DVLA Guides: Registration, Licences, Tax and Number Plates

This page collects Motoring Chronicle’s guides and reporting on dealing with the DVLA: vehicle registration documents, SORN and road tax, driving licences, medical licensing and number plates. Each article states the fees, deadlines and figures it relies on and where they come from. Our standards are in the Editorial Policy and the Corrections Policy.

Start here: everyday DVLA tasks

• How to Replace Your Lost V5C Log Book for £25 (and Not Pay Twice)
• How To Declare Your Car SORN Online Free (and Dodge the £80 Fine)
• How to Tell DVLA You Sold Your Car (and Avoid the Buyer’s Fines)

Vehicle registration and V5C

• What an Inaccurate V5C Logbook Could Cost You When You Make an Insurance Claim
• Every Used Car Buyer Risks a £1,000 DVLA Fine Over a Hidden Write-Off Category

Road tax, SORN and clamping

• Every UK Driver Risks a £2,500 DVLA Fine Over One SORN Mistake
• What Car Tax Bands Actually Mean in 2026 (and How to Find Yours)
• Every Unpaid Car Tax Bill Risks a DVLA Clamp as 150,000 Get Caught
• Why Thousands of Classic Car Owners Pay DVLA Up to £375 in Needless Tax
• Why Nearly a Million UK Drivers Now Pay DVLA’s £440 Luxury Car Tax

Driving licences and the digital licence

• How the DVLA’s Digital Driving Licence Will Work for Every UK Driver in 2026
• What Every UK Driver Needs to Know Now the Digital Driving Licence Is Live
• Almost One Million Drivers Face a £1,000 Fine Over Expired Photocard Licences
• Turning 70 This Year? Here Is Everything You Need To Know About Renewing Your Driving Licence
• Why Millions of Drivers Must Update Their DVLA Records Before Digital Licences Arrive
• What a New DVLA Eyesight Test Could Mean for 6 Million Older Drivers

Medical licensing delays

• Every Driver With a Medical Condition Waits 62.3 Working Days for DVLA Decision
• Why DVLA Medical Licence Checks Now Take 11 Weeks and How to Keep Driving While You Wait
• How to Keep Driving Legally While You Wait Out a DVLA Medical Licence Delay
• Older and Disabled Drivers Wait 47 Times Longer for a DVLA Licence Decision
• How DVLA’s New Medical Licence Team Will Change Things for 900,000 Drivers
• DVLA Expects 900,000 Medical Licence Reports This Year as It Overhauls Its Drivers Medical Service

Number plates and cloned plates

• What Makes a Number Plate Illegal in the UK (and the £1,000 Fine)
• Every UK Driver With the Wrong Number Plate Risks a £1,000 DVLA Fine
• Why Fake Number Plates Could Leave Any UK Driver With Someone Else’s Fine
• Cloned Number Plate Fines Reported to the DVLA Hit a Record 11,402 This Year
• Why Drivers Face £1,000 Fines While 34,000 Number Plate Suppliers Pay Just £40

DVLA data and enforcement

• How Five Parking Firms Got Your Details From the DVLA 7.2 Million Times Last Year
• Private Parking Firms Made a Record 12.8 Million DVLA Requests Last Year
• Every Driver Risks Fines From Parking Firms as 40% Fail DVLA Data Audit
• Police Could Soon Access Your DVLA Driving Data for Any Investigation, Not Just Traffic Stops