No more info than that. He sent it off and they accepted it. Could be an anomaly, could have just been lucky. If you don’t try you don’t get.
@saladman Did you try to tax your car? This is Thursday, I went to the PO two days ago on Tuesday. As seems to be normal with anything car tax related, the on-line record (below) has taken until now to update. There's a portion at the bottom of the screen grab that you can't see, it says when the most recent V5C was issued. That is still unchanged so makes me think (at this stage) it's soley whatever the PO staff recorded when I visited that's at play and there's not yet been any input from the DVLA. When the DVLA get my old V5C from the PO they'll eventually issue me an updated one and amend their site at the same time. I'll only relax when I get the new V5C in my hand, if it's possible to mess things up, then from my experience, the DVLA are guaranteed to have a go!
Great reg! And congrats on getting your car changed to historic Yes I went to the PO on Tuesday and have been recovering ever since. Deep breath... PO staff were happy to try (as they have done with another car of mine without trouble) - but they were unable to get their systems to give me £0 tax. They said I needed to get in touch with DVLA. Not their fault. So - I tried calling DVLA. Recorded message said they were unable to take calls at the moment. Next - I tried DVLA webchat. Worse than useless. There was no way to actually get a useful response. Totally embarrassing. So - I was stuck, there was no way to contact the DVLA. I emailed DVLA and still waiting on a response A few hours later I tried calling the DVLA and got through, sort of. Was on hold then requested a call back. Finally got a call back about an hour later and: I explained the situation (registration date, letter from VW, PO couldn't do it) Person told me (incorrectly) that the car must have been registered before 1st Jan. I told them that the DVLA website says otherwise - that it is either registered OR built before 1st Jan - they then said they would check and put me on hold... Upon return they confirmed date of first registration (correct according to V5) and manufacturing date of 30th December 1984 (after date of first registration, so obviously wrong). I noted this impossible date - and that the date of manufacture confirmed by VW is 30th December 1983 - so must have been a typo / error on DVLA side - with the wrong year input. Person agreed - then said I needed to send the DVLA a letter including: V5 Cover letter explaining request Evidence of date of manufacture However - they also noted that the only 'accepted' evidence of date of manufacture is: A certified copy of extract from manufacturer factory records - with embedded stamp An extract from 'The Glass's checkbook - a comprehensive guide on production dates and includes chassis numbers' I asked where the above list of acceptable evidence is written down / available to see - and they confirmed that they don't think it is publicly available. I noted that this was strange. I then told them that I have a letter from VW about date of manufacture - and that I will be sending that to them along with my V5 and cover letter. Finally, I asked them if I needed to tax my car to use it for now, and if the DVLA would back-date and refund the tax for this month that I don't actually need - and only need because of a problem on the DVLA system. They confirmed that the vehicle does need to be taxed for now, and the DVLA will refund back-dated tax. But I will only believe that when I see it I then went to try and tax the car online - and the DVLA site was showing it was still taxed (despite being SORNed on the 31st March) A day later I checked again - the car was now showing as SORN - but I was unable to tax as "This vehicle has been taxed or notified as off the road within the last 5 days". I no longer have the V5 (sent to the DVLA) - so I can't go to the PO to tax either. So I now cannot use the car until the DVLA update their systems and/or send me back a new V5 with the tax classification updated. In short: The DVLA are awfully outdated and difficult to deal with (not a surprise) - and I advise anybody in similar situation to keep their car taxed if you need to keep using it. I will post updated when I hear back from the DVLA. By the way, re: getting V5 back after visiting PO to change classification, I recently did this for a different car and it took ~21 days for the new one to arrive. Cheers!
Don't know where to start, there's that much... though reading through it sounded very familiar and I was constantly saying to myself, 'Yes, been there / had that happen', so while it's no consolation you're not alone. I'm getting the strong impression what happens with an application depends very much on who you are dealing with, it can unfortunately have little to do with what the guidelines actually say if you're unlucky enough to get someone who isn't clear on them themselves. I've since read something though that may explain some of what happened to you. Apparently the DVLA attitude (in relation to the tax) is the 40 year point is calculated soley from date of 1st registration in the UK as a new vehicle and not the date of manufacture. I realise that flys in the face of everything that's been said before / elsewhere and even what could be interpreted from reading their own site. The reason (they say) the manufacturing date can potentially be taken into consideration is to allow for those vehicles that were not first registered in the UK when new and subsequently imported. That was something which was quite common place at the time, so probably becoming more relevant now that cars from that era are potentially becoming eligible for historic status. In the case of my car, it was first registered as a new in Holland, then brought into the UK as a personal import / used vehicle soon after. It's maybe not a great example as it was still registered here before the cut off point, but had it not've been they'd have been forced to fall back to the date of manufacture instead... so using the manufacturing date is only possible in limited circumstances and not as a general rule an alternative to the UK registration date. If your car was an 'import' apparently that's reflected in the wording on the front page of the V5C, which will say something along the lines of 'declared manufactured in 1983' while the date of 1st registration in the UK (which is on the inside page) can potentially be quite a bit later depending on circumstances. If that later UK registered date puts you outside the 40 year point, it's only then that they fall back on the manufacturing date. You might recall I was trying to SORN, then immediately re-tax my daily so as to reset the due dates / have them fall better with the MOT expiry? Anyhow, know now you can SORN a car easily enough on-line and it takes effect immediately. However as said previously the on-line status runs with around a 2 day lag so won't update for at least that long. Means you can't re-tax on-line again for around 5 days, until their systems catch up, but you can do it straight away in person at a PO regardless of that.
I'm starting to enjoy the incompetence of the DVL* I received an email today from them with a few errors. Firstly: "It may help if I explain, the taxation class Historic Vehicle is a 40 year rolling exemption and currently applies to vehicles manufactured before 1st January 1983." This is incorrect in my opinion - and contradicts what is stated on the DVL* website: Regarding evidence of date of manufacture - they shared a list with slightly different info to what the person I spoke to on the phone said: " Acceptable dating evidence can be obtained from: - an extract from the manufacturer/factory record - these will have the chassis number of the vehicle against the month and year of production* - an extract from the 'Glasses guide' - which is a comprehensive guide on production dates and includes chassis numbers. - a dating letter that is accompanied by an extract from or references the "Trader Handbook"* An extract from the Trader handbook alone is not acceptable. This was not previously mentioned *A certified copy of the factory record (with the embedded stamp) will be acceptable only from the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust (BMIHT). " Note that 'Glasses guide' noted in the second point above should actually be 'Glass's Guide' - at least as far as I can tell from their website. They also provided a list of things that need to be posted to them to request a change to 'Historic' tax classification - again different to what I was told when on the phone: " If this isn't recorded on the V5C Registration Certificate but the vehicle was manufactured prior to this date, you will need to produce dating evidence and submit the application to DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1BF. The following documentation will need to be submitted: - V5C Registration Certificate - V62 Application for a registration certificate if you are not in possession of the V5C* (You will need the VIN/Chassis Number to complete the application) - V10 Tax Application form This was not mentioned over the phone - valid MOT Certificate** (if applicable) or V112 ‘Exemption from MOT testing’ form - valid insurance certificate or cover note for vehicles registered with a Northern Ireland address (downloaded or faxed copies are acceptable, however photocopies are not) This was not mentioned over the phone - Dating evidence " In short, the DVL* continues to keep me/us on our toes with a heady cocktail of incorrect information and secret lists of required documents I will be replying to their email shortly. In somewhat more positive news I was able to finally tax the car again online today (so I can use it) - and I also received a cheque with refund for the tax I previously cancelled. Rant over for today!
Do you still have the V5C (or a scan / copy) that's from just before you went to the PO, particularly of the front page? If you do, check the 'Special Notes' section. They've varied the wording over the years, but the gist is the same. The first image below is from a V5C issued around 2011, the second is the latest 2024 version. It's the bit about being registered/used outside the UK and/or declared manufactured date that's going to be applicable. Now read this... https://www.fbhvc.co.uk/mot-exemption-information It's not that clearly written in my opinion, but stick with it. I found it subsequent to my own application, however it would've had no impact for me as my date of manufacture and later UK registration both fell beyond 40 years so I was eligible on either count regardless. It may however apply to you, being that your dates lie either side of the 40 year cut off, but according to them that'll only be in certain circumstances. The email you got appears to be quoting sections of this form - INF34 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inf34-taxing-historic-vehicles See what your 'Special Notes' say before going any further, that'll maybe help resolve it for you.
I don’t really understand what all the fuss is about. The rules are pretty simple and it is only complicated if you are trying to prove something outside the rules. Registered in the year before April - good to go. Manufactured in the year before April - you have to prove this, then - good to go. (I did this by getting a certificate of conformity from the manufacturer and sending it with the other documents to the DVLA). If you can’t prove it or it’s too difficult to do then just pay another years tax. Essentially, expect your car to be 41 before you get free tax and you won’t be frustrated or disappointed. Simple, stop whinging.
Having read the above ordeals I'd rather pay the couple of hundred quid and save myself the emotional turmoil
@Zender Z20 the plot thickens - the latest v5 for the car in question shows this: So if the information in the link you shared above is correct then it won't be exempt until April 2025. But it's a third party site, not the DVLA. @PhilRyder I don't think I'm trying to prove something outside the rules - instead I'm trying to get the DVLA to clarify their rules and information. And share the pain / experience so others can decide if they want to deal with the hassle or not I do feel slightly bad about hijacking the thread - apologies to @wishboneash But I don't feel bad about whinging - it helps me cope with reality. @RichardDarrenB is right that the few hundred quid 'saving' is probably not worth the energy/hassle/time but I'm mostly interested in the principal of it all now. I've learnt things during this 'exercise' and feel like it's worth sharing so others can too - even if it has got a bit rant-y
'Declared new at first registration', would indicate your car wasn't an import, so that avenue won't be open to you unfortunately. The FBHVC is probably the biggest advocate for historic vehicle owners in the UK, they've a lot of sway when it comes to the DVLA / Govt. and have won a long list of concessions over the years because of their lobbying. Anyone with a 40+ year old vehicle is likely enjoying something positive that they've been responsible for because they didn't roll over and accept the DVLA's slant on things. The guidance in that link is their explaination of how the DVLA are applying the regulations (at the present time) and not necessarily the FBHVC's own view of how it should be done, infact I believe changes to the 'proof of date of manufacture' is specifically something they're pursuing at present. Your Golf's a 1600cc, that's £345 a year at the new 2024/25 rates. Contact the FBHVC https://www.fbhvc.co.uk/contact-us and explain your own circumstances / get an opinion, the reply may not be what you want to hear but it'll be accurate.
New V5 arrived in the post today with the car now registered as Historic No refund from DVLA as of yet but will give them another week or so before following up on that. Tax status looks to have been updated already - showing as not due until 2025-04-01. Conclusion - seems that the DVLA will accept letter from VW confirming date of manufacture, and it is worth fighting your corner. Hopefully this is helpful for anybody in a similar situation. Thanks for the support especially @Zender Z20 + @PhilRyder
