Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994 section 31A

Offence by registered keeper where vehicle unlicensed

Section 31A makes it a criminal offence for the registered keeper of a vehicle to allow it to remain unlicensed, unless the vehicle is exempt from vehicle excise duty.

• The person in whose name a vehicle is registered commits an offence if the vehicle has no valid vehicle licence or trade licence in force.
• Exempt vehicles are excluded from the offence, whether they require a nil licence (provided one is in force) or do not require a nil licence at all.
• When a licensed vehicle is transferred to a new owner, the existing licence is treated as no longer in force, meaning the new registered keeper must obtain their own licence.
• The offence attaches to the registered keeper regardless of whether they are the person actually using the vehicle.