What if I forget to renew my car insurance, tax and MOT?

Key takeaways

• If you drive without car insurance you could get a £300 fine, six points on your licence, and an IN10 conviction. If you go to court, you could get an unlimited fine and a driving ban

• Driving without road tax is allowed if your car is declared SORN and you’re taking it to a pre-booked MOT test but otherwise you risk a fine and your car being clamped or crushed

• Driving without a valid MOT could lead to a fine, invalid car insurance and even a driving ban if your car has dangerous faults

What happens if I forgot to renew my car insurance? 

If you forget to renew your car insurance and continue to drive you’ll be committing an offence. You shouldn’t drive on public roads until you have valid insurance.

Will I be fined for driving without car insurance? 

Yes, you risk a fine of £300 as well as six points on your licence and an IN10 conviction if you drive without insurance.

If your case goes to court it could lead to a further unlimited fine or even disqualification from driving. 

Keep in mind that an IN10 conviction also makes it difficult to get car insurance in the future due to your elevated claim risk - and even if you do, it’ll likely be more expensive than average.

Top tip: You can check your car’s insurance status if you’re unsure when it’s time to renew. 

Will my car insurance automatically renew? 

Most providers offer auto-renewals on your car insurance policy, so you don’t need to worry about sorting it out yourself. However, you may be able to get a better deal on your policy if you compare instead of renewing - just be sure your new policy is active when your existing cover expires. 

Did you know?

The cheapest day to renew your car insurance is 25^ days before your renewal date, according to our latest pricing data. (^Based on the median annual price by the number of days to policy start date for car insurance policies sold through MoneySuperMarket between January 2026 and March 2026.)

Do I need car insurance? 

Yes, it is illegal to drive without at least third party car insurance. The only circumstances where you don’t need car insurance are when your car has been:

• Declared off the road with a Statutory Off Road Notification SORN

• Kept off a public road since before 1 February 1998

• Scrapped

• Stolen

• Exported

• Held in stock by an authorised car dealer

What happens if I forget to tax my car? 

If you forget to tax your car a late licensing penalty (LLP) letter is issued automatically by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). The penalty is £80 but this is reduced to £40 if you pay within 33 days.

Driving without paying car tax (also known as road tax, vehicle tax or officially Vehicle Excise Duty) is illegal unless:

• You’re driving your car to a pre-booked MOT test

• You’re a disabled driver

• You have a classic car built or registered more than 40 years ago (but you still need to apply for vehicle tax)

Top tip: If you don’t plan to park or drive your car on public roads you’ll need to declare your car as off-road with a SORN to avoid paying road tax.

Will I be fined for driving without road tax? 

Yes, driving without paying road tax can lead to an out of court settlement (OCS) of £30 plus one and a half times the outstanding vehicle tax.

However, if the OCS is not paid, a criminal case may be pursued through the magistrates’ court. The penalty is either £1,000 or five times the amount of tax chargeable, whichever is greater.

If you don’t pay this your car may be clamped or crushed.

Top tip: You should get a reminder from the DVLA when you’re due to pay road tax, so be sure to take action as early as possible. 

Is my electric car exempt from road tax?

No, electric cars are no longer exempt from road tax. The Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) rules changed on 1 April 2025 so owners of electric vehicles (EVs) must now pay each year.

From April 2028, EV and plug-in hybrid car owners will also need to pay a new pay-per-mile eVED (Electric Vehicle Excise Duty).

Electric car drivers are set to pay 3p per mile while plug-in hybrid drivers will pay 1.5p per mile.

This means the average electric car driver (driving 8,000 miles a year) will pay an extra £240 per year.

Did you know?

More than 150,000 untaxed vehicles were clamped in the UK in 2025, according to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).

Is there a grace period for car tax? 

No, there is no longer a grace period for car tax, as the whole process is kept and managed online rather than through the mail with paper tax discs. The grace period that was previously in place was to allow time for postage. 

Can I get caught on road cameras without valid tax? 

Yes, there are various road cameras which can identify untaxed vehicles.

These cameras are equipped with Automatic Number Plate Recognition technology (ANPR) which check number plates against road tax and insurance records with the DVLA.

Does my car tax automatically renew? 

You can set your car tax payments up to be paid by direct debit so it goes through automatically every year.

Instead of a reminder to pay your tax you’ll get an email or a letter in the post to let you know the payment has been taken. 

What happens if my direct debit doesn’t go through? 

If your direct debit doesn’t go through, you’ll receive an email from the DVLA to inform you. They’ll try to take the payment again within the next four days, and if it fails again it’ll be cancelled.

If this happens, your car will no longer be taxed and you’ll either need to renew it online or declare it SORN. 

How do I renew my car tax?

If you don’t have a direct debit set up you’ll need to renew your car online. To do this you’ll need your car tax reference number, which you can find on your car’s V5C logbook or any communication from the DVLA. 

Can I tax my car without a V5 logbook? 

Yes, you can tax your car without a V5C logbook , provided that you apply for a new V5C lobook at the same time as you renew your car tax online.

What happens if I forget to renew my MOT? 

If you forget to renew your MOT and you aren’t exempt (if your car is under three years old or first built more than 40 years ago), you’ll only be able to drive it to and from a garage for repairs, or to a pre-booked MOT test.

Otherwise, your car cannot be driven or parked on UK roads. 

Will I be fined for driving without a valid MOT? 

Yes, you could be fined up to £1,000 for driving without an MOT.

If your car fails an MOT test because of a ‘dangerous’ problem and you still drive it you could be fined up to £2,500, be banned from driving and get 3 penalty points.

Your car insurance will also be invalid if you drive without an MOT, so if you have an accident you won’t be able to claim. 

Is there a grace period for renewing my MOT? 

No, there is no grace period for renewing your MOT, so you’ll need to book a test before it expires.

Top tip: You can book an MOT test up to a month (minus a day) before it runs out and still have the same renewal date.

Can I get car tax without a valid MOT? 

No, you cannot tax your car unless it has a valid MOT certificate or is exempt from MOT testing.