What does 'Not Taxed for Road use mean'

[AshimotoK0]

Looked up some of my old bikes from the 70's on DVLA site and amazingly some are still around or were up to about 5 years ago.
One was a Honda CB250K2 regd. 'HDT 2J' and it comes up on the DVLA site as 'Not Taxed for Road Use'  . Does this mean that it is SORN or is it a race type bike ( lots of these used in CB350 classic racing).

Ash

[hairygit]

It's D.V.L.A. speak for sorned, or not been on the roed since before sorn came into being, but has not been notified as scrapped or exported.

[Chris400F]

When I bought my 400/4 a DVLA Vehicle Enquiry showed road tax due on 1st September 1985.
A subsequent enquiry to DVLA about getting the year of manufacture corrected brought this response:
"There is also no requirement to make a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN). The scheme only applies to vehicles where the vehicle tax has expired on or after 31 January 1998. As your vehicle was untaxed on this date, it does not fall into the Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN) scheme. It will only become liable to SORN if it is re-taxed and then subsequently taken off the road."
So there's the cut-off date for SORN requirement, and as Hairy says your old bike could effectively be SORNed but the DVLA don't have any other information.
Maybe as it also hasn't been MOT'd recently enough for the DVLA records to record it this is why it shows as 'Not taxed for on road use'.

[AshimotoK0]

I am sure I checked about a year ago and it was taxed so probably on SORN hopefully. It was a 71 bike but the DVLA refer to it as 1981 date of 1st registration.

[Chris400F]

I can't be sure but it seems the DVLA may be a bit more cagey with MOT information if a vehicle does not have a current MOT whereas it will say when tax is (or was) due.
My G5 comes up as 'Untaxed, Tax due: 01 March 1996' so last taxed before the SORN required date, MOT part says 'No details held by DVLA'.
I think if a vehicle is actually on SORN the enquiry states this, but don't have a SORNed bike (or car) I can check this with!

[Orcade-Ian]

Hi,
I have a variety of bikes and cars, some of those are taxed and MOT'd regularly, some are only used for a while then put away while I use something else.  Some haven't been used for a good few years before SORN was necessary.  Others have a V5c ( so are on their system) but have not been taxed or MOT'd for over twenty years and are 'basket cases'

Having checked all of these bikes/cars on the 'system', the first group, thankfully come up with tax and MOT due dates.  The second lot come up with SORN IN PLACE and MOT EXPIRED.  The third lot say UNTAXED and NO MOT DETAILS HELD BY DVLA. The fourth group have very out of date tax detail and NO MOT DETAILS HELD BY DVLA.  I also have a BSA basket case with no V5c which comes up with NO DETAILS FOUND, please ring..........

The DVLA electronic system is comparatively recent, so if a vehicle hasn't been used for a few years but has, since the SORN introduction, then there is no way they CAN have MOT details

Having checked many vehicles this way and contacting a few friends to do the same, the expression 'NOT TAXED FOR ROAD USE' has not come up once, so, ASH,it would appear that this has been classified under some mysterious system by DVLA ( aren't they all?). Possible as said, converted to Race use.

As another test, I entered the details of our everyday Peugeot which is 2 years old.  It came back with correct Tax due date, but NO MOT DETAILS HELD BY DVLA as it doesn't need one yet.

[AshimotoK0]

Excellent replies, as always, Ian (Orcadian) and others.

Here is what it comes up with. it actually  says 'Not Taxed for on road use"



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[Chris400F]

I will echo Ash's thanks to Orcadian for the very useful information.
Looks like the mystery of what 'Not Taxed for on road use' means will remain unless anyone fancies putting the query to the DVLA.
In my experience they don't bite but I can't justify doing it for a vehicle that I never owned.

[Orcade-Ian]

By coincidence, I took the 1500 Wing for MOT this morning, to a guy who is into motorcross bikes here in Orkney.  He has bikes which are DVLA registered (although never used on the road) but doesn't recall any with Ash's designation but he will check with other Orkney Motorcross Club members (he is President this year) and relay info back. 
I'll post back if I get some useful info,
Ian

[Chris400F]

Don't know why I didn't think of it before but I decided to try Googling the phrase to see if anything came up.
I found an entry in a forum which seems to make sense. The forum is at http://autoshite.com/topic/20082-not-taxed-for-on-road-use/,
the last entry in the relevant thread is as follows:

I think it's definitely to do with keeping vehicles alive on the system, that have never been taxed since taxation was recorded centrally at Swansea, circa 1977 I believe.

These vehicles may have had new V5s issued subsequently, and the odd 'Not taxed for road use' designation with renewal in the middle of a month, maybe a way of keeping them 'alive'.

I have some proof. I have a vehicle my Dad bought in 1961, it has been off the road in store since 1971, so has never been taxed with the DVLA, but we made sure it was put on the system prior to the original 1983 deadline so has a V5. This vehicle comes up under this 'Not taxed for road use' category, but it wasn't something I instigated.

By comparison, I have another car, last taxed in 1979 on the DVLA system, that is still just comes up as 'Untaxed' from that date.


I don't know how this fits with Ash's bike but I don't think it can possibly have been taxed last year, or for very many years come to that.

[Orcade-Ian]

Thanks for that Chris, wahey!  Whaddyaknow, I only checked my CB 77 online earlier this year and it said Not Taxed, it now says NOT TAXED FOR ON ROAD USE like Ash's old bike.  Again like you I did not request this reclassification, nor was informed by anyone about it.  I have a V5c in my name and bought the bike in 1999, but have not used it, just collected some of the new bits for it. 
I remember something about DVLA not automatically issuing red V5c's for vehicles which had been unused for some time (the V5c for this bike is still blue). If in future I put this back on the road (Fairly soon), they SHOULD change the taxation class from the present UNLICENSED to HISTORIC as it's a 64 British reg bike.  You have to pay the tax initially, but receive a proportionate refund with the new red V5c.  I know this last bit as I have just jumped through these fire hoops with my very early 400/4.

Not wishing to hijack Ash's original thread, what we should really be worried about is HISTORIC class on vehicles built up from mostly new parts.  There has been much press coverage about some rebuilt  high end Bugattis and Bentleys being potentially given Q plates and stripped of Historic status with the onus being on the owners to provide provenance.  All very alarming.

What will they do when we finish restoring a previously. NOT TAXED FOR ON ROAD USE vehicle and want to tax it again?
Referring to the 'They do not bite' comment, please don't put your hand near the bars and don't tell em your name Pike!!
'Concerned of Orkney '