Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994 section 43C

Offence of using an incorrectly registered vehicle

Section 43C creates a criminal offence for using a vehicle on a public road or in a public place when the vehicle's registration details held by the DVLA are missing or incorrect.

• It is an offence to use a vehicle on a public road or public place if the keeper's name and address are not recorded in the DVLA register, or if any registered particulars are incorrect.
• The offence applies to any vehicle that is subject to vehicle excise duty or that is an exempt vehicle required to display a nil licence.
• A person has a defence if there was no reasonable opportunity to notify the correct details before the time of the offence, or if they had reasonable grounds to believe the registered details were correct.
• The maximum penalty on summary conviction is a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale (currently £1,000).