Most British motorists are left scratching their heads over one or a number of questions about their cars, driving laws, taxes, tests or car insurance - and at Hoot we think we can help.
We've always had the cheap car insurance angle covered, but more recently we've started branching out into other areas of motoring expertise with our Hoot Guides. So if you're looking for advice on buying a new car, for instance, or details of the latest seatbelt laws, this section of our website is the place to turn for answers.
We offer tips to save you money, explanations of all the latest laws and advice to keep you and your passengers safe whilst out on the road - all for the sake of a few clicks. And if you need any help with UK car insurance jargon or a few suggestions for finding cheap car insurance, the Hoot Guides have it covered.
This guide is about road tax - who has to pay it, which cars are exempt and how to go about getting your renewal sorted.
Who pays road tax
Vehicle excise duty (VED), commonly known as road tax, must be paid by everyone who drives or parks their vehicle on public roads in the UK, and renewed on an annual or six-monthly basis. It is presided over by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).
Up until 1998, VED cost the same for every owner. But since then, the rate has been graduated based on engine size and, more recently, emissions levels, giving drivers an incentive to buy greener (i.e. more fuel efficient) cars.
Today, owners of the least polluting car models, like the Toyota Prius, pay substantially less VED than the rest of us - and some can avoid paying the tax altogether.
Registered vehicles which are not driven on the roads are also exempt from VED, but only if their owners submit an annual Statutory Off-Road Notification (or SORN) in the place of their tax renewal. Those who fail to register a SORN will be treated just the same as drivers who use the roads without paying, even though the car in question may not have moved an inch.
A third exception applies to any car that was registered before 1973. Due to their age, such cars (classed as 'historic vehicles' in the eyes of the law) tend to have a low annual mileage, and as a result are let off VED payments altogether.
Lastly, you could end up still paying the road tax for a vehicle you've sold on - or being prosecuted for not doing so - if you don't inform the DVLA when it changes hands. If you fail to do this, the legal responsibility for keeping up with payments remains yours, not the buyer's.
How to purchase road tax
You can apply for a VED renewal at your local Post Office or DVLA branch, or on the web (visit http://www.vehiclelicence.gov.uk) much like online car insurance.
In most cases, the DVLA will notify you by post about a fortnight before your current tax disc expires, enclosing a part-filled application form for your renewal. If you don't receive a letter - because you've just bought the vehicle, for example - or if some of the pre-printed information is incorrect, you can pick up a blank form from the Post Office or download one from the DVLA website.
To get hold of your new tax disc, take the completed application form to the DVLA or back to the Post Office - along with a valid certificate of motor insurance, a current MOT test certificate and enough money to pay your VED (a breakdown of road tax prices is available at http://www.direct.gov.uk). If your form does not have your details pre-printed on it, you'll also need to take your vehicle's registration documents.
Owners who receive the part-filled application form can also tax their vehicle online. Electronic checks will be carried out to confirm your motor insurance and MOT certificates are valid, and your replacement tax disc will arrive within about five days.
You must display your new tax disc on the passenger side of your car windscreen for the benefit of police and passing traffic wardens (who are required to report any untaxed vehicles they see on the roadside). Besides proving that your VED payments are up to date, the disc also informs officers that your vehicle was roadworthy and covered by car insurance at the time of its last renewal.
Try cheap car insurance from Hoot
Road tax is complicated enough for most drivers - let alone the hassle of hunting for an affordable car insurance quote.
As luck would have it, however, cheap car insurance is in easy reach thanks to the team at HootCar insurance Services. Our motor insurance quotes are substantially cheaper than most other firms', mostly thanks to our unique approach to marketing.
Most car insurance companies spend millions on flashy advertising campaigns in a bid to attract new customers, but Hoot spends zero. Instead, we plough all that money back into our cheap car insurance premiums, offering great savings over peoples' original polices.
We find that a motor insurance product as cheap as ours does all the advertising by itself - through word of mouth.
So to find out just how cheap car insurance from Hoot can be, click below for an instant quote.