Motor Cars
On our earlier blog posts we informed you about the new changes regarding the vehicle tax laws that came into force on 1st October 2014 yet it seems that some motorists still do not fully understand when they need to tax a vehicle.
The new ruling which came into force on 1st October 2014 was the removal of the paper tax disc. The DVLA stopped issuing the paper discs when you taxed your vehicle although they do still issue you with a reminder when your vehicle tax is due.
The mistake some motorists are still getting confused by is that the Vehicle Tax or SORN no longer transfers over to you when you purchase a vehicle.
Even if the vehicle still has road tax on it this no longer transfer to the new owner, you have to tax the vehicle afresh.
The message that the DVLA want to get out is ‘Vehicle Tax or SORN cannot be passed on when a vehicle changes hands’.
Please click on the link below that will take you direct to the DVLA webpage where you can read and view all the necesssary information.
Vehicle Tax Rules
Non-reflective number plates are now permitted on classic cars built before 1st January 1975, as long as the vehicles have been registered with DVLA as Historic Vehicles. Since April this year (2015) vehicles manufactured before 1st January 1975 could display the older style number plates provided that they applied to DVLA Swansea and are recorded within the historic taxation class. Previously only vehicles built before 1st January 1973 could show these type of number plates.
A senior press officer within DVLA said that by law vehicles recorded as being in the historic taxation class can display the black and white or black and silver style plates, vehicles that were not in this historic taxation class by DVLA should only display registration plates in the current standard.
For many classic car clubs this ruling is very appealing and evocative to classic car enthusiasts to have these type of plates displayed on their vehicles.
The ban on smoking in cars with anyone under the age of 18 came into effect on 1st October 2015 but were you aware of the 7 other things that you were once allowed to do in cars but are now longer able to do them.
Letting your pet sit on the seats
Although it is a little known rule letting your pet travel in your car with you is prohibited by the Highway Code unless however the pet is restrained in someway. In the Highway code it says ‘when in a vehicle make sure dogs or other animals are suitably restrained so they cannot distract you whilst you are driving or injure you or themselves should you have to stop quickly. A seat belt harness pet cage/carrier or dog guard are ways of restraining animals in cars or allowing a dog to travel in the boot of a hatchback or estate car is also considered as a suitable method of restraint as long it does not distract the driver. Although the Highway Code cannot be used to prosecute you it can be used as evidence, in other words if you had an accident due to an unrestrained pet you could be found guilty of driving without due care and attention.
Using a mobile phone
Back in the day when mobile phones first came out you could text and dial numbers on hand held phones freely, but as of 2003 it became against the law to use one and since 2007 the standard penalty has been a £60 fine and three points on your licence.
Driving under the influence of Alcohol
The ban of driving under the influence of alcohol has been in force since 1966 when it was unveiled as part of the Road safety Bill and the breathalyser was introduced the following year to help police it.
Travelling without a seat belt
This law came into force in the UK in 1983 however there are a few exceptions when you are allowed to go without it which include when your reversing or supervising a learner driver who is or if you are driving a goods vehicle that is travelling no more than 50 metres between stops. You are also allowed to go without if you are a licensed taxi driver who is either plying for hire or carrying passengers and also if you are in a vehicle being used for police fire and rescue services.
Carrying a child under the age of 3 in a car without seat belts
Although some classic cars do not require seat belts, by law it is illegal to carry any child below the age of 3 in such cars. Children aged 3 and over are allowed, but only in rear car seats.
Eating,smoking,drinking or applying make-up
Although the above actions do not come under an explicit law prohibiting them they come under the rule of not being in proper control of a vehicle.
Using a rear-facing child seat in the front
Now that most vehicles are fitted with passenger airbags as standard it is now important to avoid using rear-facing child seats in the front passenger seat as doing so could cause serious injuries to the child if the airbag goes off. Unless the airbag in the passenger seat is deactivated it is against the law to use a rear-facing child seat in a front passenger seat.
Happy Motoring !!!
Cherished Number Plates love them or hate them there is no escaping them. Personalised Registration Numbers have now become a must have car accessory and prices have become more affordable and you can buy a cherished number plate for as little as £30 plus vat. DVLA have various cherished number auctions throughout the year and prices achieved are getting stronger all the time especially if they are single numbers or word related. Below is a list of the Top 10 Registrations with the hammer prices (excluding VAT,buyers premium and ct fee) they achieved at auction.
1. 25 O Sold £400,000 November 2014
2. 1 D Sold £285,000 March 2009
3. 51 NGH Sold £201,000 April 2006
4. 1 RH Sold £196,000 November 2008
5. K1 NGS Sold £185,000 December 1993
6. KR15 HNA Sold £180,000 May 2015
7. 1 O Sold £170,000 January 2009
8. 1 A Sold £160,000 December 1989
9. 1 OO Sold £156,000 April 2006
10. 2 O Sold £115,000 March 2009
If you would like to purchase a cherished number plate click here or if you would like to view the latest Auction Numbers see our Auction page
The new 65 series registration number plates was introduced in the UK just over a week ago. All new vehicles registered between 1st September and 1st March 2016 will use the new registration plates. New vehicle sales are set to take off as the new 65 series number plates are introduced.
Why are we getting new 65 series number plates? Each year two sets of new registration plates are introduced into the UK via the DVLA at Swansea. The first new release each year is 1st March and the second release is 1st September. The plates are used to identify any vehicles built during that period, and helps drivers calculate the age of a car/vehicle.
What do the letters and numbers mean on the new 65 series registration plates? The first two letters on a registration plate indicate where the vehicle was registered, not where it was built. The first letter stands for the region the vehicle was registered and the second represents a local DVLA office. The next two letters are the same for every vehicle registered in that time period. The new registration plates will use 65, while registration plates from 1st March 2015 use 15. The final three letters are random and give the vehicle a unique identity.
If you would like to purchase a new 65 series number plate click here and view our huge database of cherished number plates.
The MOT test was first introduced in 1960 under the direction of the Minister of Transport, Ernest Marples under powers in the Road Traffic Act 1956. The test was originally a basic test including brakes, lights and steering check which was to be carried out after the vehicle was ten years old and every year thereafter. This became known as the “ten year test”, or alternatively the “Ministry of Transport Test”. The high failure rate resulted in the age that vehicles became due for testing being reduced to seven years on 31 December 1961. In 1962, the first commercial vehicle exam was created and a valid certificate was required in order to receive a tax disc, and in April 1967 the testable age for an MOT was reduced to three years. On 1 January 1983 the testable age for ambulances, taxis and vehicles with more than eight passenger seats, excluding the driver’s, was reduced to one year.
The list of items tested has been continually expanded over the years, including in 1968 – a tyre check; 1977 – checks of windscreen wipers and washers, direction indicators, brakelights, horns, exhaust system and condition of the body structure and chassis; 1991 – checks of the emissions test for petrol engine vehicles, together with checks on the anti-lock braking system, rear wheel bearings, rear wheel steering (where appropriate) and rear seat belts; 1992 – a stricter tyre tread depth requirement for most vehicles; 1994 – a check of emissions for diesel engine vehicles; 2005 – introduction of a computerised administration system for issuing non-secure test certificates. Also rolled out in 2005 was the creation of the ‘Automated Test Bay’ this differs from traditional testing by adding additional equipment to the bay to negate the use of an assistant during the test; 2012 – checks of secondary restraint systems, battery and wiring, ESC, speedometers and steering locks.
There are various test classes:
Class I — Motor bicycles (with or without side cars) up to 200cc
Class II — All motor bicycles (including Class I) (with or without side cars)
Class III — 3-wheeled vehicles not more than 450 kg unladen weight (excluding motor bicycles with side cars)
Class IV — Cars, including 3-wheeled vehicles more than 450 kg unladen weight, taxis, minibuses and ambulances up to 12 passenger seats, Goods Vehicles not exceeding 3,000 kg Design Gross Weight (DGW), motor caravans and dual purpose vehicles
Class V — Private passenger vehicles, ambulances, motor caravans and dual purpose vehicles with 13 or more passenger seats
Class VII — Goods vehicles over 3,000 kg up to and including 3,500 kg DGW. If a vehicle is presented with a manufacturer’s plate and a ‘Ministry plate’ the weights to be used are those on the ‘Ministry plate’
PSV test (Class VI) — Public service vehicles used for hire or reward with more than eight passenger seats (test conducted by DVSA/DVA staff their own stations, or at DVSA authorised testing facilities (ATF) or designated premises (DP)
HGV test — Goods vehicles over 3,500 kg GVW and trailers over 1,020 kg unladen weight or 3,500 kg GVW if fitted with overrun brakes (test conducted by DVSA/DVA staff their own stations, or at a DVSA authorised testing facility (ATF) or designated premises (DP)
Today the MOT test (or simply MOT) is an annual test of vehicle safety, roadworthiness aspects and exhaust emissions required in Great Britain for most vehicles over three years old used on any way defined as a road in the Road Traffic Act 1988; it does not apply only to highways (or in Scotland a relevant road) but includes other places available for public use, which are not highways. In Northern Ireland the equivalent requirement applies after four years. The requirement does not apply to vehicles used only on various small islands with no convenient connection “to a road in any part of Great Britain”.
MOT derives its name from the Ministry of Transport. The MOT test certificates are currently issued in Great Britain under DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency). MOT Certificates in Northern Ireland are issued by the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA). The test and the pass certificate are often referred to simply as the “MOT”.
Update on new law on smoking in cars and other vehicles with someone under 18.
From 1 October 2015 it will be illegal to smoke in a car (or other vehicles) with anyone under 18 present. The law is changing to protect children and young people from the dangers of secondhand smoke.
Both the driver and the smoker could be fined £50. The law applies to every driver in England and Wales, including those aged 17 and those with a provisional driving licence. The law does not apply if the driver is 17 years old and is on their own in the car.
Every time a child breathes in secondhand smoke, they breathe in thousands of chemicals. This puts them at risk of serious conditions including meningitis, cancer, bronchitis and pneumonia. It can also make asthma worse.
The law applies to any private vehicle that is enclosed wholly or partly by a roof. It still applies if people have the windows or sunroof open, have the air conditioning on, or if they sit in the open doorway of the vehicle. The law won’t apply to a convertible car with the roof completely down.
For more information click guidance on new rules about tobacco, e-cigarettes and smoking
In May the DVLA informed members of the public about the new Share Driving Licence service, which puts British driving licence holders firmly in control of who they share their most up to date driving licence information with.
The service allows users to generate a check code which they can share with a third party in order to prove their entitlement to drive – for example in response to a request from their employer, or when hiring a vehicle.
Since the abolition of the counterpart driving licence on 8th June 2015, the service has been in public beta. This means it is fully functioning and being used by the public whilst still being tested. The service is proving really popular – it’s been used over 1.4 million times since 8 June and currently has a customer satisfaction rating of 87.2%.
Some of the feedback the DVLA have had highlights that for some, the 72 hours validity period when you generate a check code is not long enough. It’s clear that some users want the check code to last longer – particularly those who need it when they are travelling and so the DVLA have listened.
Starting from 10th July 2015 they have extended the validity period to 21 days. Car hire companies or employers will still need the last eight digits of the driver’s licence number to redeem the code. Of course, it can be cancelled at any time, putting the user in control of when their record can be accessed and by whom.
DVLA plan to review this in three months once they have had sufficient further feedback from users and industry.
Fathers Day will be upon us once again on Sunday June 21st so why not spoil that special someone you call Dad with their own private personalised car number plate this year. You can have their initials, their car make, a cheap cover number or just something gimmicky.
It can be for your Dad, your Step-Dad your Granddad or even your Father-in-law or that special person that you think of as ‘DAD’. Starting from as little as £35 plus the cherished transfer fee of £80 you can buy them a gift that they can keep forever and which will be an investment as well.
Browse our website and search through our extensive database with millions of numbers for your desired combination or alternatively give one of our experienced sales staff a telephone call now on 0116 235 0116 and we will be be happy to help.
Happy Father’s Day from Motor Marks
As informed in previous posts as from today June 8th 2015 the Driving Licence Counterpart is no more. It’s GONE
As part of the government’s Red Tape Challenge initiative to remove unnecessary burden, DVLA will no longer issue the paper counterpart to the photocard driving licence. This means that from today, existing paper counterparts will no longer be valid and should be destroyed. The photocard remains valid and should be kept safe.
If you still have any queries or want further information you can email the DVLA at abolitionofcounterpart@dvla.gsi.gov.uk
