Jump to content

Road Tax (VED)


Don Madge

Recommended Posts

I've just renewed the van tax on line and they got it wrong again.

 

I spent a great deal of time last year getting the V5C put right.

 

Body Type:- Motor caravan

 

Taxation Class :- PLG (Private Light Goods)

 

Tax disc arrives back today and the tax class is shown as "LGV" I give up, I wash my hands on themI wonder how many more they have got wrong

 

Don.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don,

 

I'm not aware of 'LGV' as a classification - are you sure it doesn't read 'LCV'?

 

Your vehicle is registered as a PLG but, for road vehicle taxation purposes, is taxed the same as an LCV (Light Commercial Vehicle). The recent changes to the taxation regime where most new PLGs are taxed on CO2 emissions, means that they decided to lump motor caravans up to 3500Kgs MAM into the LCV pot for road tax purposes. This may be why your tax disc shows LCV or LGV.

 

However, the ability of the DVLA to get it wrong does show few bounds. The ability of politicians to keep changing and complicating the rules doesn't help of course.

 

Mel E

====

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Thai,

 

My van's 3500kg MAM.

 

Body Type is Motor Caravan.

 

Taxation Class should be PLG (Private light goods)

 

Yours should be Body Type:_ Motor Caravan

 

Taxation Class:_ PHG (Private Heavy Goods)

 

LGV's are goods vehicles over 7500kg

 

Or were the last time I checked, they change the rules more often than I change my underwear, 8-) 8-) :-D :-D

 

Don

Link to comment
Share on other sites

fred grant - 2007-05-25 10:36 PM

 

theres a peace about road tax disks on page 21 of the mmm. that says lgv - so lgv must be right.

 

lgv means loose goods van by the way.

 

fred

 

Well done Fred,

 

I'm even more confused now.

 

Don

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I believe the MMM explanation isn't fully accurate.

 

There is a tendency to take the fact that most European-built motorhomes are based on light goods vehicle chassis and then 'force' this fact on to the UK's peculiar VED structure. However, this philosophy only works up to a point.

 

1. A "Motor Caravan" should have a VED class of Private HGV (current annual VED = £165) if its 'revenue weight' exceeds 3500kg.

 

2. A motor caravan with a revenue weight up to 3500kg should have a VED class of Private/Light Goods (PLG). The current annual VED for this class is £115 if the vehicle's engine size is below 1550cc, or £180 if the engine size is 1550cc or higher.

 

And that's basically it! Forget the post-March 2001 £175 figure MMM quotes, the Euro 5 red herring and (to all intents and puposes) the "M1" aspect - motor caravans fall into just the two VED classes I've mentioned above.

 

(I have attempted to explain the mysteries of motorhome VED classification on this forum previously, when the Caravan Club got it wrong in their magazine. But, as it caused Don Madge's brain to go numb, I don't think I'll do it again.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the explanation Derek.

 

I was getting very confused as well until you clarified it. I have now found this that also makes it clear. Interesting to note if you are over 3500kg then you pay less road tax.

http://www.dvla.gov.uk/media/pdf/forms/v149.pdf (TC10 and TC11)

 

DVLA also make it confusing because LVG means Large Goods vehicle when referring to Driving licences, but Light Goods Vehicle when referring to Road Tax.

(Where Loose Goods Vehicle comes into it I have no idea at all)

 

Jon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The mistake is to believe that any system that has developed historically will make sense. While it may have made sense to begin with, give it years of being continuously messed around with and things can become very fraught. That's the case with VED.

 

There are two DVLA forms relevant to VED - V149 that gives the rates (and is accessible on the DVLA website) and V355/1 (Notes about Taxation Classes) that is available in hard-copy only. When it comes to motor caravans it's the latter form that's critical to understanding why they should fall into just two VED classes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
Guest A lan

May I apologise for raising this issue again, but the DVLA was driving me to despair, when I located this thread via Goooooogle. To some extent it seemed to parallel my ongoing experience. May I express my thanks to all serious contributors, and in particular Derek for his clear exposition of the matter. It is thanks to him that I now have a copy of V355/1 before me.

 

Based on the information contained in the V355/1, I have just sent my V5C back to the DVLA in another attempt to get my proprietry van conversion, which they now agree is a "Motor Caravan" registered as PLG and not LGV.

 

The crux of the matter seems to be that the vehicle was first registered as LGV, "category N1.

 

However category N1, effective from 01/03/01, is defined as "vehicles used for the carriage of goods, and having a maximum mass not exceeding 3.5 tonnes".

 

Note the word USED, but there could be problems with the definition of GOODS.

 

Any vehicle registered after 01/03/01 with a MAM not exceeding 3,500 kg, and which does not fit into N1 or four other less appropriate classes, falls into the Private/Light Goods (PLG) Class for VED.

 

I am awaiting the DVLA response.

 

Don,

Does your V5C still show the Category as "N1"? If so could be the cause of your problem.

 

 

Alan

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...