Delay paying £190 car tax on EV until April 2026 (action needed before the end of March 2025)

[Martinonline]

@salty, that's the confusing thing in that the VED Checker says the car is taxed and if you read my previous posts you will see screenshots that reflect that.

 

[salty]

@salty, that's the confusing thing in that the VED Checker says the car is taxed and if you read my previous posts you will see screenshots that reflect that.

Yep seen them, and thought great, you managed to get an extra month, result!
Possibly their mistake. And have they realised. You could do nothing, as you've got proof with the VED checker. It's up to you.

 

[Enquirer 62]

Yep seen them, and thought great, you managed to get an extra month, result!
Possibly their mistake. And have they realised. You could do nothing, as you've got proof with the VED checker. It's up to you.

Just retaxed my ZS EV . Was due for tax renewal 1st September 2025, now taxed until 1st March 2026 Took less than 5 minutes on the gov.uk website

 

[Gomev]

@salty, that's the confusing thing in that the VED Checker says the car is taxed and if you read my previous posts you will see screenshots that reflect that.

Please see post #330. You can renew tax in advance online if it is due in April. The rest of us are just buying a new year not renewing.

 

[Martinonline]

@Gomev, thank you for your post.

I did investigate that and replied to you post. The issue is that I renewed from April at no cost but all the information put out by the government is that (1) I should not have been able to do that from the 1st of the month [your gov site example] and that (2) I should have paid £195 for the tax year starting April 2025.

Given that I had renewed I was surprised to receive a renewal letter 6 days later. Can I trust the VED Checker?

I don't want to end up paying the £195 when I can SORN the car and retax at zero cost with a tax start of March 2025.

However, I've decided to risk it by waiting to see what happens on 1st April with the VED Checker

Ideally I would like to hear from someone who has received a renewal letter for 1st April and used that to renew but I suspect most savvy owners have relaxed their cars early.

 

[prawlin]

I think you are overthinking it all @Martinonline

AFAIK, the price you pay, is that which is in force on the day you renew it (not the day the VED actually starts from) So nobody will pay the new April 1st rates unless they are actually applying for it on or after April 1st.

You got the renewal reminder letter just after you renewed it online. So you can ignore that as the bulk mail shot of reminders was probably initiated before you renewed it. Your renewal was too late to stop the postal reminder going out to you.

You don’t need to do anything AFAICC. You got an extra month FOC
Peter.

 

[siteguru]

I think you are overthinking it all @Martinonline

AFAIK, the price you pay, is that which is in force on the day you renew it (not the day the VED actually starts from) So nobody will pay the new April 1st rates unless they are actually applying for it on or after April 1st.

You got the renewal reminder letter just after you renewed it online. So you can ignore that as the bulk mail shot of reminders was probably initiated before you renewed it. Your renewal was too late to stop the postal reminder going out to you.

You don’t need to do anything AFAICC. You got an extra month FOC
Peter.

Not quite correct, sorry. If you renew this month using the code from the renewal letter then you'll be charged the rate that applies effective from the date of the intended renewal (1st April in the case of receiving the renewal letter in March).

If you simply retax (rather than renew) using your VRM and the code from your V5C then you should effectively be cancelling the current tax and taking out new tax effective from the 1st of the month in which you do this process. This is why I can understand @Martinonline's concern, as his VED should have become effective from 1st March not 1st April. (I assume you did not use any renewal letter code, Martin?)

 

[Martinonline]

Yes, I am probably overthinking it because the system did not respond in the way I thought it should and am concerned there are other foibles that could occur

@siteguru, no I did not use the renewal letter and am, too, surprised at the result of my actions.

But, as @Gomev has pointed out, you can renew early.

 

[DannySB1]

Hi all, I just want to check I've done this correctly.

I've just been on the GOV website, entered my reg and V5C code, it told me it will cost £0.00 from 1st April 2025 for 12 months. Does that mean I've effectively now avoided having to pay the £195 tax?

Sorry if that's a silly question, but I found all the information on this a little confusing.

 

[Martinonline]

Join the club. I assume your VED was due from 1st April so, as I did, expect either to be moved back a month to have a renewal date of 1st March or to be told I needed to pay £195. It came at a surprise to me and others that the zero rate was applied and the tax was not due until 1st April 2026.

Have you received a renewal letter?

 

[DannySB1]

Join the club. I assume your VED was due from 1st April so, as I did, expect either to be moved back a month to have a renewal date of 1st March or to be told I needed to pay £195. It came at a surprise to me and others that the zero rate was applied and the tax was not due until 1st April 2026.

Have you received a renewal letter?

No renewal letter yet, I thought I'd try take the initiative after reading some of the posts and comments on here and re-tax the car early to get the £0.00 rate. However, not sure if it actually works. I'll keep an eye on it.

 

[Martinonline]

The VED checker will update to show a new tax date of 1st April 2026. I am assuming that date will not be modified if I ignore the renewal letter I received.

 

[Funks]

Guys, its simple!
Just go to Retax my car and click on start. Have your "Log Book" better know as V5C document, click on NO REMINDER when asked, and use the V5C document reference number found at the top right corner. Follow all the pages through to the end, then click FINISH.

You will be taxing you vehicle from the start of March 2025 at a cost of £0.00, and you'll not pay any "Road Tax" known as Vehicle Excise Duty until 1st March 2026!

Simples!!

That's one in the eye for Rachel Reeves

 

[salty]

Guys, its simple!
Just go to Retax my car and click on start. Have your "Log Book" better know as V5C document, click on NO REMINDER when asked, and use the V5C document reference number found at the top right corner. Follow all the pages through to the end, then click FINISH.

You will be taxing you vehicle from the start of March 2025 at a cost of £0.00, and you'll not pay any "Road Tax" known as Vehicle Excise Duty until 1st March 2026!

Simples!!

That's one in the eye for Rachel Reeves

Yeh, but some are being taxed from,
APRIL 1st. In March. Therefore only due on the,
1st APRIL 2026 which is an extra month!
Result for them. That's the slight confusion. Unless it's an April Fool.
Unless I'm being very Fik.
(Which isn't unheard of)

 

[Martinonline]

@Funks, the system works as you describe for those whose renewal date is 1st May onwards but for those of us who had a renewal date of 1st April the tax due date remained at 1st April.

 

[salty]

@Funks, the system works as you describe for those whose renewal date is 1st May onwards but for those of us who had a renewal date of 1st April the tax due date remained at 1st April.

March not May. I'm going for a lie down, my heads kettled.

 

[siteguru]

Martin meant May ... but it could apply for any other month - except April, which seems to have the foible described.

 

[salty]

That's cleared it up. Why has this suddenly become so complicated
Well to me anyway.
Taxed mine from the 1st of March 2025 to 1st March 2026. Simple's, Job done.

 

[Martinonline]

@salty, but what was your original renewal date? And when did you retax it?

 

[salty]

@salty, but what was your original renewal date? And when did you retax it?

September 1st 2025. Re-taxed it,
3rd March 2025. So taxed until 1st March
2026. Saved 6 months. £97.50 happy with that.