It is your responsibility to inform the DVLA when you sell or purchase a car. Both the buyer and the seller must sign a tear off slip of the V5.
If you fail to notify the DVLA of any changes in ownership you will still receive any documentation from any organisations relating to that vehicle, i.e. parking fines
Yes, it is an offence not to notify the Secretary of State (DVLA) of your details when you purchase a car. You will be liable for a substantial fine if found guilty of the offence.
The DVLA maintains a register of vehicles and their keepers. This register is kept for a variety of reasons including road safety, revenue collection and law enforcement. It is for these reasons that it is important that the person listed as the registered keeper is the person responsible for the day to day running of the car.
The DVLA recognise that a non driver could be recorded as the registered keeper of the vehicle but advise that the registered keeper should be the person who has the responsibility for the day to day use of the vehicle on the road.
A registration document (V5) is not proof of ownership. The registered keeper should be the person who is actually using / keeping the vehicle and this is not necessarily the owner of the vehicle or the person who is paying for it.
He is the person responsible for the vehicle so far as official communications from the police/DVLA etc., but the owner is the person who put up the cash (or was given it as a gift).
The DVLA make a point of saying that the person named on the registration document is not necessarily the owner.
This is particularly true with a company car which is owned by the company, however the registration document should show the registered keeper, i.e. the day to day user (this may be an employee who has it as a permanent perk with his/her job).
A registered keeper will usually be regarded as responsible for parking tickets etc so it would be wise to have the registration document changed if you are the owner, but not the user/keeper. There might also be some circumstances where you would be deemed as being the owner of the vehicle for an insurance offence, e.g. if you are permitting someone to use the vehicle knowing full well it is not insured or roadworthy.
Most insurance companies insist that the person who they insure is the primary user of the vehicle and can specify that the person is the registered keeper. It is up to them who they will or will not insure.
From 1st April 2017, the way that vehicle tax is calculated and its cost will change for cars and some motor homes.
Vehicles registered before 1st April 2017
If your vehicle
was registered before 1st April 2017, you won't be affected by the new rules –
you can use the link below to find the amount of vehicle tax you'll pay:
https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-tax-rate-tables
Vehicles registered from 1st April 2017
The first time
you tax your vehicle i.e. for the first year, the amount you pay is based on
your vehicle's CO2 emissions – you can check how much you'll have to pay by
using the link below:
https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-tax-rate-tables/vehicles-registered-on-or-after-1-april-2017
The second and subsequent times i.e. after the first year, you tax your vehicle the amount you pay will depend on the type of vehicle you have. You'll pay:
This means that for new vehicles, you'll pay more vehicle tax in the first year but a lower annual rate (£140 for most cars) thereafter.
New vehicles costing more than £40 000
If you buy a
vehicle that has a list price (the published price before any discounts) of more
than £40,000, the amount you pay for your vehicle tax the first time will be
based on CO2 emissions – see the link below for the cost:
https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-tax-rate-tables/vehicles-registered-on-or-after-1-april-2017
When you tax your vehicle for a second time i.e. after the first year, you'll pay one of the new rates that depend on the type of vehicle (petrol, diesel, alternative fuel or zero emissions), plus an extra £310 per year for the next 5 years. After this you'll be taxed at one of the new rates i.e. £140, £130 or £0, depending on the type of vehicle.
Discounts on vehicle tax for those claiming benefits
If
you claim benefits the link below explains about the discounts you may be
entitled to and how to apply for them:
https://www.gov.uk/financial-help-disabled/vehicles-and-transport
