Online Road Tax renewal - recommended

[WW_VRS]

That's what the DVLA gets from me

I never appear to have time to go to the post-office due to my working hours/Hayley's working hours, so when this online road tax thing came along I got pretty interested.

As my insurance renewal is just around the time the tax expires, generally it's a mad dash to find all the paperwork together. Luckily the MOT side of things isn't relevant to the vRS yet, but in any case.

When you get your road tax renewal reminder it's got a code on that letter. With that, a browser + debit card ( or credit card at extra charge) you can get yourself sorted out very quickly.

You type in the number, the site works out if you have insurance & valid MOT if required based on the vehicle info they have for you. Assuming your registered address is correct, you then just state whether you want 6 or 12 months, drop in payment info and submit.

Received the new tax disc in the post this morning, only two days turnaround time. Well impressed.

In the future apparently it will also get linked to MOT centres around the country, all if which will be forced to have a computer linkup to someplace centralised.

Perhaps untaxed, uninsured vehicles will finally become something of the past..

[Wardy]

How strange, just about to go to the site and do mine now

I certainly wondered how they'd get round the insurance issue, but that seems well covered. Another victory for Big Brother

Certainly beats Q'ing at the Post Office....

Steve

[maffwilson]

Certainly beats Q'ing at the Post Office....

I actually like the staff at our local post office who are really helpful etc, so I deliberately ignore all this online stuff for road tax and renew mine there.

IMHO being in a queue and such is social and perhaps we're not being social enough in this country...

[Wardy]

I applaud the sentiment, but I'm not sure I'd like to be that sociable with the people I usually find in the queue at our local P.O. :rubchin:

Although the staff are good

Steve

[Mr Grumpy]

It works for me, I can have a beer, prove I am insured and mot'd, and not break the law all at the same time:thumbup:

[tonystop]

Done this for the last 2 years, well impressed!

[Wardy]

I didn't get this type of reminder this time last year? :confused:

As I'm sure I would have done it this way then. Oh well, I'm all sorted until the next time now

Steve

[heresmo]

Question please: Can one renew online before receiving the reminder?

The post offices here won't let you renew until you can present the form.

Ta

Mo

[Wardy]

No - you have to wait for the DVLA letter to arrive. Only difference is that now there's a reference number at the top, for use online or by 'phone.

And even then it's needs to be past the 15th of the month before you can do it (my letter arrived on the 14th).

Steve

[Chris197]

Ive used this service a couple of times and fully recommend it.

Last time I went to the post office they asked to see an MOT for a 6 month old car:eek: Took a few minutes for someone to tell the lady that was serving me that I didnt need one.

[MarkyMarkD]

You don't need the DVLA reminder, or the number on the reminder.

I know this as my reminder didn't refer to online taxing, or include the reference. As long as you have your Reg Doc number, and your Reg number, you can do it online anyway.

The MOT centres are already linked to DVLA (or at least some of them are) - if you have a new-style A4 MOT certificate you can use the online taxing thingy.

Works very nicely.

[WW_VRS]

Post-office visits for me are great IF and only IF I am actually physically able to get to one during opening hours, and then at the right time to allow for a new disc to be issued. Much bigger advantage IMHO is the not having to scramble for the paperwork last-minute to find you've mislaid it. Sure if the police were to require the paperwork I'd have to produce it, but that's not happened (so far )

Thing I don't get is why we can't do the same at the post office, i.e. go there, provide the renewal letter & it checks the rest for you, they can issue a disc and it would mean you get the personal touch PLUS less hassle for post office as well as the customer?

Nothing wrong combining the good bits of both

[ap0gee1978]

While we're on the subject, big to the Manchester DVLA office for sorting out my replacement tax disc so quickly after Autoglass lost it - posted off the form with my V5 and cheque (the only bit I'm not 100% happy about) on a Saturday morning, and my replacement disc was sitting on the doormat when I got home from work the following Wednesday. Less than three working days is very good in my books!

[philc]

I think the service is brilliant.

The state of our main Post Office, I now get two extra lunch breaks every year!

Phil