Vehicle tax question

[Noonooyou]

So I moved a few weeks ago and only got around to sending off to change address on car yesterday.. doh! So anyway, vehicle tax was due Monday just gone and I didn't realise. I woke up this morning and thought I'd check online because I knew it was due in April... only to freak out. I of course paid it straight away. I just wondered if there is any leeway?

I'm pretty sure you have until the 5th of the month to pay it.

Amazing I hope so, thank you!

"you have until the 5th of the month"
No. You can apply for your renewal from the 5th of the month.
www.gov.uk/vehicle-tax-advance

Sorry you are at risk of a fine for letting it expire - there is no official leeway. But from what I've seen it's not automated, they seem to run a check every now and then - so you'd have to be quite unlucky to be caught.

should have added... if it wasn't driven on the road then the worst you would get is an £80 fine, reduced to £40 if you pay on time. The big penalties are for if you're caught driving the untaxed vehicle. I'm sure you'd have noticed that ;-)

My apologies. Google tells me there used to be a five day grace period to allow disc to arrive in the olden days of displaying one. I'm getting confused in my old age!

If it's any reassurance though, I have been a few days late renewing tax the past and haven't been fined, so I think you'd be unlucky. Hopefully you'll be fine

The crazy thing is - my car is environmentally friendly enough to be zero rated for tax - yet I have to go to the dvla website and apply for the tax at a rate of £0.00 once a year and if I fail to do so I am equally liable for a fine.

Yeah, that's because applying for the tax disc triggers the MOT and insurance database searches, which are then updated. Some years ago I completely forgot to MOT a vehicle, by months rather than weeks. Had I not remembered, I would have only found out when the tax was due.

Thanks all!

toby I drove it Tuesday. I'd have no more chance of realising it was expired by it sitting outside the house or me driving it because tax discs aren't around anymore! It's all electronic.
Hoping it won't come to anything and if it does I'll pay. Totally innocent mistake.