An owner of one of the impacted vans from the north of England is taking on the DVLA over their assertions. First, of course, they want to know what’s going on with their car or truck. According to the DVLA, the van was scrapped. According to the owner, this is a false claim, as the van has successfully gone through two MOT tests and was able to be legally taxed without issue.
As of the beginning of January 2024, a claims handling firm had already marked the van as salvage. This designation usually means that a vehicle in question has been determined to be too damaged to be repaired economically. Yet, the owner feels very passionately that the designation is not an accurate reflection. The van has now passed two MOTs in a row, which is a testament to its roadworthy capabilities.
The DVLA’s online records show that the seizing agency also wrote the van off and declared it to be salvage. This has created major problems for the owner where she is left scratching her head at the agency’s claim of authority. As we see in the video, the owner insists that the van, despite its salvage title, has indeed passed two MOT inspections so far. These inspections are critical to ensuring a vehicle remains legally roadworthy in the UK.
Four, the van has only been successfully taxed one out of nearly 40 attempts since it became a salvage vehicle. The owner points out a huge inconsistency in the DVLA’s narrative. Under normal circumstances vehicles which have been salvaged or totalled may not be registered until undergoing a complete roadworthiness test.
This concerned owner rightly highlighted the website of the DVSA. You can find MOT and tax status information on vehicles there, and it’s all publicly available. The records confirm that the van has successfully passed its MOTs and has been taxed, further complicating the DVLA’s position on the vehicle’s status.
This situation illustrates a potential discrepancy between unofficial assessments made by claims handling companies and the official records maintained by government agencies like the DVLA. The owner is now trying to get clearer advice from the DVLA about where his vehicle stands and what if anything he can do to set the record straight.