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

[Ian Key]

If like me you get:

Successful application already completed
This vehicle has been taxed or notified as off the road within the last 5 days.

Try again 6 days after you taxed it before going down the SORN route. My 5 days are up tomorrow so I'll soon find out if that works.

Just tried to tax my car again after the 5 days are up and it seems to have accepted the application. Now just waiting to see if the change appears on their system.

 

[Lovemyev]

Just tried to tax my car again after the 5 days are up and it seems to have accepted the application. Now just waiting to see if the change appears on their system.

Please keep us informed of your progress ?.

 

[BeardedZs]

Just done this and received confirmation. What a great wheeze!

 

[Rolfe]

Just tried to tax my car again after the 5 days are up and it seems to have accepted the application. Now just waiting to see if the change appears on their system.

Yay! No SORN needed. I just waited until the five days was up from when I originally taxed the car using the code on the letter, and did it again. It warned me twice I might lose my money(!) because the car was already taxed to April 2025, but when I said I was OK with that it went through. Taxed till March 2025 now.

Interesting, I have my V11 received just a couple of days back and when I go to tax using V5C details it is saying Your vehicle will be taxed from 01 April 2024. What happens if I just re-tax in Feb 2025 or is it worth going down to SORN route and re-tax..? Can I keep my vehicle in my drive way if the vehile is SORN?

I think we have now established that there is no need to SORN. Just wait till the five days have expired and do it again.

 

[Ian Key]

Just tried to tax my car again after the 5 days are up and it seems to have accepted the application. Now just waiting to see if the change appears on their system.

Nope. Mine still says Tax due 1st April 2025. I'll leave it until February next year and if necessary I'll SORN it and have a another go.
Mind you there's a chance it'll change again after the election.

 

[ashok198311]

Nope. Mine still says Tax due 1st April 2025. I'll leave it until February next year and if necessary I'll SORN it and have a another go.
Mind you there's a chance it'll change again after the election.

OK.. so you mean retaxing after 5 days not showing any change..?

 

[Rolfe]

I certainly worked when I did it. After five days of being blocked by a screen saying the car had been taxed or SORNed within the past five days, it let me re-enter the details using the reg number and the vehicle registration certificate, and it all went through.

 

[MartinSEsr]

I

Been posted before

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

Hi, in April 2025, EV cars switch from £0 per year car tax to £190. 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 £190 on renewal next year. This method delays it for a year to March 2026...

www.mgevs.com

I initially posted it in both MG4 and MG5 forums, but Rolfe merged them into the Chat forum.

I certainly worked when I did it. After five days of being blocked by a screen saying the car had been taxed or SORNed within the past five days, it let me re-enter the details using the reg number and the vehicle registration certificate, and it all went through.

I glad you sorted it out Rolfe.

 

[siteguru]

I initially posted it in both MG4 and MG5 forums, but Rolfe merged them into the Chat forum.

My reply was to @GhostOfClayton (when his post was in a separate, new thread).

 

[ashok198311]

I certainly worked when I did it. After five days of being blocked by a screen saying the car had been taxed or SORNed within the past five days, it let me re-enter the details using the reg number and the vehicle registration certificate, and it all went through.

Hi.. looks like you have tried the both.. I got the v11 and when trying to tax it is showing valid till 1st April 2025.. what you suggest the best procedure to follow..?

 

[Rolfe]

Keep telling it you want to continue and tax the car again. It will tell you a couple of times you might lose money because the car is already taxed, but just keep clicking yes I want to do this.

 

[Ian Key]

Nope. Mine still says Tax due 1st April 2025. I'll leave it until February next year and if necessary I'll SORN it and have a another go.
Mind you there's a chance it'll change again after the election.

? It's gone through. Just checked this morning and it's now showing tax due 1st March 2025.

The system must have been overloaded by all those pesky EV drivers trying to avoid 11 months of road tax ?

 

[slmorgan42]

? It's gone through. Just checked this morning and it's now showing tax due 1st March 2025.

The system must have been overloaded by all those pesky EV drivers trying to avoid 11 months of road tax ?

LOL trying to offset the crazy insurance hike.

 

[Lovemyev]

Just tried to tax my car again after the 5 days are up and it seems to have accepted the application. Now just waiting to see if the change appears on their system.

Hi Ian - Thanks for the info.
When I renewed my road tax last Friday ( 8th March ) it displayed a tax due date of 1st April 25.
One week later I have gone back on-line and tried renewing my road tax once again.
It has accepted the renewal and now states that the car is taxed for 12 months and valid from 1st March 2024.
Therefore my understanding is that the renewals will be sent out early March 2025 ready for taxing for the 1st March 2025.
I will recheck the system tomorrow, to see if it has updated with the date change, like yourself.
Thank you .

 

[siteguru]

Typo? Renewals in 2025 should arrive in February 2025 ready for tax to be effective from 1st March 2025. (A renewal is always in advance, else the tax would expire and so you'd be driving an untaxed vehicle until such time as you "paid" the VED).

 

[Lovemyev]

Typo? Renewals in 2025 should arrive in February 2025 ready for tax to be effective from 1st March 2025. (A renewal is always in advance, else the tax would expire and so you'd be driving an untaxed vehicle until such time as you "paid" the VED).

One week ago it stated as follows :- "Taxed - Tax due "1st April 2025" after I renewed it.
Below, is the screen shot taken from my latest renewal done only today ( one week later ).
"Valid for 12 months from the 1st March 2024".
This appears correct now I think ?.
The system is currently showing the previous date of April 2025 until it updates (maybe over night).

"

 

[siteguru]

I was correcting your assertion that next year's renewal will arrive in March 2025 - it won't, it'll arrive in February next year. (Assuming that the system shows your car as being taxed from 01 March 2024). Renewals always arrive (if they do, not everyone seems to get one) a few weeks before the tax is due. It has to else you could end up driving an untaxed vehicle.

 

[Kithmo]

? It's gone through. Just checked this morning and it's now showing tax due 1st March 2025.

The system must have been overloaded by all those pesky EV drivers trying to avoid 11 months of road tax ?

It took a couple of days for mine to appear as March 1st after re-taxing it at the post office.

 

[frb123]

Hi, in April 2025, EV cars switch from £0 per year car tax to £180. 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 £180 on renewal next year.

This method delays it for a year to March 2026. You pay £0 now, £0 in March 2025 then £180 in March 2026. The £180 payment starts on 1 April 2025.

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 £180 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 £180 for a year. But it HAS to be done in March, ie now. The car tax web site warns you you will be paying twice by taxing early - but you just pay £0.00 twice!

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.

Martin

@MartinSEsr you sir, are a legend. I have a old banger of a leaf and a ZS so you've saved me a pretty penny. Thankyou so much! If you were to set up a "buymeacoffee" ... I'd be very happy to do so. All the best

 

[MartinSEsr]

@MartinSEsr you sir, are a legend. I have a old banger of a leaf and a ZS so you've saved me a pretty penny. Thankyou so much! If you were to set up a "buymeacoffee" ... I'd be very happy to do so. All the best

Thank you! it's nice to get credit and thanks, much appreciated. Plus I'll be £190 better off too by delaying it by a year.