Disabled Car Tax Form: Filling In the V10 and Eligible Benefits

To apply for free or reduced vehicle tax on the grounds of disability, the disabled car tax form you need is the V10. You submit it at a Post Office branch that handles vehicle licensing, together with a certificate of entitlement to your qualifying benefit and your V5C registration certificate (logbook). Once the disabled tax class is on your vehicle record, you can renew online each year without repeating the paperwork.¹

What You Send With the V10

Three documents travel together:

Your certificate of entitlement, which proves you receive a qualifying mobility benefit at the correct rate. It is issued by the agency that pays your benefit — DWP for DLA, PIP, and AFIP, or Social Security Scotland for Child Disability Payment, Adult Disability Payment, and Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance.¹
Your V5C registration certificate (logbook). If you have just bought the car and the V5C hasn’t arrived yet, the green new keeper slip works instead, but you will also need to fill in a V62 application for a registration certificate at the same time.²¹
The V10 itself. You can download it from GOV.UK or pick one up at the Post Office.³

Where to Submit It

The V10 route is for used vehicles you already own. Take the three documents to a Post Office branch that deals with vehicle tax — not every branch offers vehicle licensing services, so check before you go. Staff process the tax class change on the spot.¹

If you are collecting a brand-new car from a dealership, you don’t need to handle the V10 yourself. Bring your certificate of entitlement to the dealer and they will arrange for the vehicle to be taxed in the disabled class before you drive away.¹

Filling In the V10

On the form you enter the vehicle registration number from your logbook or number plates and indicate the disabled tax class. Enter your personal details exactly as they appear on your certificate of entitlement. Any mismatch on name or address between the two documents will usually bounce the application back for correction.³

After the First Application

Once the disabled class is recorded against your vehicle, you do not need to file a fresh V10 each year. You can renew online at GOV.UK using the 12-digit reference number from your V11 tax reminder or the 11-digit reference number from your V5C, or by phone.¹⁴

There is one exception. If you receive Armed Forces Independence Payment, the online renewal service is not available to you and you renew at a Post Office each time.¹

You will also need a new certificate of entitlement — and to go through the paperwork route again — whenever you change to a different vehicle or the registered keeper changes.¹

When a V10 Isn’t Needed at All

If you lease your car through the Motability Scheme, tax is included in the package and arranged automatically for the duration of the lease. You do not complete a V10 or visit a Post Office for a Motability vehicle.

The exemption covers one vehicle at a time. You cannot hold the free disabled tax class on one car and the 50% reduction on another simultaneously. If you already have an exempt vehicle registered in your name, a second vehicle you own is taxed at the standard rate.⁵

Which Benefits Let You Use the Form

You can apply for the full exemption using a V10 if you receive any of the following:⁵

Disability Living Allowance, higher rate mobility component
Personal Independence Payment, enhanced rate mobility component
Child Disability Payment (Scotland), higher rate mobility component
Adult Disability Payment (Scotland), enhanced rate mobility component
Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance, higher rate mobility component
Armed Forces Independence Payment
War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement

An NHS grant toward the cost of the vehicle also qualifies, including grants under the equivalent legislation in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.⁵

The V10 is also the form used for the 50% reduction, which applies if you receive PIP at the standard rate mobility component, or Adult Disability Payment at the standard rate mobility component in Scotland. DLA at the lower rate mobility component does not qualify for any reduction.⁶

If Your Benefit Changes Later

The disabled tax class stays valid only while you keep receiving a qualifying benefit at the right rate. If your award drops from enhanced to standard, you need to re-tax the vehicle either at the 50% rate (for PIP or ADP standard rate mobility) or at the full standard rate. If the benefit stops, tax the vehicle at the full rate before the current exemption period runs out.

Failing to re-tax when you no longer qualify is treated the same as driving without valid tax. DVLA enforcement can result in a late licensing penalty, and prolonged noncompliance may lead to the vehicle being clamped or impounded.

If your benefit is being reassessed or you are appealing a decision, check with DWP or Social Security Scotland whether your existing certificate of entitlement remains valid during the review. In many cases the benefit continues at the existing rate until a final decision is made, so the exemption stays in place, but this is not guaranteed.

1
GOV.UK. How to Apply for Free Disabled Tax
2
GOV.UK. Tax Your Vehicle Without a Vehicle Tax Reminder
3
GOV.UK. Apply for Vehicle Tax (Form V10)
4
GOV.UK. Get Free Vehicle Tax if You’re a Driver With a Disability
5
Legislation.gov.uk. Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994 Schedule 2
6
GOV.UK. Financial Help if You’re Disabled – Vehicles and Transport