If you’ve been putting off renewing your car tax, the DVLA has a not-so-subtle message for you: do it today. New figures show just how many drivers got caught out last year — and the consequences aren’t pretty.
While 98.7% of motorists pay their vehicle tax on time, more than 150,000 untaxed vehicles were still clamped in the UK in 2025. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has launched a new national Vehicle Excise Duty campaign, ‘Nobody Wins’, to remind motorists of the importance of taxing their vehicles on time.
The campaign has a fairly novel approach. It introduces a fresh creative concept led by ‘Clampy’, a down-on-his-luck talking wheel clamp. The ads focus on the disruption and consequences felt by drivers who have their vehicle clamped for failing to tax it.
A bit silly, sure — but the underlying point is serious. Untaxed vehicles can get clamped, then impounded, then crushed. And the costs add up fast.
Where you live makes a real difference to your odds of getting caught. The combined total of vehicles clamped in London took top spot for all postcode areas in the country, with 16,557 offences identified. This was followed by Manchester on 9,174, Birmingham on 7,369, Cardiff on 4,213 and Glasgow on 4,207, rounding out the top five worst-offending areas.
There’s also a growing trend of motorists trying to take matters into their own hands — illegally. New data from transport minister Simon Lightwood outlined that 28,642 immobilisation devices were unlawfully removed from cars last year. That represented a 37 per cent rise from the total of 20,855 reported two years earlier.
That’s a problem, because the vehicles being clamped in the first place aren’t usually being run by careful, conscientious drivers. Jack Cousens, head of roads policy at the AA, warned that untaxed vehicles, as well as their owners, are likely a threat to other road users. He said untaxed vehicles can be a menace for a number of reasons — they may be uninsured, not have an MOT and probably racked up tickets for speeding and other traffic offences. The fact that someone has the know-how and kit to remove an enforcement clamp, he said, suggests these are exactly the vehicles the authorities most want to impound.
The DVLA’s chief executive says taxing is genuinely easy. Tim Moss CBE said most drivers keep their vehicle tax up to date, but if you don’t tax your vehicle on time the consequences can be significant. He stressed that the DVLA reminds motorists when their tax is due and only clamps untaxed vehicles as a last resort, and pointed out that getting clamped is avoidable because taxing is quick and easy — including by Direct Debit, which spreads the cost and keeps drivers on top of renewals.
Motorists can tax their vehicle at any time using the DVLA’s online service or by calling 0300 123 4321 — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
It really does take a couple of minutes online. Beats coming back to a clamped car on the school run.
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