V62 Form and Road Tax: What You Need to Know

Road tax (officially called vehicle excise duty, or VED) is a legal requirement for any vehicle driven or kept on a public road in the UK. To tax your car, you normally need a V5C logbook — and if yours has been lost, stolen, or never arrived, you will need to apply for a replacement using the V62 form before you can renew your road tax. This guide explains exactly how the two processes connect, what you need to do, and how to avoid any gaps in your vehicle tax.

The link between the V62 and road tax

The V5C (vehicle registration certificate, also called the logbook) and road tax are handled separately by the DVLA, but they are closely connected. When you renew your vehicle tax online or at the post office, the DVLA checks your vehicle record — and it is the V5C that holds the information needed to complete that check.

If you do not have a V5C on record, the DVLA may not be able to process your road tax renewal. This is particularly relevant if you have recently bought a used car and the previous owner's logbook has not yet been transferred, or if your V5C has been lost or stolen.

In most everyday cases, you do not need to physically hand over your V5C to tax your car — you just need the reference number from it (the 11-digit document reference number in Section 5). But if you do not have the document at all, you are stuck until a replacement arrives.

Can you tax a car without a V5C?

In limited circumstances, yes — but it is not straightforward. Here are the main scenarios:

The safest and most reliable route if you do not have a V5C is to apply for a replacement using the V62 form and wait for the new logbook to arrive. Once you have it, taxing the vehicle is straightforward.

How to tax your car once you have your V5C

Once your replacement V5C arrives from the DVLA, taxing your car is quick and simple. There are three ways to do it:

1. Online at gov.uk

Go to gov.uk/vehicle-tax and enter the 11-digit document reference number from your new V5C (found in Section 5, top right of the logbook). You can pay by debit card, credit card, or Direct Debit. Tax can be bought annually or in six-monthly instalments.

2. At a Post Office

Take your V5C and a valid MOT certificate (if your vehicle needs one) to a Post Office branch that handles vehicle tax. The vehicle must also have a valid insurance policy in place. The post office will process the tax on the spot — it usually takes only a few minutes.

3. By phone

Call the DVLA's vehicle tax line on 0300 123 4321 (Monday to Friday, 8am–7pm; Saturday, 8am–2pm). Have your V5C reference number and payment details ready.

What about declaring SORN while you wait?

If your road tax has run out and you are waiting for your replacement V5C, you have two choices: keep the vehicle off the road (declared as SORN), or be without valid tax while you wait.

Declaring a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN) means you are telling the DVLA the vehicle is not being used on public roads. You can do this at gov.uk/make-sorn using only your registration number — you do not need the V5C. A SORN is free and protects you from being fined or clamped while your replacement logbook is in transit.

Cost and timeline

Here is a summary of what you will pay and how long each step typically takes:

The biggest variable is how quickly the DVLA processes your V62 application. A postal application typically takes two to four weeks. Applications managed by CarForms.co.uk are generally processed more quickly because they are submitted digitally and tracked on your behalf.

A quicker way to get your V5C

If your road tax is due to expire soon and you do not have a V5C, time is critical. Rather than posting the V62 form yourself and waiting, many UK drivers use CarForms.co.uk to handle the application online.

The service handles your entire V62 application from start to finish — you just fill in a short online form, and CarForms.co.uk takes care of submitting it to the DVLA. There is no trip to the post office, no cheque to write, and no paperwork to manage. Your replacement V5C is sent directly to your home address by the DVLA once approved.

Once your V5C arrives, you can tax your car immediately using the document reference number on the logbook — either online at gov.uk or at your local post office.