Tax Free in ’73

Tax Free in ’73

Following the announcement by the Government in the last budget, from April 2014 all classic cars built before 1 January 1974 will be eligible for Historic Vehicle taxation class and therefore pay no road tax. Nick Dunning has spent a day going through the archives at the Heritage Motor Centre at Gaydon looking into cars built at the end of 1973 and the beginning of 1974 to ascertain the cut-over points for each chassis numbers.

As you can see, there are many cars in the ‘grey area’, with the last car of 1973 having a significantly higher chassis number than the first car of 1974.

If your V5C gives the date of first registration as 1973, you have nothing to worry about and you will be able to apply for tax exemption without issue. If your V5C states a 1974 registration, and your chassis number is less than the highest consecutive chassis of 1973 (column A), then you have a 1973 car. If your chassis number is in between the highest consecutive chassis of 1973 and the highest chassis number of 1973 (columns A and B) then your car is in the grey zone and the only true way of knowing is to enquire to Gaydon. If your chassis number is above the lowest consecutive chassis number for 1974 (column D) then you have a true 1974 car and we’ll have to hope that the Government review the rolling exemption next year.

  Data compiled from the original Rover Production Archives and reproduced here with the kind permission of British Motor Industry Heritage Trust

If you do believe that you have a 1973 car, a certificate/dating letter from Gaydon is the only proof that is acceptable to the DVLA.