It is important to remember before buying a car that there is a lot of responsibility involved in owning and maintaining a vehicle. In this section you can get advice on how to maintain your vehicle as well as some of the legal requirements there are in taxing your vehicle, when and how to get a MOT certificate, as well as what to do if you need to change the details on your registration certificate. Below you will find a summary on the topics covered in this section. If you would like more detailed information, then click on the links in the left-hand side of the page.

Maintaining your vehicle is essential to help ensure that it is roadworthy, safe to drive or ride, fuel efficient, less polluting and not a danger to passengers, pedestrians and other road users. Vehicle maintenance ranges from cleaning your vehicle and conducting weekly checks through to full servicing and repair. Learn how to maintain your vehicle and what your responsibilities are as a car owner.

Also learn in this section how you can save money and reduce harmful emissions to help the environment. The type of vehicle you use and the way in which you use it can help save you money and reduce harmful emissions into the environment. You can do this through reducing your fuel consumption, buying cleaner vehicles or even converting your vehicle to run on cleaner fuels.

Learn some of the legal obligations involved in buying and owning a car. For example, learn how to check with the DVLA to see if the car you are purchasing has been stolen, written off, or has any finance outstanding against it. Find out what the regulations are regarding wearing a seatbelt whilst driving your car, too.

Lastly, learn how to request information from the DVLA and how to request the DVLA to release information that they hold on you. This section will explain the process of doing both of these things as well as give you the addresses you need to make this contact.

During the period you own a vehicle it may become necessary to change the registration certificate for any number of reasons. If you have changed your name or you have moved house, you will need to change your name and/or address on the registration certificate. If you have made any changes to your vehicle, e.g. changed the colour of the vehicle, then this will need to be changed. Obviously, if you sell your vehicle, this will need to be changed on the vehicle registration as well as if these documents have been lost or stolen. In this section, you will find out how to change the registration certificate, no matter the reason.

It is important to pay tax on your vehicle or else you could face prosecution, suspension of your licence, as well as a hefty fine. DVLA carries out a computer check each month to identify those vehicles without a valid tax disc. Although new rules mean that it is no longer necessary for the vehicle to be seen on a public road before a penalty is issued current on-road enforcement will continue. Learn how to tax your vehicle and what the rules are on taxing your vehicle to avoid facing prosecution.

Every vehicle in the UK needs to be tested each year to ensure that it complies with roadworthiness standards. If you have a vehicle that is more than three years old, it will need an MOT test each year to ensure that it meets at least the minimum road safety and environmental standards. The MOT scheme is there to ensure consistent standards amongst vehicles. The scheme is monitored by Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA). Learn more about the scheme in this section, how to get your vehicle MOT certified, as well as how to complain if you are unsatisfied with your MOT.

Any vehicle used or kept on a public road in the United Kingdom is required, by law, to display a valid vehicle tax disc. A tax disc (also referred to as a vehicle licence or car tax) shows that you have paid the necessary vehicle tax (or vehicle excise duty) for your vehicle. Learn about the vehicle tax disc as well as some exemptions from paying tax, and different taxation schemes.

If you are or become the registered keeper of a vehicle, you must ensure that the vehicle is licensed or a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN) declaration has been made. If it is not, you could face a fine and further penalties. Not paying your tax could turn out to be very costly, learn what penalties are involved in not paying your vehicle tax.

Under the system of continuous registration (CR), which commenced in January 2004, it is not necessary for your vehicle to be sighted on the public road for an offence to have been committed. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) now has the authority to carry out enforcement action against the registered keeper directly from information held on the vehicle licence records.