Essential maintenance to the DVLA system this weekend could see motorists landed with massive fines.
Most Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency services will be down from 3pm on Friday, August 17 until 6am on Monday, August 20, which means that drivers who buy an untaxed car over the weekend won’t be able to tax it online, at post offices or by phone until the system is restored.
IMPORTANT INFO: from 3pm Fri 17 to 6am Mon 20 Aug, most of our https://t.co/60rBEjkomV services and our contact centre will be unavailable due to essential system maintenance. Services will be available from 6am Mon 20 Aug (8am for our contact centre). https://t.co/NB17Ji3oFh pic.twitter.com/b3lKYsjVuf
— DVLA (@DVLAgovuk) August 7, 2018
It’s illegal to drive a car if it’s untaxed, and laws introduced in 2014 mean the tax is non-transferable between owners.
Motorists who drive an untaxed car face an £80 on-the-spot fine, which could rise to £1,000 if the case goes to court.
Sold your vehicle? Tell DVLA online and you’ll get your refund of vehicle tax quicker.
Try it now at ? https://t.co/F6hndQZuYz #SmarterGov pic.twitter.com/CHoWO4WCek
— DVLA (@DVLAgovuk) August 14, 2018
Not all services are affected, and the DVLA has said that drivers can still view and share their licence information with third parties, such as car hire companies. Motorists are still able to renew their 10-year photocard driving licence at post offices, too.
