Car tax evasion hotspots revealed with this one city recording double the offences

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Car tax evasion figures from the DVLA have been analysed by vehicle finance experts at Moneybarn as the frim revealed the most offending region in the country. Belfast was revealed as the number one area for tax offences per capita with over 2,400 vehicles caught out last year. 

A total of 2,407 owners per capita were caught for car tax evasion in the area last year in figures almost double that of the next nearest area. 

Croydon picked up 1,368 offences per capita followed by Birmingham on 1,310 and Cardiff on 1,258. 

Enfield and Luton recorded over 1,200 offences while Rochester, Dartford, Newport and Romford all saw over 1,100 offences per capita recorded. 

To ensure the data was representative of population sizes in each area, the total number of offences was divided by the registered number of drivers in each area and multiplied by 100,000. 

READ MORE: AA president calls car tax evasion rates ‘staggering’

Based on DVLA data alone, Belfast saw 78,501 enforcement actions with Birmingham receiving 61,531 offences. 

Moneybarn’s analysis revealed Inverness recorded the lowest number of vehicle tax offences per capita across the UK.  

Just 223 offences were recorded in the area with Norwichc recording just 250 and Aberdeen 312. 

Carlisle, Kirkwall and Lancaster were also low offenders with each area reporting under 400 offences per capita, 

The new analysis comes just months after the DVLA revealed their latest campaign to target road users without valid tax in place.

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Their “Tax it or lose it” campaign will see enforcement officers visit high offending regios and slap penalties on those not following the rules. 

Tim Schwatz, Head of Marketing at Moneybarn said there was “more to be done” to ensure drivers did not break strict vehicle tax offences. 

He urged drovers to “pay attention” to their tax to ensure motorists avoid penalties which could leave road users with heavy charges. 

He said: “Although it’s great to see the overall number of tax offences are decreasing, it still shows there is more to be done to ensure UK motorists are fully educated on this subject and aren’t committing vehicle tax offences.

“We urge motorists to be careful and pay attention to when their vehicle tax is due and to check if they’re eligible to SORN their vehicle, to avoid potential penalties.”

According to the RAC, the DVLA runs monthly computer checks of all vehicles registered in the UK. 

Any vehicles highlighted as not having any car tax will automatically receive a letter and an £80 fine which can be reduced by half if paid within 28 days. 

However, failure to pay the charge could see road users prosecuted and fines increased to a maximum of £1,000. 

MoneyBarn has urged road users to check vehicle tax is paid every year when it’s due and to look out for any reminders from the DVLA. 

Motorists must also inform the DVLA if they take their vehicle off the road and must ensure they do not keep the car on a public road if it does not have the correct tax in place. 

The DVLA says they will clamp cars which do not have the correct tax and warn some models could be impounded by enforcement teams. 

Chief Executive, Julie Lennard, said: “The number of untaxed vehicles on the road is falling, but we are determined to reduce this even further. 

“We operate a range of measures to make vehicle tax easy to pay and hard to avoid, so there really is no excuse if you fail to tax your vehicle. 

“While the vast majority of motorists do the right thing and tax correctly, this campaign highlights the real consequences that motorists face if they don’t tax their vehicles.”

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