Hi All
I have a 1980 C3 Corvette with 1980 U.K. plates. The car was first registered in the U.K. in 1986. Next year she hit the 40 year mark. Will the road tax exemption kick in then?
Cars qualify for tax exemption if they were built 40 or more years before 1st January. However, you cannot apply for exemption until the 1st April in the qualifying year. Therefore, a car must be a minimum of 40 years and 3 months old before you can apply for exemption. You still have to tax the car but it costs nothing.
If the car was built more than 40 years ago and no "substantial changes" have been made in the last 30 years, it is MoT exempt. You still have a liability ensure that the car is road legal.
In theory, since your car was built and first registered in the UK at different times, you have to provide documentary proof of the cars age. Your research shows that the car reaches the 40 year threshold in a few months time. It will therefore be eligible for exemption from January the 1st 2020 but you will not be able to apply for exemption until April the 1st 2020.Many thanks for that.
How accurate will the DVLA require the info to be?
The reason I ask is this. Although she is a 1980 C3 corvette spec car,
Looking at the VIN number and the plate inside the drivers door, and checking against the corvette registry it transpires that she was built on 12 October 1979 at the St Louis plant.
As far as the DVLA go the critical bit is the first date of registration in the UK. You don't need proof of actual production date.
So if it says 1st January 1980, as antijam says it's 1st April 2020
As far as the DVLA go the critical bit is the first date of registration in the UK. You don't need proof of actual production date.
So if it says 1st January 1980, as antijam says it's 1st April 2020
To be pedantic, that's not strictly true...............Regardless of when car was taxed anywhere, it is the date of build that determines the earliest date for exemption.