Caravan Tax Disc/Rego/MOT

[Auspom]

When i lived in the UK i am fairly certain that the caravan had the same registration plate as the tow car so when you paid the tax on the car it also covered your caravan.
Over here in Australia the registration plate on the caravan is different from that on the tow car thus there is 2 seperate registration/tax discs, one for the car and one for the van, its called rego over here which means tax disc so there is a tax disc for the car and a seperate tax disc for the caravan.
Is it still just the one registration plate and tax disc that covers the car and caravan in the UK or is it different nowadays and does the caravan have to have 12mth M.O.T like the cars ?
Sorry guys i know it sounds stupid but i have been away that long i have forgotten exactly as to how it works.
Look forward to hearing from some of you.
Tony

 

[DavidKlyne]

Its still the same. We have yet to follow in the footsteps of our European chums where caravans are registered as separate vehicles and subject to MOT type tests. Not sure about them being taxed? Some would say that caravans should have some sort of annual/biannual test which I would be happy with but I can't see us going down the route of registration.
David

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Tony,
In the UK trailers (inculding caravans) are not taxed or registered by the government. The self powered vehicle is taxed and has to carry it unique registration plate.

The UK law requires that a trailer must carry the same registration mark as the vehicle that is towing it, So all the driver has to do is to obtain a copy of the rear number plate on their car and attach it to whatever trailer they are towing.

Now the slightly tricky bit is that to get a number plate,
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/PersonalisedRegAndNumberPlates/DG_4022573
A registration number must be correctly displayed in line with the law. You’ll need to go to a registered number plate supplier to get new number plates for your vehicle. The registered supplier will need proof of your identity, as well as proof that the registration number belongs to you.
What you need
The number plate supplier will need to see at least one document from each of the lists below. This will allow the number plate supplier to confirm your name, address and entitlement to the registration number. All documents must be original, not copies.
Documents to confirm your identity
One of the following:
driving licence, whether or not issued in the United Kingdom (UK) (with or without a photo)
a bill from your electricity, gas or water supplier, a landline telephone bill, a council tax bill or rates bill in Northern Ireland (issued within the last six months)
a bank or building society statement (issued within the last six months)
a passport, whether or not issued in the UK
a national identity card issued by the government of a state or territory other than the UK
a debit or credit card issued by a bank or building society
a police warrant card
an armed forces identity card
Documents to establish your entitlement to the registration number
One of the following:
vehicle registration certificate (V5C or V5CNI)
new keeper supplement (V5C/2 or V5C/2NI)
certificate of entitlement (V750 or V750NI) to a vehicle registration number
retention document (V778) (not applicable in Northern Ireland)
a renewal reminder for a tax disc or SORN (V11 or V11NI)
temporary registration certificate (V379 or V379NI)
a number plate authorisation certificate (V948) with an official stamp from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) or Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA)
a letter of authorisation from a fleet operator (including lease or hire company) - the letter must quote the document reference number from the registration certificate

 

[ProfAlGoogle]

What did we Ever do before Google! A wealth of information at your fingertips............

 

[Auspom]

Thanks Prof.......very informative and exactly what i was looking for.

Cookieones........Google is your freind but unfortunately it cannot tell you everything.

Tony

 

[otherclive]

Auspom,
as ever the Prof has provided the definitive answer, but in the real world there are lots of number plate suppliers on the web who will supply a legal number plate to your specification within 24 hours, and they don't need the various documents and proofs demanded by the law. Have a look at ' Plates for Cars'.

 

[Parksy]

To be legal UK number plates must carry the name of the company where the number plate was made up so beware of trying to dodge the rules which are easy enough to comply with anyway.
All that you need to do is to pop in to a local car spares shop with your driving licence or bank card and the V5 (log book) for the towcar.
They will make the proper legal plates up there and then and the entire process takes about ten minutes at the most,with no dramas or hassle with insurance companies if anything were to happen and you'd fitted an illegal plate

 

[Auspom]

When you say that the auto shop can make them there and then within 10 mins does this mean that the plates for the van are vinyl or a hard plastic with vinyl cut lettering numbers or metal blank plates with vinyl lettering attached.
The plates over here in Oz either for the car or van are all metal plates with the letters numbers indented into the plate itself and if you require a replacement you have to apply via Queensland Transport or the transport office of the particular state that you reside in for a replacement which in turn has to be made a new plate which can take weeks.
Thats one big problem with Australia, one country and too many states with differing rules/regs !

Tony

 

[NickinFrance]

We have yet to follow in the footsteps of our European chums where caravans are registered as separate vehicles and subject to MOT type tests. Not sure about them being taxed?

Just to keep it strictly accurate, at least in France, while trailers over 500 kg have to be registered in their own right, there is no MoT type test required (until they get to HGV size).
There is no annual vehicle tax in France either for cars or trailers, just a fee when you register it after purchase, IIRC about 80€ for a caravan.

 

[Parksy]

UK number plates are pre formed plastic or vinyl letters sandwiched between two pre cut pieces of hard plastic and the accessory or parts shop make them there and then.
The rear plate has a yellow high visibility reflective background with black lettering and you can choose to have either a national flag emblem or an EU flag emblem with a GB national mark for continental touring for a small extra charge.
When you buy a caravan number plate make sure that you pick up some double sided sticky square tapes to attach the plate to the caravan.

 

[Surfer]

We have always had the number plate thrown in with the deal. Never had to shw the V5 for the car.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Why do some contributors continue to suggest solutions that they know to be illegal?

For a UK numberplate to be legal, it has to conform with size style a nd spacing regulations. It also has to carry the name and contact of the plates manufacture. The manufacturer IS required to ascertain the purchasers right to use the number plate, and as I have identified previously.

There have recently been a number of police raids on companies producing number plates or "Show Plates" as sold on Ebay etc, Prosecutions are pending. It is clear that companies must seek the required paperwork before producing number plates.

 

[Parksy]

It's also much easier and more convenient to simply comply with the law and *** into an auto accessory shop to have the number plate done there and then than to mess around with online auction sites, or you could do as Surfer suggested and have the number plate as part of the deal when you buy your caravan.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Quite true Parrksy,
But the caravan dealer is equally obliged to see the same documentation as any accessory shop, and if they don't then they are acting illegally.

 

[otherclive]

The on-line outlets will almost all have the facility to print the details of the vehicle supplier in the correct postion on the plate and in the correct script. Interesting the comments re police actions as yesterday I was at the Steam and Vehicle Fair and a stall making up number plates was about 100m from the police center! I went over to the stall and he wasnt asking for any ID, but of course his plates were all for 'show cars'.

 

[Surfer]

Quite true Parrksy,
But the caravan dealer is equally obliged to see the same documentation as any accessory shop, and if they don't then they are acting illegally.

That is their problem not mine! Stupid law anyway as it has no effect anyway on thefts etc.

 

[otherclive]

Surfer, quite agree it is one of those laws that impact the law abiding and restict commercial ventures. It was ill conceived and fails to tackle what it was intended to tackle namely cloning, car theft/plating and camera detection systems. The poor old police are not well placed to close down non-compliant number plate outlets, their efforts are best directed at those who have plates that fail to conform to the technical requirements ( font, size, spacing etc) or where the plates are obstructed by bikes. Your criminal, illegal or terrorist will always find a supplier of a number plate, or even buy their own machine from E&M / Ebayor similar.

 

[colin-yorkshire1]

Why do some contributors continue to suggest solutions that they know to be illegal?

For a UK numberplate to be legal, it has to conform with size style a nd spacing regulations. It also has to carry the name and contact of the plates manufacture. The manufacturer IS required to ascertain the purchasers right to use the number plate, and as I have identified previously.

There have recently been a number of police raids on companies producing number plates or "Show Plates" as sold on Ebay etc, Prosecutions are pending. It is clear that companies must seek the required paperwork before producing number plates.

hi prof glad this question has come up again as last time it did I posed a question that no one seemed to answer??.
that is if the law is clear on the use and manufacture of number plates why do used car sales stick there logo and phone number onto existing number plates via a pre written length of sticky tape, when they sell a car most dealers do this including major outlets as they did not make the original plate surely this makes the modified plate illegal and moreover the new owner liable for it's use??.
as an after thought "if this is correct" just how many plates on cars are illegal

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Colin,

I did not write this law, nor am I responsible for its enforcement, but is is the law and I will not be party to suggestinmg anyone should seek to circumvent it.

Whether the dealers sticky lable is actually a contravention I don't know.

However I have a lot of sympathy with the comments regarding the lack of application, and to the apparent ineffectivness in its primary purpose of preventing fraud and cloning.

 

[TheTravellingRooster]

Hi to you all out there. This business of registration plates that do not conform with the statutory regulations for Font Style,Letter Size and correctness of Letter Spacing has been an issue for a very long time now.
The offence of displaying an "inappropriate registration plate" for the most part & has in principle TWO OFFENDERS. If shop made, that is the real offender/perpetrator and the Registered Keeper of the Vehicle and of course not forgetting the driver at the time of the offence being recorded.
With an increasing number of the inappropriate "Personalised" plates being attached to caravans,horse-boxes,trailers etc,etc; it is becoming an even bigger issue than the first time that they were produced "inappropriately.
The business's that produce them should be prosecuted,they should loose the license to create the plates (of any kind).
The registered keeper of the vehicle should be prosecuted and if the truth be known the vehicle should have the current(if there is one) MoT Certificate Invalidated,the insurance should be cancelled and the vehicle put onto a SORN by The Police & VOSA jointly.
Until action as radical as this is implemented there is going to be more and more of it going on.
Oh,and before all of you consider condemning me for my views,I have twice been run off the road by A******ES with illegible "Personalised Plates" that read more like a Forum Security Tag that a legal requirement to display the Registration Mark in a legible style.
Finally I have a "Personalised Registration Plate on my 1997 Volvo T5 CD Auto. It is perfectly legal and is in the pre-fix style as J* **U,it also carries the name of the business with postal code that produced it.
The interesting thing about it, the J* looks like my initials and the **U are the lead initials of my business title before I retired.
I am contemplating a further one in the style of P** **U,that will also be perfectly legal and both will indeed be truly Personal to Me.

 

[Willi-Wonti]

I have personal No plates on my car that were made prior to the new regulations.
Each time I have changed the car I have taken the dealer fitted plates off & fitted my own with a personal message written on the bottom of the plate.
Are you saying that they are now illegal?