Drivers urged to check their car number plate to avoid £1,000 DVLA fine

Motorists can avoid accidentally breaking an important DVLA rule and a potential £1,000 fine by looking up their number plate details today. A quick search of vehicle registration details on number plate checkers will remind road users when their car tax is due.

Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) is the annual bill motorists must pay to legally use their vehicle on the roads. Total costs will change every year based on inflation and are usually tied to a car’s total emissions levels. Bills can be paid every month, every six months or on an annual basis with motorists at risk of forgetting their due date if they don’t sign up for an automatic renewal.

Accidentally forgetting to pay a VED bill is still classified as tax evasion and could see road users issued heavy fees.

Motorists who don't pay their VED fee on time will usually be issued an automatic £80 fine.

This is sometimes reduced to £40 if road users pay the total amount within 33 days after it was issued.

Individuals will also have to make sure they cover any unpaid tax costs after settling their penalty.

If the out-of-court settlement is not paid up, a criminal case may be pursued against the driver, where the fees can be more serious.

At this stage, the penalty will either be a £1,000 fine or up to five times the amount of tax chargeable, whichever is greater.

The WeBuyAnyCar number plate checker confirms they will inform road users of their current “tax status, tax due date and MOT history”.

GOV.UK also has its own vehicle information checker where road users can find details including their vehicle tax rate and expiry dates.

Both online number plate checkers also allow road users to find out details about their MOT expiry date.

Staying on the roads after an MOT certificate has expired is also against the rules and will also see drivers fined.

Motorists caught without a valid certificate in place are at risk of being hit with a £1,000 charge.

However, motorists could be slapped with even higher bills if a vehicle is deemed unsafe or dangerous.

Under these conditions, the total fines can be higher with charges potentially reaching up to £2,500 in a major blow to road users.