Perhaps I should say first that, like many people, I've found myself in the position of not being able to tax my car due to the fact that I'm not the registered keeper. The previous owner of my car didn't send the V5 document into the DVLA to notify them of the sale, I didn't chase them up to get my V5 and by the time I realised what had happened it was too late. I sent in a V62 to register myself as the new keeper but until the new V5 shows up (4-6 weeks at best) I can't drive my car.

That's a common story it seems and I accept some blame for not chasing it up sooner. What I'm really interested in though is how we ended up with this system in the first place. Why can't you tax a car with a V62?

Regardless of whether a V62 form is successful in transferring the registration to the new keeper (which it seems like they almost always are) I'm just unsure of why it would even be an issue if someone attempted to tax a car that they were not the registered keeper of. Is there a real risk of people taxing cars they don't own? Who would do such a thing? Altruistic criminals running around paying people's road tax for them?

I'm sure there is some valid explanation, but I'm just not sure what it is. Why can't you tax a car simply using the V62? It just seems completely needless to be unable to drive your car for 4-6 weeks simply because, ultimately, a database needs to be updated (regardless of whose fault it is).

I'm sure there is some valid explanation, but I'm just not sure what it is.

Why are you expecting there to be a valid reason? It involves the goverment and the DVLA, I certainly wouldn't be expecting a valid reason!

What should of happened is that the old keeper should have completed the green part of the registration document - the new keeper supplement (V5C/2) - and given that to you and you could then have used that to tax the vehicle at the Post Office or DVLA office.

Unfortunately, if you were not given the new keeper supplement, you will have to wait for the registration document.

It will take 4 -6 weeks for the V5C in your name to be issued because DVLA will write to the current registered keeper, informing them that an application has been made by someone else for a registration document for that vehicle, giving them time to respond.

you can only use the V5C/2 to tax a car within the first 6 weeks of purchae I believe. It would seem the OP overlooked the non-arrival of the enw V5 and therefore is beyond this 6 week period also.

The V5C/2 is valid for 2 months to allow for the new V5C to arrive, it can also be used with a V62 to apply for a new V5C if one does not arrive, and in that case it is free and is quicker - they don't need to check with the old keeper.

The V5C/2 is valid for 2 months to allow for the new V5C to arrive, it can also be used with a V62 to apply for a new V5C if one does not arrive, and in that case it is free and is quicker - they don't need to check with the old keeper.

Thanks for the replies. That's pretty much what happened - I did have the green slip but it was after the two months had expired so I couldn't use it to tax the vehicle. I had naively thought that I could just use the green slip to tax it, which was another part of the problem.

Like I said, I don't have a problem taking responsibility for that I was just wondering why the system doesn't let you tax the vehicle with the V62 as it seems a bit needless. I tried asking the DVLA this and they didn't seem to want to answer it - they were more interested in just saying what the system is rather than explaining why it is the way it is. Is it just a sort of nuclear option for ensuring the registration details are up to date?

I didn't know that it takes less time if you send the V62 in with the green slip, though. I didn't have to pay the fee (£25 I think) because I had the green slip, but I didn't realise that also makes the process go a bit quicker. The adviser said 4-6 weeks, but I guess that's just the standard information when handing in a V62. That makes me a bit more hopeful I'll be back on the road soon so thanks.

The V62 form is only an application for a registration document (V5C), there is no connection between that and applying for the tax. For which you have to be the registered keeper or the new keeper with the V5C/2 which, as you have found, is only valid for two months.

The V62 form is only an application for a registration document (V5C), there is no connection between that and applying for the tax. For which you have to be the registered keeper or the new keeper with the V5C/2 which, as you have found, is only valid for two months.

The link between the V62 and tax, in this case, is that it's the first step to you becoming the registered keeper, acquiring a V5C in your name and being allowed to tax the vehicle. The steps would be:

1. Fill in a V62 (and enclose the fee if necessary).

2. Wait for the DVLA to process it, change the details for the registered keeper and send out a new V5C in your name.

3. Receive the new V5C and tax your car.

Step 1 leads to steps 2 and 3 in the vast majority of cases and in the few cases that it doesn't (when the previous keeper disputes they have sold the car) the consequences of allowing someone to buy a tax disc for the vehicle don't seem to be problematic - namely someone has just taxed a vehicle they are not the registered keeper of. In fact the DVLA adviser's advice when I went into their office was to try and do precisely that - to try and contact the previous seller, get the tax reminder off of them and tax the vehicle myself using the tax reminder and the certificate of motor insurance. That in effect would achieve the same aim as taxing a vehicle with an unsuccessful V62 form, so what's the difference?

In short, what is to be lost by allowing someone carrying out the three step process above to tax their vehicle at "step 1" instead of "step 3"? I know you can't, but why?

I suppose the theory is that if you are the registered keeper you will have the V5C or the renewal reminder, if you are the new keeper you will have the V5C/2 so as far as DVLA are concerned, there is no need to involve another process.

I went to the post office and got a V62 and a V10 form....i also had the little slip that comes off the log book for the new keeper....the car is insured in my name...and i was told i could tax it at post office...but went to local dvla office.....and they wanted a 25quid fee for a new log book.....but dvla sent log book to someone else,s address in my name...so wasnt my fault...didnt pay fee but car got taxed....as long as you have little slip off log book and insurance for car...and the V10 and V62 shouldnt be a problem..as far as im aware...

For future reference - the V5C2 is only valid for two months, but this is from the date you put on the green slip. In practice, you can use it whenever you like, and most post offices don't even mind a bit of tipp-ex on there. You can, however, only use it once, as they will stamp it.

I suppose the theory is that if you are the registered keeper you will have the V5C or the renewal reminder, if you are the new keeper you will have the V5C/2 so as far as DVLA are concerned, there is no need to involve another process.

This is true, but then I'd be interested to know how many people have ended up in the same situation as myself. From a google search it seems like it's a fairly common thing as there are lots of people talking about it. In fact the main reason I asked this question is that some of the discussions seemed to imply that at one stage (5-10 years ago) you could apply for a tax disc when sending off the V62 in this situation - I don't know whether that's accurate or not, but it raised the question in my mind as to why you can't do this now.

It's one of those situations where you can simply blame the driver for not chasing it up early enough, but then theoretically you could blame the driver with any system - even an incredibly inefficient one - so long as technically there's a way to abide by it. If there's a pothole in the road that only 2% of drivers are negligent enough to drive into then you can blame them for not driving more carefully, but you can also ask why there's a pothole in the road in the first place.

From a google search it seems like it's a fairly common thing as there are lots of people talking about it. In fact the main reason I asked this question is that some of the discussions seemed to imply that at one stage (5-10 years ago) you could apply for a tax disc when sending off the V62 in this situation - I don't know whether that's accurate or not, but it raised the question in my mind as to why you can't do this now.

That was the system with the old V5 document, but with the later V5C document, as the current keeper you have the complete V5C or the V11 reminder form, or as a new keeper you have the V5C/2 supplement. The Post Office need one of those documents to scan the barcode, - they just scan them and give them back.

Unfortunately some people haven't noticed and/or followed the different procedure between the old V5 and the later V5C system when buying or selling vehicles - which causes the problems.

Unfortunately some people haven't noticed and/or followed the different procedure between the old V5 and the later V5C system when buying or selling vehicles - which causes the problems.

No doubt, but then if you could still buy a tax disc whilst sending in the V62 it seems like there wouldn't really be a problem to encounter in the first place. I'm still unsure as to why you can't do this on some level - yes you have the V5C/2, but you're always going to end up with people losing it/not understanding the system. That's a cost, in the form of unpaid tax for a month or more, which doesn't necessarily need to be there if a better system was in place.

As for my situation, I had the (expired) V5C/2 and the new V5 actually showed up today, but I admit defeat in terms of understanding why this system is the way it is. I'm going to settle on the first explanation put forward - that "it just is".

Reviving a 6 year old thread...

Because it is still a valid question. The process is clear, but the question is WHY??

I've just bought a car, it had previously been stolen. Therefore I got no documents. I have submitted the forms and paid the fee.

Why can't I tax it? What reason do they have for making honest people wait or even break the law? Nobody would pay tax unless they have to and are honest. IF someone disputes ownership or whatever my taxing the car will make no difference to such a claim.

It just doesn't make sense.

Why can't the process be dealt with online?