Borrowing Trade Plates

[Fer]

Dumb question, but it looks like I have a buyer for my Westfield who wants to export it to Holland. Given that it is under SORN at the moment I am loath to tax it for the few hours to drive it to the docks, only to have to cash the disk in (as well as losing at least 1 months tax).

Is it possible to rent/borrow trade plates to drive a car for export? The alternative would be to get someone to ship the car to the docks, but it will drive fine, and I think the 200 mile round trip would negate the tax disk anyway.

[VerySideways]

Well if you sign the car over to the buyer and he drives it to the coast it's not your problem, plus the DVLA will receive the export paperwork and therefore you won't be liable for anything.

If the buyer is expecting you to deliver the car to the docks though then the simplest way (if you have a friend with a towbar) is to hire a car trailer for a day (check yellow pages for trailer hire).

[Fer]

Good thought, but the traialer rental want £60 for the day, which is not that much cheaper that 6 months tax.

[Rich VRS]

if you buy the tax drive it there then sorn it surely you can claim the tax back?

[Firkin D]

You only get refunded on a tax dics for complete months unexpired so as soon as you tax a car to start within the month you are already in you will loose 1 monthsout of the refund. Nothing you can do about that. The only way you would get a full refund is if you tax a car already registerd to you in the two weeks before the expriy of the current disc, so in effect tax today in May for a disc to start June 1st. But also the cunning little devils at DVLA charge a 10% premium on a 6 months disc which you do not get back when you apply for a refund.

I think you call that nicely sewn up in their favour.