Automatic £80 penalty for overdue vehicle road fund discs from 1st January 2004
Many classic car enthusiasts are going to be caught unawares by these tough new rules, particularly if they only tax their cars for six months a year. Why? Well under these new rules the DVLA is going to get a great deal tougher on car owners without a valid tax disc. That is something we will all be pleased to hear but unfortunately the new rules will also catch many honest and responsible V8 enthusiasts who regularly lay-up their vehicles for the Winter months but may not always have sent in a SORN - a Statutory Off Road Notification - punctually. So for members who do not tax their V8s in the Winter months, it is now essential you check your SORN is up to date!

New road tax rules
Until 2004, the registered keeper of a vehicle could only be fined if their car was seen on the street without a valid tax disc on display. Now the DVLA is be able to generate fine notices automatically using its vehicle licencing and registered owner database. Anyone who does not renew their tax disc on time will be assumed to be guilty unless the DVLA has received a written notification that the vehicle has either been sold (following the sale to another party who then becomes the registered keeper) or has received a SORN from the registered keeper.

There is a penalty of £80, reduced to £40 if paid within 28 days. If you continue without road tax or a SORN after receiving this penalty notice, you are liable to a further penalty of £1,000, even if the car has not been on the road. The £1,000 is an irreducible minimum figure and DVLA prosecutions have started.

Caution: do not on any account ignore the £80 penalty notice for failing to tax or SORN a vehicle, because the next stage could be a penalty set at a minimum of £1,000. Please let the V8 Webmaster know if you are unfortunate enough to receive a £1,000 penalty notice.

These new rules are set out on the DVLA website - see New Car Tax Rules.

For overseas members, "DVLA" is the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency which is a UK Goververnment agency, and "SORN" is a Statutory Off Road Notification, a formal document the registered keeper of a vehicle has to return to the DVLA if the vehicle is not taxed for the road use on public roads through the payment of a road fund licence.