Buying a car privately

[themoog]

I'm picking your brains here.. Im going to view a car tomorrow and may buy it. Now, am I best to just drive it home then re register it in my name and tax it or do it at the current owners house?
If I just drive it then I am essentially taxed and insured as I've sort of borrowed the car if you see what I mean..
It's not going to be on the road for another month anyway but my concern is that if I go to tax it at his place then it may not work as it won't be insured in my name.
Answers to a layman please..
By the way - it's a BMW mini..

[X5Sport]

The moment the car changes hands you are untaxed and uninsured. 

VED changed a few years back and ceases the moment the ownership changes - hence no refunds.  If you get seen, plod could take the car off you until you can prove it is taxed (and insured and MOT’d if relevant), and they'll charge you for recovery, storage and give you a fixed penalty.

Insurance also has to be from the moment you take ownership and start driving the car on the road.  Your policy may allow you to drive other cars but check the actual wording.  Many insurers dropped permitting driving of other cars not owned by you.  ‘Borrowing’ cars became much harder as part of the clamp down on young drivers driving parents cars on cheaper (for them) cover.  It will depend on your policy wording.

If you aren’t going to use it for another month then you probably need to look at a SORN as all cars must be insured unless SORN’d.  It’s another £1k fine too  >:(

These days an ANPR camera is all it takes to trip people up.

[marti]

Your best bet is to get it picked up on a transporter or alike, you can ring your insurance company some will allow you to drive a new car home..but you have to tax it, or if your in the country and know the roads you can risk it....if you get caught with no tax you will have to pay back tax...so a month, I presume its MOT'd...no insurance as X5sport has said they will compound it....you could always get a one day insurance on line...last one I got was £31.00

[Alan Gunn]

I used the one day insurance and left the tax until i was going to use the car and transferd my insurance over then.

[celica]

I generally just have my insurance quote saved, so it’s either a click on phone internet or phone call to set up

As for tax, I’ve generally done this when home. The v5 is in the post and surely in those hours gap to get home it won’t be updated on the system ; but i understand from reading above

[themoog]

The insurance quote was £23 for the day so we'll see.

[themoog]

So I've had the car for nearly a week and the V5c has just arrived in the post in my name. I've just tried to tax it but the dvla website is telling me it's taxed until 01 Aug 2019..
How come? I thought the tax was cancelled as soon as ownership is changed..
Someone explain..

[X5Sport]

Either you paid for it anyway, or more likely the previous Owner has auto-renewed it and the system hadn’t caught it.  One you are going to have to watch, or phone DVSA about.

[themoog]

I think he may have paid for a year upfront. I'll check every 2 days Justin case he remembered to cancel for a refund..