Can you pay tax (in your name) on someone else's bike?

[AdamEf]

Does anyone know if it's possible to pay for tax on someone else's bike (currently SORN) so that that they can ride it to deliver it to you?

Looking at possibly buying a SORN bike. It's insured, but no tax and wouldn't make sense owner buying and then selling staright away as he can only claim it back from the next unused month and I'd have to tax it that month, overlapping too.

I'm guessing you need the V5 to be in your name to pay tax online? Or the ownership transfer to have started / sale to have taken place?

Other option is to buy beofre it's delivered and hope it makes the ride to be delivered ok, but might invalidate his insurance as he'll be riding it no longer owning it, ie. details will have changed without notifying insurance company (and paying $$$ admin fee to amend etc).

Should be so simple to do but I can't work out if this is possible. Any help greatly appreciated.

[James83]

Sorry to be the voice of doom, but as far as I can tell, you can't do what you want to do and stay entirely legal. You can tax the vehicle yourself, but only as a "new keeper" - https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-tax - which will almost certainly invalidate his insurance. While its unlikely, you are potentially on the hook for letting someone drive your vehicle without proper insurance. A quick google suggests thats a £5k fine and 6-8 points, assuming he is even willing.

Not to mention that he will already have your money, so if he drops it, or gets hit by an uninsured driver, you are likewise going to be out of pocket.

If it was me, I would bung him the £8 a months tax costs him, tell him to tax it, ride it over, then do the transfer stuff into your name.
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Jonathan A wrote: tart.

[Aky208]

I'm not sure that it is true. I regularly pay the tax for my missus car even though the V5 isn't in my name. You only need the long number on the V5 to tax the car. Since the official transaction of goods won't have taken place, the sellers insurance would still be valid up until the point the V5 is signed, which can be once he has delivered it.

[Pete.]

Actually the seller's insurance would be valid until he cancels or suspends it.
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a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[weasley]

[Pete.]

[Stalk]

Sorry but, sellers bike, sellers problem. Seller brings bike to you and its not what you want, or its no good, you need to be able to walk away without complications. Or you go and see bike. Buy it, online insurance, online tax, ride back.

[Ste]

You could just ride it home and then sort out the VED...

[Rogerborg]

Seller is a muppet if he's making an issue of it. Is this a "much loved bike, very reluctant sale, I KNOW WOT ITS WURTH" vehicle?

He can tax online, choose the pay monthly option and not even have to pay anything up front. Cancel it when the deal is done, he pays one month's tax on later it for a whopping sum of £7.09 (if they round up the penny).
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[AdamEf]

Thanks for all the input everyone.

Sale is totally amicable. One of the problems me riding it away is I have to drive back to where we're staying to get family, during Xmas travels. Can't ride bike away and put family of four on it, at least not in this country : )

Easiest thing was going to be I go see it, put deposit on it and then he rides it to my home at a later date and I pay in full.

I think the best option is going to be him paying monthly tax and cancelling it as soon as it's handed over to me.

[MCN]

Wot wojah sez.

And if riding a bike 'not owned by you' then the policy may only provide Third Party Cover. So you would be advised to speak to the broker/insurer.

"Riding other Bikes
Liability under this section is also extended, if specified on your certificate of motor
insurance, to insure you to ride any private bike that you do not own and have not hired
under a hire purchase or leasing agreement, with Third Party Only cover. Where this extension
applies, cover will not apply for:
• use of any private bike without the owner’s permission
• use of a private bike unless there is a current and valid insurance policy in force insuring
the owner and registered keeper of the bike
• use to secure the release of any other private bike which has been seized or confiscated by
or on behalf of any government or public authority
• use of any private bike if it is not registered within the UK
• damage to the bike
• any accident which happens outside the territorial limits
• any named rider(s) on the policy. This benefit, if specified on the certificate of motor
insurance, covers the policyholder only."
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Disclaimer: The comments above may be predicted text and not necessarily the opinion of MCN.

[bob a]

As said above about the "wifes car". My wifes car is in her name as is the insurance but I pay the tax.

DVLA don't give a monkies as long as someone pays the tax.

[James83]

[MCN]

[Pete.]

[bob a]

[MCN]

[MCN]

[Pete.]

[MCN]

[Pete.]

[Hahadumball]

All of this over £7?
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Fin: no matter how much I look at It I can't understand what was going through my head, all I remember is going about 80 and redlining it to stop it seizing.
360 Deg... Five 1/4 turns. :- Teflon-Mike 18 Jan 2015

[MCN]

[Rogerborg]

[Hahadumball]