my wife's Megane, but I want to drive my new toy asap!

[pogweasel]

Have you got a local DVLA office? They're usually more receptive to this sort of thing than the Post Office.

LOL, U R JKS, RITE?

 

DVLA offices are staffed entirely by officious, bureauocratic VOGONS who take utter delight in telling you that you have filled in some form or other wrong and that you need to go to the back of the queue and start again....

[pogweasel]

 

Awaiting receipt of insurance documentation, will purchase back dated road fund licence upon receipt of cover note!

 

You are Derek Trotter and I claim my five pounds.

 

That's a sure-fire way to get a one-way ticket to the pound and a £200 (minimum) release fee.

[Cavcraft]

Not heard this from an 'official' source but as long as it's taxed the worse that can happen is a small (£30?) fine for 'failure to display'.

 

It's how quick they update the system if you do it on line that's the killer as the ANPR system will pick it up if you are in the range of a suitably equipped rozzer.

 

Pog: my local office are a million times better than local Post Offices. Yeah, it's a pain in the arse queuing up at the 'meat counter' but at least they seem to know their stuff most of the time.

I find if I get refused at the jump in the P.O that's it, they will just refuse to help out full stop.

[jonny69]

You might be ok in the Post Office. Depends how stubborn/clever/stupid they are really. As long as the piece of paper says 'certificate of insurance' on it and not 'proposal' or anything else you should be ok. Although I tend to do mine online now, I've waltzed in with crappy printouts that aren't on the system yet and they've put them through. I could equally have presented them with some old crap I'd made myself, to be honest.

[pogweasel]

Not heard this from an 'official' source but as long as it's taxed the worse that can happen is a small (£30?) fine for 'failure to display'.

 

In my experience they will try to trump it up beforehand with a bigger fine.

Though these days they'll just seize the vehicle until you cough (as already mentioned), I know this as I spent most of yesterday trying to find an AWOL vehicle, only to find that the person who had been left in charge of it had left it on the street, untaxed. It's in the pound now, and not coming back!!

(£360 release fee + £21 a day storage charge + £100 transporter costs + £50 MoT fee + £££ MoT work + £90 rfl - £160 rebate IF you can get back with a valid disc within 7 days... on a vehicle worth a grand at absolute best I think that's a write off...)

[Peter C]

I've checked on www.askmid.com and the car is still insured.

 

If I apply for a tax disk online, will the DVLA computer check if the car is insured or will it check if it is insured in my name?

 

Something else that springs to mind, wouldn't you say that an insurance certificate valid for 24 hours has the same value as a 12 month certificate that is due to expire within 24 hours?

[Volksy]

If you tax it online, they wil ONLY send out the disc to the registered keeper and teh address stipulated on the V5, if you then say it's been 'lost in the post', you can pick it up from the DVLA office, but only with ID that you were the person on the V5 at the time of taxing said vehicle, I did this when I forgot to update the address on the V5, which I still havent done... oops

 

EDIT: You also NEED the V5 and MOT cert, to be able to tax it online for the reference numbers

 

Can you not ask the seller to tax it on your behalf? Seeing as it's still insured?

[Peter C]

Can you not ask the seller to tax it on your behalf? Seeing as it's still insured?

I've just done that and he said that he'll try to tax it.

 

Also, I've just been up to my High Street Post Office, where I was told that, providing the certificate has not expired, I can purchase road tax by presenting a certificate valid for just 1 day.

 

Either way, sorted!

[254575]

do you have a mate with a traders policy? very useful for times like this

[FredTransit]

If you tax it online, they wil ONLY send out the disc to the registered keeper and teh address stipulated on the V5, if you then say it's been 'lost in the post', you can pick it up from the DVLA office, but only with ID that you were the person on the V5 at the time of taxing said vehicle, I did this when I forgot to update the address on the V5, which I still havent done... oops

 

EDIT: You also NEED the V5 and MOT cert, to be able to tax it online for the reference numbers

 

Can you not ask the seller to tax it on your behalf? Seeing as it's still insured?

I have a minibus in my company's name that had the tax disc stolen, it's not in my name (so ID was irrelevant) and the DVLA only wanted the docs and £10 for a duplicate tax disc.

 

As for the trader's policy, mine quite clearly states 'any vehicle' yet you still get some old duffer who says the reg has to be on the cert!! Er, what part of any vehicle excludes this vehicle then?

[Cavcraft]

Not heard this from an 'official' source but as long as it's taxed the worse that can happen is a small (£30?) fine for 'failure to display'.

 

In my experience they will try to trump it up beforehand with a bigger fine.

Though these days they'll just seize the vehicle until you cough (as already mentioned), I know this as I spent most of yesterday trying to find an AWOL vehicle, only to find that the person who had been left in charge of it had left it on the street, untaxed. It's in the pound now, and not coming back!!

(£360 release fee + £21 a day storage charge + £100 transporter costs + £50 MoT fee + £££ MoT work + £90 rfl - £160 rebate IF you can get back with a valid disc within 7 days... on a vehicle worth a grand at absolute best I think that's a write off...)

It's a bit weird the way I see it Pog.

My understanding (and I fully appreciate I could be wrong) is that if you get tugged by the OB with no tax they report it to the DVLA and you'll cop a fine. Certainly I've talked to people who say they haven't had the car impounded after being pulled for no raod fund licence.

 

On the flip side leave an untaxed car on the street/communal car park and they can impound it immediately which is where the rip off charges come into it. Just to 'help' matters it would appear it depends on who authorises the removal. If it''s the council (depending where you live I guess) it'll be as you said. If it's the DVLA or police I believe it's the standard £150 tow away fee plus twenty rips a day storage.

 

So the difference as I understand it (from talking to people) is between getting pulled up where an un-taxed but insured car will be allowed on it's way and the owner reported to DVLA and fined, and your vehicle being parked up with no tax.

As I say that's just the way I see and I do stand to be corrected.

[Talbotman]

Ive had no trouble in the past in taxing cars at the post office with a day insure cover note for my own and for some of my customers cars in the trade..just explain the circumstance ie my std cover hasnt arrived in the post on time and you should be alright- its never failed me.

[HillmanImp]

I will arrange 24 hour insurance to enable me to get the car home and to buy some tax.

 

You will need to get the car tax to get the car home will you not, instead of driving home and getting some car tax, or have I read that wrong?

[wuvvum]

From my recollections of when I was looking into day insurance a few years back, you can tax a car with a day certificate as long as said certificate was produced by the insurer and posted to you. If the certificate is one you print out yourself from the insurer's website, then you can't use it to buy tax. Although how the PO are supposed to tell the difference between a certificate printed out on the underwriter's printer and one printed out on yours remains a mystery.

[Peter C]

 

I will arrange 24 hour insurance to enable me to get the car home and to buy some tax.

 

You will need to get the car tax to get the car home will you not, instead of driving home and getting some car tax, or have I read that wrong?

I will be picking the car up at circa 8pm this evening. I have no way of buying road tax at that time and will therefore have to drive home sans tax disk.

[FredTransit]

Indeed, I think it stems from the good ole days when they used to send out hand written cover notes. Do they still send out cover notes?

[Father Ted]

Certainly I've talked to people who say they haven't had the car impounded after being pulled for no raod fund licence.

I drove backto Preston from Swindon in an insured, MOT'd but untaxed BX, past 3 sets of gantry cameras and one plod car. This was late one Saturday. I did also have my cheque book on the off chance the DooVLaC pulled me, they didnt, no one did - I taxed it on the Monday and heard nothing from anyone.

Probably a fluke, but not the first time I have driven untaxed (with docs and the cheque book "on the way to get it taxed officer because the GPO aint open and I have to get to work....") and never heard anything.

[pogweasel]

I'm sure we have all done it.

When I bought my current BMW, I arrived too late to get it taxed locally so hot-footed it back from Swindon to Poggleswade and went direct to the PO for my disc, got no grief on that. However moons ago I got a fine of £300 for no tax when I parked my untaxed Pug 205 outside the post office, and went inside for the disc... (this was later reduced to £30 on appeal).

[Peter C]

If I get spotted driving an untaxed Merc at 9pm this evening, the car will still be registered to the previous keeper and my details will not appear on the DVLA database for approx 10 days. If I was to receive a fine I would argue that I did not buy or drive the car until 11pm. What can they do? F all!

[Volksy]

Depends if you've signed a receipt with the time on it or not i guess...

[Cavcraft]

If I get spotted driving an untaxed Merc at 9pm this evening, the car will still be registered to the previous keeper and my details will not appear on the DVLA database for approx 10 days. If I was to receive a fine I would argue that I did not buy or drive the car until 11pm. What can they do? F all!

Probably charge and/or hassle the previous owner which isn't fair on him. You buy and drive it back it's your responsibility to make sure it's legal.

[FredTransit]

You will be fine (pardon the pun). The scrotes that tried to relieve me of an engine or two had an untaxed van, the police said it was nothing to do with them, and they would report them to the DVLA, nothing more.

[Peter C]

Ok, ok, but surely if I apply for a back dated tax disk within a few hours of being snapped by the rozzers then they won't take further action!