Half a million untaxed vehicles driving on UK roads

There are almost half a million untaxed vehicles on UK roads – a number that remains significantly higher than before paper tax discs were scrapped a decade ago.

The latest data from the Department for Transport shows an estimated 498,000 unlicensed vehicles in active use on UK roads. This equates to 1.2% of all vehicles.

Back in 2013, prior to paper tax discs being abolished in autumn 2014, just 0.6% of vehicles were unlicensed.

"It will be hugely frustrating to the overwhelming majority of tax-paying drivers that almost half a million motorists are not paying their way," says Nicholas Lyes of road safety charity IAM RoadSmart.

"Perhaps even more worrying is that a quarter of those that are dodging vehicle excise duty have been doing so for more than six months. Untaxed vehicles are sometimes linked to much wider criminality and this has implications for safety on our roads."

The rate of non-compliance has fallen slightly since 2021, where 1.9% of all vehicles on UK roads were untaxed. However, it is still likely proving costly to taxpayers – in 2021, the revenue loss from VED evasion was estimated at a staggering £119m.

"With high inflation putting pressure on household finances, some low-income drivers may have decided to take a gamble and not pay their tax," said Matas Buzells, a motoring expert for vehicle history service CarVertical.

Buzells says it is notable that the proportion of untaxed vehicles has risen substantially since paper tax discs were abolished in 2014.

"This suggests that some drivers could be forgetting to pay simply because they do not have the visual reminder on their windscreen."

The DfT data also shows that VED evasion rates vary across English regions, from 1.0% in the South East, to 1.7% in the East of England. Tax evasion rates are 1.2% in Wales and 1.3% in Scotland.

Penalties for untaxed vehicles are severe and range from fines and points on a driving licence, to vehicles being clamped.