Anyone who buys a used car this weekend could face a £1,000 fine if they drive it straight away
MOTORISTS who purchase a used car this weekend could face a hefty £1,000 fine if they choose to drive it straight away.
The Driver & Vehicle Licencing Agency (DVLA) announced their services will be down for maintenance until Monday, meaning car owners won't be able to tax their vehicles online, by post or over the phone.
This means anyone who buys a car after 3pm on Friday won't be able to legally drive it on the road until Monday morning.
Driving a vehicle without valid road tax can attract an £80 on-the-spot fine - but this can increase to as much as £1,000 if the case goes to court.
And under laws introduced in 2014, vehicle excise duty (VED) can no longer be transferred between owners either.
Even if the previous owner's tax is still valid for a number of months, any new vehicle owner must tax it immediately - tax now applies to the driver rather than the car itself.
If motorists are desperate to make a used car purchase this weekend, they will be forced to fork out for a month's tax before 3pm on Friday, taking a chance on a motor they don't currently own.
Or they will have to leave the vehicle with its previous owner until Monday at least.
A statement on the DVLA website said: "This means you will not be able to tax your vehicle online, by phone or at the Post Office.
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"Vehicle tax is for the whole month, so if your tax will expire at the end of this month you’ll still have time to tax your car when the service is back to normal on Monday morning.
"Remember, it’s against the law to drive an untaxed vehicle on the road.
"If you buy a car during this weekend you won’t be able to tax it until 6am on Monday 20 August."