Car tax is a legal requirement of the vast majority of cars on the road in the UK.
It is one of the ‘legal obligations of drivers and riders’ alongside having a driving licence, registering a vehicle and getting an MOT.
Any motorist that is caught without car tax can land a fine of up to £1,000.
However, hundreds of thousands of drivers every year are forgetting to tax their vehicle, which could become a costly mistake.
Figures released by the Department for Transport in 2017 showed that the number of untaxed vehicles in the UK trebled since the abolition of the tax disc in 2014.
Around 700,000 vehicles in the UK have dodged car tax since the tax disc was scrapped, costing the Government £107million.
It has been suggested that one of the reasons that drivers are failing to tax their car is due to not having the visual reminder of the disc on their windscreen.
In addition to this the rules of car tax changed when the disc was scrapped.
Previously car tax could be passed from driver to driver, so when a vehicle was sold it would still retain its leftover tax.
Now, the person buying a car must tax it immediately and the previous owner will thence refused for any remaining full months of tax left on the car.
How to check if you car is taxed
Drivers can use the Gov.uk website to check if a vehicle is taxed.
Simply, motorists need to enter the car’s registration number to find out if their car is taxed and when it is next due.
