Home / Statutory documents / Vehicles
Vehicle tax
Vehicle excise duty for the goods vehicle, paid and current.
This is general information for UK goods-vehicle operators. It is not legal advice. Use the official source on this page, and your operator licence conditions, before you rely on it.
What it is
Goods vehicles must be taxed before they are used or kept on a public road. HGV tax rates depend on the vehicle. There is no paper tax disc to display. If a vehicle is off the road and untaxed, it must be kept on private land and a statutory off-road notification (SORN) must be in force.
Who holds it
The registered keeper is responsible for taxing the vehicle. The operator should know the tax status of every vehicle they put to work, including hired vehicles, before the driver leaves.
At a visit
Police and DVSA check tax electronically. An untaxed vehicle on the road can be clamped, seized or penalised. “We thought the hire company taxed it” is not a system.