To cancel road tax after a car is written off, tell the DVLA that the vehicle has been written off. That single notification automatically cancels the tax and triggers a refund cheque for any full months of tax still remaining. You can do it online at gov.uk/written-off-vehicle in a few minutes, or by post. Failing to notify the DVLA can cost you a fine of up to £1,000, so it’s worth doing as soon as your insurer confirms the write-off.1GOV.UK. Tell DVLA Your Vehicle Has Been Written Off
What to Have Ready Before You Notify
Your insurer will ask for the vehicle logbook (V5C). Before you hand it over, tear out the yellow section headed “sell, transfer or part-exchange your vehicle to the motor trade” and keep it. That slip carries the 11-digit reference number you need to tell the DVLA about the write-off. The rest of the logbook goes to your insurer.1GOV.UK. Tell DVLA Your Vehicle Has Been Written Off
You’ll also need your insurance company’s name and postcode. If your logbook has gone missing, you can apply for a replacement using form V62, though this adds a fee and processing time.2GOV.UK. Apply for a Vehicle Registration Certificate (Form V62)
One warning that catches people out. If you have a personalised registration you want to keep, apply to retain it before you notify the DVLA. Once the write-off notification is processed, the registration transfers with the vehicle and recovering it becomes far harder.3GOV.UK. Scrapping Your Vehicle and Insurance Write-Offs
Notifying the DVLA Online
The fastest route is gov.uk/written-off-vehicle. You’ll be asked for the vehicle registration number, the 11-digit reference from the yellow slip, and your insurer’s name and postcode. The insurance company details go into the “provide trader details” section, because for tax purposes a write-off is treated the same as selling the vehicle to your insurer.1GOV.UK. Tell DVLA Your Vehicle Has Been Written Off
Check that the name and address on your logbook are correct before you start. If anything is wrong, use the postal route instead; the online service won’t let you change those details at the same time. Once the online notification is in, you can destroy the yellow slip. It doesn’t need to be sent anywhere.1GOV.UK. Tell DVLA Your Vehicle Has Been Written Off
Notifying the DVLA by Post
If your logbook details are wrong or you’d rather not go online, complete the yellow section of the V5C, tear it along the perforated edge, and post it to:
DVLA
Swansea
SA99 1BD1GOV.UK. Tell DVLA Your Vehicle Has Been Written Off
If your insurer already has the whole logbook and you never got the chance to remove the yellow section, write to the DVLA at the same address. Give your insurer’s name and the date you handed the vehicle over. Keep a photocopy of whatever you send. Postal notifications take longer than the online service, and you may want proof of the date if a dispute comes up.
Your Refund and When It Arrives
Once the DVLA processes your notification, any remaining vehicle tax is cancelled automatically. You get a refund for every full month of tax still on the car, counted from the date the DVLA receives your information.4GOV.UK. Cancel Your Vehicle Tax and Get a Refund The month in which you notify them doesn’t count, so there’s nothing to gain by waiting for the start of a new month. Nine months and two weeks of remaining tax means nine months refunded.
The refund comes as a cheque, posted to the address on your logbook. If it hasn’t arrived after eight weeks, contact the DVLA with your vehicle details.4GOV.UK. Cancel Your Vehicle Tax and Get a Refund This is why it matters that your logbook address is right before you start.
If You Pay by Direct Debit
If your vehicle tax is on Direct Debit, the DVLA cancels it automatically once the write-off notification is processed. Don’t cancel the Direct Debit through your bank. If you do so for any reason other than the DVLA telling you to, you’re treated as having untaxed the vehicle yourself, and you’d need to re-tax it or file a SORN.5GOV.UK. Vehicle Tax Direct Debit Payments – Cancel a Direct Debit
There is a timing quirk. If you notify the DVLA close to when a monthly payment is due, that payment may still be collected before the cancellation takes effect. When that happens, you get an automatic refund within 10 working days. Any full months of tax remaining are refunded separately by cheque, the same as for a lump-sum payer.5GOV.UK. Vehicle Tax Direct Debit Payments – Cancel a Direct Debit
If You’re Keeping the Car (Category S or N)
Category A and B write-offs are gone. Category S and N cars can be repaired and driven again, and some owners buy the vehicle back from the insurer.3GOV.UK. Scrapping Your Vehicle and Insurance Write-Offs You still need to notify the DVLA about the write-off, and the tax still gets cancelled. What differs is what you do next.
If the car won’t be on the road while you repair it, you need a Statutory Off Road Notification, or SORN. A SORN declares the vehicle is being kept off public roads, so it doesn’t need to be taxed or insured. You can file one online, by phone, or by post, and it stays in place until you tax the vehicle again.6GOV.UK. When You Need to Make a SORN A vehicle must always be either taxed, covered by a SORN, or scrapped. There is no gap in which it can sit with no status.
Once repairs are done, you’ll tax the vehicle again before driving it on any public road. A Category S write-off also needs to pass a fresh MOT before it can be re-taxed.