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

[mGizmo]

£60 saved for me too.

 

[graham1311]

Hi, in April 2025, EV cars switch from £0 per year car tax to £165. If your car is registered in March, you'll avoid paying it next year. But if registered in April, May or after, you just miss the cut-off and will pay £165 on renewal.

This method delays it for a year to March 2026.

I went to the "tax your car" government website, and re-taxed mine. You need the V5C registration document 11 digit code, I clicked on "I don't have a tax renewal letter" and agreed "I know I'm taxing it before I have to". But I re-taxed it early, in March instead of June, at a cost of £0.

It took a couple of days to update, but checking on my car's tax status, it has now switched renewal from 1 June 2024 to 1 March 2025, so therefore I avoid paying £165 for a year.

It took 5 mins, and I recommend doing it, there's no reason for everyone whose tax (currently £0) is due after April in 're-taxing' now for £0 and delaying the payment of £165 for a year. But it HAS to be done in March, ie now.

I got this off an MG facebook group where they're all doing it, i tried it and it worked. You don't need to SORN the car for a day which some people thought.

But presumably you can wait until later in the year or Jan-Mar 2025 and then follow the same process?

 

[MartinSEsr]

Why would it be illegal?

I guess it's a legal legitimate loophole, and sometimes loopholes get closed. It's the fact that "taxing" the car currently costs £0, so the 'cost' of re-taxing the car one or even eleven months early is also £0.

It’s a shame I only just retaxed mine

Is there anything I can do now

Try re-taxing it again, saying you don't have a taxation letter reference number? I'm not sure if that will pull it forward a month, but it might.

 

[tsedge]

I guess it's a legal legitimate loophole, and sometimes loopholes get closed. It's the fact that "taxing" the car currently costs £0, so the 'cost' of re-taxing the car one or even eleven months early is also £0.

Yes. Cars get retaxed whenever they are sold anyway, as car tax isn't portable any more, so there's no tie to the original registration date.

You are simply paying in full and retaxing early. There's no harm in that.

 

[dsimpkins]

Just done mine, so will need to put reminder in to tax early in 2025.

 

[salty]

Nothing illegal about it, but some may consider it to be playing the system, which I guess it is.

Wouldn't bother me one bit, playing the system. The Systems been playing us for bl00dy years and continues to do so. ?

 

[Matt x power]

Done mine

 

[GaryMG4]

interesting, mine was registered end of March (dealer pre reg.) but purchased in May so the DVLA currently has mine taxed to 1st June 2024 so I guess I should do mine too.

 

[siteguru]

Just done mine, and received the confirmation email regarding the application.

Thanks @MartinSEsr

 

[salty]

Hi, in April 2025, EV cars switch from £0 per year car tax to £165. If your car is registered in March, you'll avoid paying it next year. But if registered in April, May or after, you just miss the cut-off and will pay £165 on renewal.

This method delays it for a year to March 2026.

I'm probably being a bit fik, but when you say registered in March this year, do you mean just March this year or also before March this year aswell. ??

 

[ippy1]

Mine is due in September, would it work for me?
Do I put my ref number off my log book in, or ignore that bit?
It suggests if I tax it now I may be charged again

 

[siteguru]

Mine was November 1st. When I did it I selected that I had the V5C so I entered the VRM and the 11 digit number off the V5C (as per the OP of this thread). All worked painlessly and quickly.

 

[salty]

So to get this clear (to me anyway) If I got an X Power that was registered before March this year 2024 I won't need to pay the new road tax on EVs next year 2025 the first road tax I'll pay is in 2026. ?

 

[tsedge]

So to get this clear (to me anyway) If I got an X Power that was registered before March this year 2024 I won't need to pay the new road tax on EVs next year 2025 the first road tax I'll pay is in 2026. ?

If your renewal is before April 2025 you'll pay £0 as present. So if you are in Feb 2025, your first £180 will be due Feb 2026.

 

[MartinSEsr]

Mine is due in September, would it work for me?
Do I put my ref number off my log book in, or ignore that bit?
It suggests if I tax it now I may be charged again

Yes it will save you 6 months tax next year. Just go to 'tax my car', say you have no letter. Yes you will be charged again - but the charge is £0.00

 

[OriginalBigAl]

You all have to pay tax ? wow , I was under the impression EV tax was zero !!!!!!

 

[Alb]

You pay tax but the rate of tax is zero

 

[Lovemyev]

I guess it's a legal legitimate loophole, and sometimes loopholes get closed. It's the fact that "taxing" the car currently costs £0, so the 'cost' of re-taxing the car one or even eleven months early is also £0.

I agree, an over sight I think they call it.
Maybe working on the theory that the system was not really set up expecting drivers to renew their road fund license before it was actually due and lose any of the previous prepaid time they had already paid for.
I clearly remember not wanting to tax a car half way through a month and losing some of the actual time paid for from that actual month.
I mean, what paying customer would tax a car right at the end of the month ?.
When you are enquiring at this very point in time ( before the start of April ) the system has to display / reflect the current chargeable rate as of this day for an EV, which is still a zero costing !.
That is likely to be the so called loop hole.
However, if I understand it correctly, the new chargeable rate of £185 does not come into force until after midnight on the 31st March of next year.
You can be 100% certain it will change after this date !.
Congratulations to anybody who has picked up on this fact and it’s a “Snooze or you Loose” situation unfortunately.

You all have to pay tax ? wow , I was under the impression EV tax was zero !!!!!!

Until the 1st of April and then it will cost all us zero emissions EV drivers £185 for 12 months.
This has come under a LOT of debate on the forum when it was first announced months ago.
Follow the advice above if it applies to you.

 

[MartinSEsr]

But presumably you can wait until later in the year or Jan-Mar 2025 and then follow the same process?

No, basically 1 April 2025 is when the annual £180 payment starts. So by re-taxing now in March 2024 at £0, you will again tax next March 2025 at £0. £180 payments start in April 2025. So then in March 2026 you will have to pay £180. But you have saved £180 for a whole year.

 

[Rolfe]

Grrr. I don't know if there is any way round this now.

I read elsewhere that one should re-tax in March for this reason, then my letter arrived, and like an idiot I did it with the letter. I don't know how to undo that now.

What if I SORNed the car for 24 hours? No?