The new VED (Vehicle Excise Duty) reminder service provides an instant notification about road tax, which means drivers do not have to wait for a paper reminder in the post.
It is also possible to set up vehicle tax reminders by email and for the first time by SMS text.
The change comes as part of DVLA’s new Driver and vehicles account service, which allows motorists access to their driver and vehicle information in one convenient place.
Driving without road tax can result in a £1000 fine. The DVLA estimates there are 719,000 unlicensed vehicles (excluding motorcycles) on the road– a figure that represents 1.8% of vehicles in UK traffic, up from 1.6% in 2019.
In 2021, there was an estimated £119 million of potential revenue loss over 12 months for the UK from unpaid road tax, although the DVLA says some of this will have been recovered through enforcement activity or by vehicle keepers paying arrears of VED at a later date.
The DVLA’s 2021 statistics are based on roadside traffic observations at 267 sites across the UK in June and early July 2021.
The research suggests that 55% of affected vehicles in 2021 had been unlicensed for two months or less, it’s hoped the new digital reminder service will reduce the number of instances of VED evasion caused by drivers forgetting to renew their road tax.
The new DVLA road tax reminder service will also allow all drivers who sign up to gain immediate access to their driving licence and vehicle details online. The DVLA is also asking drivers to provide feedback on the quality of the new digital service.
Vehicle owners will need to go to www.gov.uk/driver-vehicles-account, provide an email address and validate their details with a one-time passcode.
Users will need to provide their personal details including name, date of birth, and address – and then verify their identity using a UK passport. When signing up, drivers will also need to provide a valid driving licence or a national insurance number.
Once an account has been set up, motorists can simply sign in and they will be able to view some other important information. They can see how many penalty points they have on their licence, as well as the tax and MOT status of any vehicles they own.
Drivers who have chosen to tax their vehicle by direct debit do not need to sign up to receive a digital V11 reminder because their payments will renew automatically.
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