Delay paying £190 car tax on EV until April 2026 (action needed before the end of March 2024)

[MartinSEsr]

Hi, in April 2025, EV cars switch from £0 per year car tax to £190. If your car is registered in March, you'll avoid paying it next year. But if registered in April, May or after, you just miss the cut-off and will pay £190 on renewal next year.

This method delays it for a year to March 2026. You pay £0 now, £0 in March 2025 then £190 in March 2026. The £190 payment starts on 1 April 2025.

I went to the "tax your car" government website, and re-taxed mine. You need the V5C registration document 11 digit code, I clicked on "I don't have a tax renewal letter" and agreed "I know I'm taxing it before I have to". But I re-taxed it early, in March instead of June, at a cost of £0.

It took a couple of days to update, but checking on my car's tax status, it has now switched renewal from 1 June 2024 to 1 March 2025, so therefore I avoid paying £190 for a year.

It took 5 mins, and I recommend doing it, there's no reason for everyone whose tax (currently £0) is due after April in 're-taxing' now for £0 and delaying the payment of £190 for a year. But it HAS to be done in March, ie now. The car tax web site warns you you will be paying twice by taxing early - but you just pay £0.00 twice!

I got this off an MG facebook group where they're all doing it, i tried it and it worked. You don't need to SORN the car for a day which some people thought.

Martin

 

[Tight Git]

Interesting and an excellent idea!

 

[tsedge]

It is going to be £180, not £165, as the rates were recently increased.

 

[Lovemyev]

It took a couple of days to update, but checking on my car's tax status, it has now switched renewal from 1 June 2025 to 1 March 2025, so therefore I avoid paying £165 for a year.

Great idea !.
Should this not say :- “road tax now due 1st March 2026” ?.

 

[Tight Git]

Great idea !.
Should this not say :- “road tax now due 1st March 2026” ?.

No because you will 're-tax' the car in March 2025 for another year.

Just done mine!

 

[Kithmo]

I did it the long winded way, sorned it then went round to the post office around the corner and retaxed it, as I didn't know you could retax/renew it when it was still taxed.

 

[Andrew Hooper]

Done.Thanks for the heads up.

 

[Rolfe]

Damn. I just did mine through the renewal letter. I did see this advice on another forum but thought didn't really understand it - the explanation wasn't so clear. I thought, this isn't going to work. No, it wasn't going to work. Oh well, too late now.

 

[Lovemyev]

According to the Gov web site, my VED ( tax ) is due for renewal in April.
Date of issue for my V5C was mid March 2022.
Car is almost two years old.
I followed the instructions above by using the 11 digit number on my V5C and it returned with a confirmation number and zero pounds in the field for payment.
I have then taken a screen shot of the reference number before leaving the site.
I then returned to the web page to check on my current date of renewal and it is still showing April 2024.
I think it is going to take a couple of days for the system to update.

 

[MartinSEsr]

According to the Gov web site, my VED ( tax ) is due for renewal in April.
Date of issue for my V5C was mid March 2022.
Car is almost two years old.
I followed the instructions above by using the 11 digit number on my V5C and it returned with a confirmation number and zero pounds in the field for payment.
I have then taken a screen shot of the reference number before leaving the site.
I then returned to the web page to check on my current date of renewal and it is still showing April 2024.
I think it is going to take a couple of days for the system to update.

Yes, mine took three days to update, it still said 1 June 2024 for a few days then switched to 1 March 2025. And I just re-checked (search for "check if car taxed" and it's definately 1 March 2025.

NB it saves £180 not £165 as pointed out above! It's really worth doing.

 

[MartinSEsr]

Damn. I just did mine through the renewal letter. I did see this advice on another forum but thought didn't really understand it - the explanation wasn't so clear. I thought, this isn't going to work. No, it wasn't going to work. Oh well, too late now.

Hi Rolfe

So is your tax renewal date now 1 April 2025? It might be just worth going through the OP's (my) process again, saying "no tax letter" etc to see if you can re-tax it again, right now, in March. The worst that could happen is it won't let you, but I think it will (hopefully); the best that can happen is you'll pull it forward by a crucial month. And it will cost you £0 but save £180.

 

[KH11]

Just done mine now although the car tax wasn’t due until 31 May. So it’s now dated 1 March.

 

[MartinSEsr]

Just done mine now although the car tax wasn’t due until 31 May. So it’s now dated 1 March.

Brilliant! I should be collecting 10% commission haha.

 

[KH11]

Yes you should lol

 

[siteguru]

Mine's due 1st November, so doing this would give me an extra 5 months. I'll think about it.

 

[MartinSEsr]

Mine's due 1st November, so doing this would give me an extra 5 months. I'll think about it.

You should do it, it will still save about £80 and it really is a 5 minute zero cost process.

 

[tsedge]

I would recommend people do it before they cotton on and stop it

 

[Matt x power]

Its not illegal this?

 

[Tight Git]

Nothing illegal about it, but some may consider it to be playing the system, which I guess it is.

Whether or not the government decide to try and stop it is anyone's guess.

 

[tsedge]

Its not illegal this?

Why would it be illegal?