Anyone declared MOT exempt at a Post Office yet?

[sparky_spit]

This morning I went to my local Post Office to tax my Spitfire.  I also had a filled in V112 that I printed off the GOV.UK website so I could declare the car as a VHI.  All went swimmingly until they handed me back my V112 without looking at it.  I thought they were supposed to send this to DVLA.

A long discussion took place; much searching of their computer system, and their insistence that although they had not done one of these before, everything was fine and would be okay. They did eventually agree to put my V112 into the weekly post pouch to the DVLA.

I'm unconvinced. My understanding is that the first declaration of VHI must be done via the paper version V112 at a Post Office, and then subsequent years can be done online or by paper.

If the V112 does not get sent to DVLA by the Post Office how do DVLA know that you made the declaration?

Has anybody done similar, and what was your experience?

[glang]

Have a look at the bottom of this page:

https://www.gov.uk/historic-vehicles

I believe you dont have to apply to DVLA to have your vehicle declared MOT exempt but of course when you go for the road tax the Post Office have to be sure that the vehicle doesnt need an MOT. This is where the V112 comes in and its just a declaration from you of such and covers the Post Offices a*s@. If you do it on line the system knows all this and you dont need the V112.......

[TedTaylor]

Don't bother re-licensing an Historic at the post office.

 

Provided it is on the DVLA system (such as you have received a renewal notice), if you do it on line it automatically recognises that it is Historic and does not need any payment or MOT. 

When I did Woodie the other week it took no longer that the previous years I have done it.

Problem may come come if it is not already on the system and you need to take paperwork to a Post Office to make that first declaration of Historic status.  Mine have all already been done.

 

MUT

[sparky_spit]

GLANG - Yes, I see what you mean.

I do know from other sources that in the the 2nd, 3rd and so on years all you have to do is to tick a box on the online tax page, which confirms that your vehicle is still eligible for MOT exemption.

TED - What confuses me is that in the first year (when the guidance notes say you must do it at a Post Office), if the screen that the Post Office bod is looking at already shows my vehicle as being category "r" then there is an assumption that the vehicle is okay for exemption without even first finding out if it is eligible or not. The bloke didn't even ask to see my V112. At that point in the process nobody knows if it's a "standard" car, or if it is radically altered, except me.

It would be interesting to hear the experience of somebody else who has actually done it at a Post Office and see what happened to them.

[RobPearce]

I have certainly read somewhere (in the magazine?) that DVLA decided it made no sense to force all classic car owners to visit the post office so they've marked all 40-year-old cars as MOT exempt by default. This default will be updated when the car is next taxed.

However, I do need to go to the post office as I fall under Ted's last comment. Toby has been under restoration since before the introduction of SORN / historic tax exemption, so he didn't get the automatic change of tax class. I may try getting him taxed before he's fit for driving to an MOT, just to see how it goes.

[glang]

Looking at this other page:

https://www.gov.uk/historic-vehicles/apply-for-vehicle-tax-exemption

I take it the first time, as Michael says, youre obliged to go to the Post Office where theyll verify your declaration and send off the log book to the DVLA (no need for them to send V112 as well just notify DVLA that theyve seen it). Then your log book will come back having been changed to indicate the historic status of the vehicle. Once registered in the system the process can then be done on line for successive years.

[sparky_spit]

Rob is right. It's on page 76 of the May 2018 magazine, at the top of the 3rd column. Once a vehicle becomes 40 years old it will default to MOT exempt. Then at the next tax renewal date you either declare VHI or revert to requiring an MOT.

[sparky_spit]

The new magazine arrived today and pages 76 and 77 have just answered my question.

[RobPearce]

The lady at my local Post Office hadn't read the DfT's "clarification" so she photocopied the V112 to send the original off the DVLA (along with my V5 with change of taxation class) and gave the copy back to me!

I think the editor's comment is possibly muddled. I don't think the new information prevents you holding exemption alongside a voluntary MOT. All it states is that the system will not ask you to confirm the exemption if there's no need for it. The DfT clarification does not say that having an MOT this year will in any way affect how the system behaves next year.

[Don Cook]

My car's MOT expired back in March (its taxed and insured) and a couple of weeks ago I declared it SORN. I applied on-line expecting to find a box to click where I declare it MOT exempt; there was no such box. Next thing on the screen was that it was taxed, simple as that. I rang the DVLA (no waiting!!) and they told me it is now automatic to exempt cars over 40 years old and that nothing further needs to be done "don't worry" he said in a friendly Welsh lilt.

Now, I know many are saying that they will still MOT their cars but given that this will be, in effect, a check on safety only, how often will owners do this. If you are overly concerned then perhaps every 6 months, or, if a little more lax: every 1 or 2 years or even 4 years? I suspect that, unless anything changes, we will all embrace the MOT exemption, the same way we have with Road Fund Licence exemption.

I wonder if we will start to see garages offering a safety check service on historic vehicles that doesn't carry with it the MOT regulatory restrictions if its not good news. Perhaps this is something that Clubs could offer in a similar way that the TSSC carried out valuations and trunnion oiling at the annual shindig. 

[Dannyb]

Just got MOT for mine last week which looks like the last time. The garage said next year if I wanted they will check the brakes on the rolling road and a quick safety inspection for a nominal fee. 

[TedTaylor]

Quoted from Don Cook-

 

I wonder if we will start to see garages offering a safety check service on historic vehicles that doesn't carry with it the MOT regulatory restrictions if its not good news.

I have already spoken to my MOT people - Paul Loveridge in Cinderford - and they will provide precisely that service. 

They are a first class company well versed in classic cars - Steven the son who now runs the business has a rally mini and Paul himself is Chairman of the HRCR.

They will test to MOT standard on the appropriate items for the age of the car using the DVLA MOT as a sort of template, and provide 'advises' on work that needs to be undertaken.  I presume when you go back with the work done and to be checked, they will issue some sort of receipt to say the car is in a roadworthy condition on dd/mm/yyyy - effectively as the MOT does already.

Haven't had chance to check how it will all work yet because Woody is not ready for its 'MOT' which is due, but knowing them it will be fine.

 

MUT (not MOT .......!)

[pimp my vit]

In reply to the original question, I printed off the form V112 and filled it in and took it to the post office on 21st May straight after MOT exempt day, my car had not been taxed since the 80s so I had no renewal form. It was very straight forward the lady found the historic class of tax and processed it straight away, I asked for 1st June start date for the tax, got my receipt and the bill for zero. She was not sure about sending the V112 but I talked her into it. I think it would have gone through without sending as she had clearly taxed it as historical...

[sparky_spit]

Thanks Kim-Jong.  Yes, that ties in exactly with how I understand it now.  Both our cars will remain in the Historic class for taxation purposes, and will be VHI (Vehicle of Historic Interest) for MOT exemption purposes, and will remain so as long as we declare VHI via a paper V112 at a Post Office, or via ticking the box on the online form/page each year at the time of taxing the vehicle. 

[Don Cook]

"...or via ticking the box on the online form/page each year at the time of taxing the vehicle." 

Mike, there isn't a box to tick anymore. You type in your vehicles reference either from the tax reminder/renewal or from the V5, press 'continue' (and in between the next page popping up it checks if your car is insured) and the next page confirms your car is taxed. There appears to be no option to declare your car anything and ties in with the PO ignoring the V112.

[sparky_spit]

Quoted from Don Cook-

"...or via ticking the box on the online form/page each year at the time of taxing the vehicle." 

Mike, there isn't a box to tick anymore. 

Not yet there isn't Don, because you probably still have a current MOT like me. But in the subsequent year (and years) of applying for tax after May 2018, and assuming you allow your MOT to lapse in the meantime, the next time you tax your car two tick-boxes will be displayed on the online form. One is for "Exempt" and the other for "Not Exempt" (for radically altered cars over 40 years old).  The boxes will not appear if the system sees that you have a current MOT. See the top half of page 77 in the latest July 2018 club mag, which explains this, the bit under "Licensing System Operation".

This assumes, of course, that the DVLA don't make another change to the process in the meantime.

[TedTaylor]

For anyone worried about the new taxation system ....... DON'T PANIC.  Do it on line and it is an absolute doddle.

Just for fun and check on taxing a classic car on the new system I tried taxing three of my cars that are part restored and off the road - Woodie I had done earlier in the month but this was simply a renewal.
I have them insured on a group policy so that they are covered in the event of theft or anything while in storage. They have green logbooks so on the DVLA system with Index number recorded and details of the 11 figure doc. ref. no. which is on the first page of the logbook.

My Landcrab was identified satisfactorily but could not be done as a freebie - they wanted payment. When I checked it was not on SORN as it has been off the road since 1982, and did not bother as SORN not required at the time (or since) so presume this was the problem.  I made a SORN declaration so it is now OK in that respect.
However as I understand the system I must now wait five days before I can actually have another go at taxing the car. Took a couple of minutes to get this far and must now wait to do another go at retaxing. No great beef

My two Triumphs were on SORN so I simply followed through the application process on each and it automatically recognised them as being ’Historic’. I confirmed I wanted to tax them ...…. and it happened! Now both taxed from the beginning of July!

Took less than a minute for each car!! Yippee 🙂

MUT

[sparky_spit]

Ted - Yes, taxing a 40+ year old car online is a doddle. What did you do about MOT exemption?

[RobPearce]

Ted,

If your landcrab has not been taxed since 1982 then I think it'll be in the same position as my Spitfire (last taxed 1988) and the V5 will still show "PLG" taxation class. According to the DLVA web site, it is not possible to change taxation class online - it can only be done when applying for tax at a post office, because the V5 needs to be sent off for correction. The system should recognise it as MOT exempt, though, as that's independent of taxation class.

My Spitfire V5 should be on its way back to me with the "historic" tax class, now, because I have been to the post office to get tax under the MOT exemption.

[Don Cook]

Mike

My car was SORN for 5 days (as Ted points out), the MOT ran out in March. There is nothing to do, at all. about declaring MOT exempt, the DVLA on-line process does it automatically. I think The DVLA have progressed to automatic exemption and what was reported in the press in recent months now appears to be out of date, given my and Ted's experience.

[sparky_spit]

Well that's good news then. It means that the FBHVC advice in the mag is out of dàte already.

It does raise the question of how a 40+ year old radically altered car owner declares it as such?

[Nick Jones]

Quoted from sparky_spit-

It does raise the question of how a 40+ year old radically altered car owner declares it as such?

Why would he want to do that?  Perhaps he also slams his fingers in doors for fun, or sticks pins in his eyes?

His best bet will be to just quietly carry on getting it MoT'd........

Nick

[sparky_spit]

Yes, you're right Nick; I'm probably overthinking it. It would be easier to do just that each year. If you went through declaring it as radically altered you'd have to have it MOT'd anyway, so you might as well just MOT it and not bother about the declaration. You'd get the same result with less hassle.

[TedTaylor]

On the application done on-line (and presumably if you do it at the Post Office), if I remember correctly from last night, there is a requirement (tick box) to state if car is radically altered or not.  Radically altered means an MOT and no historic status.

If you tick the wrong box you are making a false declaration and if caught out (typically if caught in an accident or by the police for something you are doing wrong) it will come back and bite your bum.

Such penalties as having to pay all the back tax to when DVLA think the offence started - or even car seized and crushed - come to mind.

If you value your car be truthful on the declaration even it it costs more in the long run (payment) and more hassle getting correct documentation (MOT) for your road tax.

MUT

[Don Cook]

Tried several times now to state that when I taxed my car a week or so ago, while it was on SORN and without an MOT, there were not any buttons to declare exempt or not and it was taxed automatically. Telephoning the DVLA confirmed this. Perhaps the DVLA on-line system was special just for me.