Q reg 40 year old Marlin

[MOC Chair]

I have been contacted by a club member who is having trouble convincing DVLA that a Q reg Marlin which was registered 40 years ago should be tax exempt. They do not seem to believe the registration document! Has anyone been able to obtain tax exemption for a 40 year old Q reg?

[ggrum]

My understanding and I may be wrong is that the 40 year tax exemption does not apply to Q reg cars.

[Patrick]

I've been wondering about this, mines on an F plate so technically should qualify in 2028 as the date of first reg is 1988, but it also has the 2005 date from the SVA further down the doc. I'd read that kit cars wouldn't get the tax/mot exemption but then I've seen some have. Seems rather confusing with just anecdotal information.

[ggrum]

My old Roadster had the registration of the 1970 donor car and was automatically classified as 'historical' and therefore tax free without me having to apply. Again, I may be wrong, but I seem to recall that the rolling 40 year requirement for tax exemption was stopped after a certain date because many people were buying old cars for normal daily use to avoid paying tax. The system was really put in place for classic cars on the basis that most of them only do a few hundred miles a year, mainly in the summer and goiung to shows.

[MOC Chair]

Originally there was a rolling 25 year requirement which came to an end with a change of government in 1997. The 40 year requirement came in with the next change of government in 2010. As far as I know, with a number plate related to the age of the donor car, a Marlin should be tax exempt at 40 years.
When the 25 year rule was in force cars were automatically exempted. The interesting thing is that before Q registration came into being in 1983, ex army vehicles were given a new registration even when they were 10 years old. I owned an ex army Landrover when the 25 year requirement came in and with a certificate from British Motor Heritage it became tax exempt even though it appeared to be 10 years newer.

[MOC Chair]

Just a further thought. Will this government end the rolling 40 year rule in the same way that that they ended the 25 year one in 1997?

[greyV8pete]

Just a further thought. Will this government end the rolling 40 year rule in the same way that that they ended the 25 year one in 1997?

Sssh! Don’t give them ideas.

[Patrick]

you think they'd be happy tax all the EVs, but yeah they need to not get any ideas. I've a 97 BMW E31 which I'll be paying tax on for years to come that doesn't get driving much. I'm hoping to at least not have to pay on the Sportster in 3 years.

[B_Williams]

If I read this correctly, provided the Q reg was issued more than 40 years ago, then the vehicle should be eligible for Historic status, though I've never tried.
I believe it can only be done, in person, at a Crown Post Office, not on-line, or by post with the DVLA
https://www.gov.uk/historic-vehicles...-tax-exemption N.B. The dates below are from a page opened today.
Neither of these mention the Q plate directly

Vehicles exempt from vehicle tax
If your vehicle was built before 1 January 1984, you can stop paying vehicle tax from 1 April 2024.
If you do not know when your vehicle was built, but it was registered before 8 January 1984, you do not need to pay vehicle tax from 1 April 2024.

Vehicles that do not need an MOT
You do not need to get an MOT if:
the vehicle was built or first registered more than 40 years ago
no ‘substantial changes’ have been made to the vehicle in the last 30 years, for example replacing the chassis, body, axles or engine to change the way the vehicle works

The following does mention a Q plate re the MOT exemption

In order to apply for historic tax status, as well as the V5c you need to present a V112 at the Post Office, for self certification of the MOT exemption, if the vehicle does not have a current ticket.
The way that's worded implies that the 40+ Q plate car is also MOT exempt, provided it's not undergone substantial modification for 30 years (Page2)

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5f7eceefe90e07741465559a/v112-declaration-of-exemption-from-mot.pdf

[andyf]

That's the way I read it as well. I also remember reading about someone who had registered their Q plate Roadster as historic.