New Tax Disc Rules Ins & Outs

We've all heard rumours about the change to Tax Discs but apart from that, not much else has been explained about what's exactly happening and if this will affect anything.

From October 2014 you will no longer have to display your tax disc in your windscreen.

So how will the police and DVLA check if I have paid my tax?

This will all be done electronically via your registration plate, from the numerous cameras dotted around the whole country.

How do I buy my Tax Disc?

Direct Debit will be a way to pay from October 1st as well as the usual pay online service where you can choose between paying annually, six monthly or monthly.

It will also affect when you buy or sell your vehicle

If you're selling your vehicle notify the DVLA and you will get a refund for the remaining months that you have paid.

If you're buying a vehicle you will need to buy the tax straight away.

When should you change the tyres on your car

One of the questions that we get asked about a lot is when should you change the tyres on your car.

The legal answer is that your tread should't be lower than 1.6mm, however the performance of a tyre starts to decrease once you get passed 3mm, making them dangerous to use. See below results for stopping distance in the wet at different tread depths.

Tread Depth       Stopping Distance
     7mm                      28m
     4mm                      33m
     2.5mm                   36m
     1.6mm                   43m
     1mm                      49m

From the results we can see that the distances taken to stop in the wet increase dramatically once the tread gets below 2.5mm. This creates an increased danger to both you and other road users. Which is why we recommend changing your tyres once they get to 3mm, especially in powerful vehicles.

There are quite a few gadgets on the market that can help you check the tread depth of your tyres. However there is a very simple way to check your tyres using a 20p piece, meaning there is no excuse no to check them regularly.

How to check your tyres using a 20p

Step 1 - Make sure your cars handbrake is engaged
Step 2 - Get out a 20p

Step 3 - Place your 20p in the tread grooves

Step 4 - If you can see the edge of the 20p, your tyres maybe illegal

Step 5 - This is what a full tread looks like

You can tell the huge difference in a worn and new tyres tread depth!

For a full tutorial visit our WikiHow page

What are you waiting for, go and check your tyres