Motorists in the UK could be at risk of landing a fine for making a simple error with their car tax.
First-year tax rates are based on the amount of CO2 emissions your vehicle produces, with higher polluting cars facing heftier fees.
As a result of the 2017 car tax rate changes now, only a select few vehicles escape paying vehicle excise duty. Just electric cars that cost under £40,000 are exempt from the tax bill.
If your car is exempt of road tax then you still need to register your vehicle for tax despite you not needing to pay any tax.
Failing to see you do so could result in you landing a fine.
Driving without road tax can land a motorist a DVLA-imposed £80 which can be halved to £40 if paid within 28 days.
However, if your case goes to court then this could rose to a £1,000 or five times the annual road tax fee.
If police officers catch you without valid road tax you can also face a fixed penalty notice (FPN) of up to £1,000.
Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis warned drives that they could be at risk of a fine for making the error.
He said: “A quick warning for those of you who have a tax-free car.
“If your car has low emissions, you don’t pay vehicle excise duty, yet if it’s pre-April 2017 registered, you still need to apply to tax it even though it’s free.
“If not you could be due an 80 quid fine.
“My team did a freedom of information request and found 71, 000 penalties had been issued to motorists even though they don’t pay vehicle excise duty, it’s worth checking.”
Car tax rates will increase for the third time in three years on April 1st.
Drivers face paying up to £365 in the first year as a result of the update, which was announced in the 2018 Autumn Budget.
Source: Read Full Article