What actually happens if you sell without a V5? (Timescales)

[Somewhatfoolish]

Can't find a V5 for a car I want to get rid of.

Obviously I could spend £25 to get a new V5. But looks like I can also:

DVLA said:

If you have sold or transferred a vehicle without a log book, you must write to DVLA with:

your name and address

the vehicle registration number

the make and model

the exact date of sale

the name and address of the new keeper or motor trader

DVLA
Swansea
SA99 1BA

So that process sounds simple enough. What actually happens in practice though? Are the buyer and I stuck in limbo for months, or are DVLA dead efficient and get it all sorted within days?

I've bought a car off someone who only had a green slip before and that was easy enough. But it was pre Covid and I'm suspicious of government departments since then.

(Possibly also relevant - tax ran out in November and it should be SORNed but I've not bothered cause of missing V5 and keep on forgetting about it, not sure how this will interact with things).

[Super Sonic]

Have you had any tax reminders?

[Somewhatfoolish]

Super Sonic said:

Have you had any tax reminders?

No (not even by text or email) but I assume I will shortly. I'm fairly resigned to the likelihood of having to pay a penalty, will be a bonus if I don't.

[POIDH]

£25 to get new V5 rather than have a hindrance to a sale seems a bargain.

Yes you will have to pay VED and a fine.

Sounds like you need to sort your home admin out.

[RandomCarChat]

I bought my 205 with no V5, in the end I went down the V62 route and it eventually came through.

[Decky_Q]

Have bought cars with no v5 and it usually means the car is undrivable for 6 weeks waiting on paperwork to come through. Anyone wanting a car to drive the month they bought it will avoid it.

[paul_c123]

Decky_Q said:

Have bought cars with no v5 and it usually means the car is undrivable for 6 weeks waiting on paperwork to come through. Anyone wanting a car to drive the month they bought it will avoid it.

Why is it undrivable?

[66HFM]

paul_c123 said:

Decky_Q said:

Have bought cars with no v5 and it usually means the car is undrivable for 6 weeks waiting on paperwork to come through. Anyone wanting a car to drive the month they bought it will avoid it.

Why is it undrivable?

Because they can't register it in their name and thus tax it.
It is driveable just will flag up on an ANPR as not taxed etc

[98elise]

paul_c123 said:

Decky_Q said:

Have bought cars with no v5 and it usually means the car is undrivable for 6 weeks waiting on paperwork to come through. Anyone wanting a car to drive the month they bought it will avoid it.

Why is it undrivable?

Because you can't tax it.

I bought a car recently with no V5 and it took about 2 weeks for the new one to come through.

[paul_c123]

66HFM said:

Because they can't register it in their name and thus tax it.
It is driveable just will flag up on an ANPR as not taxed etc

What if you take the V62 to a Post Office?


ETA The point of the above is to properly quantify the inconvenience to a new keeper. It doesn't necessarily render the car unusable for months, or for 6 weeks. It is normally possible to tax it and submit the V62 at a Post Office (sometimes it is not possible, I don't know the specific circumstances when this is the case - might be a time limit thing, or whether there's a marker on the car or anything unusual with the last issuing of the V5). And of course there is the option to actually drive the car in the interim period anyway - yes technically it has no tax, but the new keeper won't be the RK at that stage, and in the interim period of a few days between becoming the new RK and receiving their own V5, I believe DVLA give a grace period during which they wouldn't clamp the car or take action for being untaxed - so long as it is taxed promptly once the new keeper has the V5 and the ability to do so.

I actually agree with the below post and others - the best thing to do if selling a car is to replace the V5 (after a good search for it...) before selling, because 1) some people just won't buy a car without the V5, 2) even if they do, its a hassle and they'll probably knock some money off for it.

Edited by paul_c123 on Thursday 22 January 15:09

[CMTMB]

I would just get the new V5. There are plenty of people (myself included) who wouldn't buy a car without the V5 being present.

[Decky_Q]

There is no grace period.

If you park the car in a public place it may well be clamped when you come back, that is quite an inconvenience.

They have to write to the last registered keeper to check if they are no longer the owner and wait 2 weeks for reply before they start issuing the new v5, thus it is rarely 2 weeks unless the previous owner calls them up the day they recieve the letter to confirm sale.

I havent been able to tax cars without a green slip or v5 and my post office does most things.

[tim0409]

I bought a motorbike through Copart last year without a V5 so had to apply for a new one using a V62. The first issue is that you either have to send a cheque or a Postal order for £25 (this might have changed), and given I haven’t used a cheque in the last 15 years, I had to pay a fee to get a postal order. It seems mad in 2025 that those were the only payment methods accepted and that it couldn’t be done online. They state that you should contact them after four weeks if you haven’t received your V5. I hadn’t so contacted them and the nice lady on the phone sorted it out and taxed it there and then (the weather was great and I had long since repaired the bike and really wanted to get out on the road).

It was a pain, and seemed to take an age.