Hi everyone, I'm just wondering if anyone knows who I need to speak to to find out what exact date my car was built as I'm looking to tell the DVLA my car is approaching 40 years old it's just turned 39 years old but apparently it goes off the the build date. Many thanks. Dean.

Use a VIN decoder site, 1 of the digits will be the month, another digit the year.

I don’t think you will be able to persuade dvla unless you are suggesting it was registered and used somewhere else (eg another country) earlier than the registration date on the v5.  I am aware it says 40 years old so in theory should be from date it was made and not date of registration. In case you are not aware, the tax is not free at 40 years old. Tax is free on 01 April in the year AFTER the car’s 40th birthday. So if a car becomes 40 yrs old on 01 March 2023, it is now mot exempt but it’s not tax exempt until 01 April 2024, more than a year away. I know this because I had a vehicle which I thought had become tax exempt and dvla explained this to me.  It’s on their website. 

28 minutes ago, isetta said:

I don’t think you will be able to persuade dvla unless you are suggesting it was registered and used somewhere else (eg another country) earlier than the registration date on the v5

Having read several articles in classic car publications, my understanding is the same as the OP - that they go by the build date. 

I believe it is based on date of manufacture if you can prove what it is. It gets messy if the vehicle is mot exempt but not yet tax free. Eg my motorbike VFG630Y. 40 yrs from date of first reg was last august, but it’s not tax free until 01 April 2023. I can’t tax it on line as it says it needs a mot, I phoned dvla, they said I can only tax it at post office and complete mot exemption form. But it still looks to the police like it’s mot is expired. Red warning on dvla website.  As I understand it, on 01 April 2023 it is tax exempt and I can get it altered to Historic tax class. I think that makes it show properly as mot exempt perhaps. They don’t make it easy. 

The way I see it is that even though they are MOT exempt, they are still supposed to be MOT standard so for the sake of 50 quid and for piece of mind why not just MOT them anyway? 

3 hours ago, Turvey said:

50 quid and for piece of mind why not just MOT them anyway? 

It's not that simple. Many of them will be SORN.

To be able to MOT the vehicle it needs to have insurance so you can legally take it on the road to a pre-booked MOT test.  Then the catch 22 situation arises as many insurance companies won't insure a vehicle that doesn't have a valid MOT and/or valid Road Tax. I speak from personal experience of last year of trying to get my own motorbike back on the road.

The moment it passes (assuming that it does) it will require road tax if it is in the twilight zone of being MOT exempt but not yet Road Tax exempt. All this just so that it can then legally go home. The owner can then apply to SORN the vehicle again and then cancel the insurance if they don't intend to immediately use the vehicle.

 

16 minutes ago, unofix said:

It's not that simple. Many of them will be SORN.

To be able to MOT the vehicle it needs to have insurance so you can legally take it on the road to a pre-booked MOT test.  Then the catch 22 situation arises as many insurance companies won't insure a vehicle that doesn't have a valid MOT and or valid Road Tax. I speak from personal experience of last year of trying to get my own motorbike back on the road.

The moment it passes (assuming that it does) it will require road tax if it is in the twilight zone of being MOT exempt but not yet Road Tax exempt. All this just so that it can then legally go home. The owner can then apply to SORN the vehicle again and then cancel the insurance if they don't intend to immediately use the vehicle.

This is the trouble I'm having trying to get the Mk2 sorted...  MOT lapsed and it's been SORN & uninsured for a while.  Can't find any garage that will take it on trade plates.  The temp insurer I've used in the past won't cover any car without MOT.  Looked into specific SORN insurance but found that that can only be bought over the phone (no use for me!) and also can't be used on the road at all, not even to a prebooked MOT once a year.

The rules and regulations around tax, insurance and MOT are ridiculous now. 

What's most frustrating to me is that I already have insurance on another car, as does the person who will be driving the Focus to MOT for me...so why can't either of those cover this car for just one trip to a pre-booked MOT and back?

3 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

The rules and regulations around tax, insurance and MOT are ridiculous now.

Yes, it's almost like they want to force you to break the law, just so that you can then comply with it !!

Last year I had to pay a specialist transport service to collect my motorbike (SORN) and take it to the MOT testing garage. Then once it had passed, they then brought it back and I could then get it insured. Fortunately the insurance company didn't ask if the bike was SORN. Two days later once the bike was showing on the insurance data base I was finally able to get it road taxed. 🙄

I imagine it will be the same situation for your car, it will need collected and brought back on a trailer/transporter so you can get it MOT'd