Chapter 3 – Documents

The 5 main documents you need to drive are:

1. Valid Driving Licence
2. Insurance
3. MOT certificate
4. Vehicle Excise Duty or Road tax
5. Vehicle registration document.

Insurance

You must have a valid insurance cover that covers you for at least third-party liability.

Third-Party Car Insurance covers –

1. injury to another person
2. damage to someone’s property
3. damage to other vehicles

This is the minimum level of insurance you need to drive on public roads.

Third-Party Fire and Theft Car Insurance covers the above plus damage to your vehicle through fire and theft.

 Before driving anyone else’s vehicle, you should make sure that the vehicle is insured for your use.

A cover note is a document issued before you receive your insurance certificate.

You cannot tax your vehicle without having valid car insurance.

If you have £100 excess to your insurance that means you have to pay the first £100 of any claim.

The maximum specified fine for driving without insurance is £5000.

The maximum unspecified fine for driving without insurance is

You must provide a valid insurance document when a police officer asks you to do so.

MOT Certificate:

1. An MOT certificate is valid for one year after the date it was issued.
2. All cars over three years old need the MOT certificate.
3. The only time you can drive a car without the MOT certificate is when driving to the MOT test center for an appointment.
4. An MOT test checks your car is roadworthy, that all parts work properly and the car is safe to drive, and that it keeps to the legal limits for exhaust emissions.
5. If you drive a car without the MOT certificate you will invalidate your insurance.

Vehicle Excise Duty (road tax)

1. A Statutory Off-Road Notification (SORN) is a notification to tell the DVLA that a vehicle is not being used on the road.
2. A SORN is valid for 12 months or until it is taxed, sold, or scraped.
3. The registered keeper of the vehicle is legally responsible to pay tax or make a SORN for the vehicle.
4. Before getting road tax your car must have valid insurance and the MOT certificate
5. If your vehicle is unused or off the road it must have either a SORN declaration or valid insurance.

Vehicle Registration Certificate

The registered vehicle keeper is legally responsible for ensuring that a Vehicle Registration Certificate (V5C) is kept up to date.

This lists all the important details about the vehicle and the registered keeper of the vehicle. These are:

1. Name of Registered Keeper
2. Previous keeper
3. Engine Size
4. Make of the vehicle
5. Year of manufacture and color of the vehicle.

You must update your Vehicle Registration Certificate and Contact the licensing authority when:

1. You change your vehicle
2. You change your name
3. Your permanent address changes
4. Your health affects your driving
5. Your eyesight does not meet a set standard

If a police officer asks to see your documents but you don’t have them with you, you must take them to a police station within 7 days.

Pass Plus Scheme

This scheme means you take an extra driving lesson after you have passed your practical test.

Taking pass plus scheme can:

1. Improve your basic driving skills
2. May reduce the cost of your insurance.
3. Widen your driving experience.

Other Facts to Know

1. To supervise a learner driver, you must be 21 years of age and have held a full license for 3 years.
2. As a provisional license holder, you should not drive a car on your own and the motorway.
3. If you get six penalty points on your license within two years of passing your practical driving test your driving licence will be revoked. You will have to reapply for a provisional license and take and pass the theory and practical tests