Driving dealership car with no tax?

FurBabyMomma

I recently bought a used car at a dealership. Turned out there were a few issues with it so they have me a loaner for a few days while it was sorted. I immediately changed over the insurance to said vehicle. After driving it a couple of days, I realised the tax disc was out. I'm wondering now, if I had been stopped by the Gardaí, would I have got in trouble for the out of date tax disc or would the dealership? Or is there some sort of exemption that applies to cars in this particular scenario?

grogi

FurBabyMomma wrote: »

I recently bought a used car at a dealership. Turned out there were a few issues with it so they have me a loaner for a few days while it was sorted. I immediately changed over the insurance to said vehicle. After driving it a couple of days, I realised the tax disc was out. I'm wondering now, if I had been stopped by the Gardaí, would I have got in trouble for the out of date tax disc or would the dealership? Or is there some sort of exemption that applies to cars in this particular scenario?

You would get into trouble for this. It is ultimately your responsibility to have tax on a car that you're driving.

ewj1978

Happened to me. Stopped by Gardai, while in a dealership car. No tax = fine.

Heres Johnny

Doesn't the fine go to the registered owner though?

Del2005

Heres Johnny wrote: »

Doesn't the fine go to the registered owner though?

If caught on the road parked. If stopped it goes to the operator.

FurBabyMomma

OK that's really good to know. I assumed that the garage would be responsible given I'm not the owner and have no way of taxing a vehicle they give me. I guess if it ever happens again I'll insist they give me a car with in date tax.

biko

Car I hired from Enterprise in late July, tax was out.

FurBabyMomma

Biko, that's a joke. I've rented cars and I've never thought to check the tax and I'd be furious if I ended up fined!

So basically, dealerships and car rental places have no responsibility when it comes to sending people out in their vehicles without tax? That just doesn't sit right with me.

DoraDelite

FurBabyMomma wrote: »

Biko, that's a joke. I've rented cars and I've never thought to check the tax and I'd be furious if I ended up fined!

So basically, dealerships and car rental places have no responsibility when it comes to sending people out in their vehicles without tax? That just doesn't sit right with me.

I'll go one better, I got a car off a dealer for a few days while my own was being investigated for an intermittent issue.

Got a letter in the post with a fine for no display of tax a few weeks later. I realised it was from when the dealers car was parked on the street outside my house by me, I hadn't realised the car had no tax disc and didn't think to check. But here's where it got interesting, the dealer got the fine in the post and changed the name on it to me as I had the car at the time. When I rang them to find out what was going on, they claimed that the car had a tax disc and I must have taken it out when I had the car!! (how they came to that conclusion I don't know). They outright lied to me as well as accusing me of doing something I didn't do.

The conclusion was I wrote a letter to the local superintendent outlining the whole thing and I never heard anything since.

Marcusm

biko wrote: »

Car I hired from Enterprise in late July, tax was out.

That happened to me about 2 years ago; turned out they had the disc is the office. I parked up in a multi storey in town and insisted that they send the disc out to me by hand or they could come collect the car whenever they wanted, ie I would not drive it back to them. It arrived by taxi after about 45 minutes.

Wildcard7

FurBabyMomma wrote: »

Biko, that's a joke. I've rented cars and I've never thought to check the tax and I'd be furious if I ended up fined!

It's ultimately the drivers responsibility to make sure the car they're driving is in a safe and legal state. That includes working lights, brakes, tyres (thread, pressure), tax, insurance and general road worthyness (NCT). It's not relevant whether the driver drivers their own car, their mothers car, a friends car, a stolen car, or one from a garage/car rental agency.



That's no news, it's been like this since you sat your drivers test. It's actually one of the questions.

FurBabyMomma wrote: »

So basically, dealerships and car rental places have no responsibility when it comes to sending people out in their vehicles without tax? That just doesn't sit right with me.

Whether you can hold the dealership or car rental place accountable in any way is a different story (and between you and the dealership/car rental place only). I'm sure if you present the fine to the company they'll reimburse you. From the point of view of the authorities and regarding fines/points on your license, it's the drivers responsibility only.

coylemj

Wildcard7 wrote: »

It's ultimately the drivers responsibility to make sure the car they're driving is in a safe and legal state. That includes working lights, brakes, tyres (thread, pressure), tax, insurance and general road worthyness (NCT). It's not relevant whether the driver drivers their own car, their mothers car, a friends car, a stolen car, or one from a garage/car rental agency.

Get off your high horse and spare us the moral lecture.

ohnonotgmail

I presume you would have the same problem if you hired a car in the UK and the tax was out? With the added bonus of not knowing it was out until you got pulled over.