Road tax

Road tax
Q: I'm buying a car from an independent dealer, but it hasn't got any road tax. Can I drive the car home and get the tax once the documents arrive?
Jason Smith

A: Legally a car needs to be taxed before it can be driven on the road. The only way round this is to use a set of trade plates (which the dealer may have and so can get the car driven home for you) or have the car transported home.

Ideally you should get the car taxed before you collect it. This can be done at a post office. You'll need the car's V5 logbook, a valid MoT test certificate if applicable, and an insurance cover note.

You could ask the dealer to tax the car before you buy it. However, if you can't tax the car immediately because the seller doesn't have the V5 document then take care. It's risky buying a car without a V5, as the car may be stolen, or even an insurance write off.