Until recently, dealers would usually supply newly registered vehicles with a tax disc.
Unfortunately, due to recent system changes at the DVLA, dealers are no longer able to supply tax discs to their customers. This means that new vehicles may not have a tax disc when collected.
However, from the date the new vehicle is registered it can now be driven for 14 calendar days without displaying a tax disc. The disc will have been purchased at the point of registration and will be posted by the DVLA to either the dealer, registered keeper or fleet operator.
If the disc hasn’t been received within 8 days, DVLA will provide a free duplicate from certain Post Offices.
Dealers and traffic police should be familiar with the new system, but it is always worth checking, before you take delivery, that the new disc is on its way.
If you apply for a renewal tax disc online or by phone, you can still use the vehicle for a grace period of up to 14 days after the tax disc has expired while you wait for the new one to arrive. This is provided you have applied for a new tax disc before the current one expires. You should continue to display the expired disc on your vehicle, until the new one arrives.
Once the 14 days period of grace has expired, failure to display the tax disc is an offence for which you can receive a fine.
The government has recently announced that tax discs will be scrapped altogether from October 2014, although vehicle excise duty is not being abolished.
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