Question about car tax - help!

[Jeff]

I want to cancel the insurance on my s13 because I am selling it and buying another car. This will meanwhen the tax expires at end of April I won't be able to tax it again (hopefully it will sell before the tax is up but I don't want to end up stuck with an uninsured car with no tax, as the DVLA will hassle me for a SORN won't they?).

Can I go to the Post Office and 'top up' my tax for an additional 6 months? Or do I have to cash in the tax I've got and buy a new 6 months worth? If I do cash it in then when is the best time to do this, as I don't want to have to pay twice for March if they won't refund a partially used month. Can anyone tell me how this works as I don't really know what to do for the best :confused: :(

[Pete C]

You won't be able to 'top up' your tax as you suggested. I guess the only way you could do it is to get your current tax disc refunded and then apply for a new one. They will only refund whole months left, so you will end up paying for march twice whatever you do I reckon.

One thought though - have your insurance company ever asked for a certificate back when you've changed cars? If not you can swap the insurance, and as long as the date on the cert shows that it is still valid, i don't see why they wouldn't accept it to buy tax ;)

[Jeff]

Don't you have to return the old insurance certificate before they send you a new one for the new car? Spose I could photocopy it, the mongs in post offices never really look that closely.......do they?

[Papa Lazarou]

Had this problem before. In the end had to sell the car without tax which I think put buyers off.

I could have got a "bent" insurance certificate but in the end couldn't be arsed.

Insurance companies normally insist you send back the certificate before they send you proof of no claims.

If you "lose" it you normally just have to just sign a declaration to say so.

[dunc]

Originally posted by Papa Lazarou

Insurance companies normally insist you send back the certificate before they send you proof of no claims.



The insurance company I was with took so long in sending a certificate I had to use my old one that they forgot to take back! Dicks, if they don't take an old one back does it mean you're still legally insured?

[Jeff]

How long do you get to send the insurance cert back in? If you get a couple of weeks I could swap the insurance so I can drive the new car but not send the insurance cert back until 2nd of April. Before then I can cash the exsting tax in on 28th March and bought new tax at start of April? Will this work, sounds reasonable so probably not :rolleyes:

I hate selling cars it is the biggest balls ache of all time :mad:

[Pete C]

My last insurance company never asked for any of their certificates back. I still have ones for my Sierra, my 205, my Metro turbo, I'm sure some of them are even still valid!

Don't give the old certificate back to them, if they ask for it, tell them you've lost it, problem solved :)

[Jeff]

Good call, if they try to charge me for loosing it I could always suddenly find it again couldn't I :)

Ace, cheers for the helps chaps :)