Car tax check

Enter your registration in the checker above and open the official DVLA service — it shows whether the vehicle is taxed and when it's due, free of charge. We copy your reg across so you can paste it straight in.

No. You need a valid MOT to tax your vehicle. If your MOT has lapsed you can't renew your road tax until the car passes a new test — so the two go hand in hand.

No — and this catches a lot of people out. Road tax no longer transfers to the new owner. When you buy a car you must tax it yourself before you drive it away; any tax the seller had is cancelled and refunded to them.

DVLA lets you pay annually, every six months, or monthly by Direct Debit. Direct Debit renews automatically as long as the car has a valid MOT, which helps avoid an accidental lapse.

If you're keeping a car off the road and not taxing it, you must declare it SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification) with DVLA. Otherwise it needs to be taxed and insured even while parked — see Continuous Insurance Enforcement.

DVLA runs automated checks and can issue penalties and take enforcement action, including clamping the vehicle. It's simply not worth the risk when checking and taxing takes a couple of minutes.