Drivers urged to 'take 5 minutes' to check DVLA car detail & avoid £1,000 fine

Payment of Vehicle Excise Duty (VED), often known as road tax, is a legal requirement to drive in the UK.

However, unlike things like income tax or national insurance, it is not paid automatically.

This means that drivers have to manually renew their tax each year and remember when payment is due.

'MAKE LIFE A LITTLE EASIER'

As part of a new campaign around the issue, the DVLA posted on X reminding motorists to check when they next have to pay up.

The post read: "Do you know when your vehicle tax is due?

"With a driver and vehicles account, you can choose to receive vehicle tax reminders by text or email.

"Make life a little easier, it only takes around five minutes."

Failure to pay your road tax can result in a fine of up to £1,000 and prosecution.

Fortunately, as referenced in its tweet, the DVLA offer a free online service to help drivers stay on the right side of the law.

All you have to do is sign up for a driver and vehicle account on the DVLA Digital platform.

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You will need an email address, passport and the addresses you have lived at in the past 3 years.

The agency adds that you may also need your driving licence number, national insurance number and vehicle log book.

The average motorist can expect to see a six percent rise which will cost them roughly £10 more per year

Bradley PostManaging Director of finance experts RIFT

Nonetheless, it should only take about five minutes to set up your profile.

This allows you to set up tax reminders, view details like your tax and MOT deadlines and even renew your licence.

It comes after the rates of VED were hiked in April after a year of rampant inflation.

However, for those whose cars are classed as luxury and subject to the 'luxury car' surcharge, this cost is likely to rise to over £400, which will see them pay as much as £600 a year in road tax

Bradley PostManaging Director of finance experts RIFT

Bradley Post, Managing Director of finance experts RIFT told Express.co.uk: "The average motorist can expect to see a six percent rise which will cost them roughly £10 more per year.

"However, for those whose cars are classed as luxury and subject to the 'luxury car' surcharge, this cost is likely to rise to over £400, which will see them pay as much as £600 a year in road tax."

Five major VED exemptions

1. Low and no-emission vehicles - those emitting less than 100g/km of carbon dioxide registered before 2017
2. Historic vehicles - those which are more than 40 years old on a rolling basis
3. Vehicles used by disabled people - if you qualify for the higher rate of major disability benefits including Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment or Child Disability Payment
4. Vehicles used for agriculture, horticulture and forestry - including tractors
5. Vehicles registered Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN)