Complete guide to notifying DVLA, returning the driving licence, and handling the deceased's vehicle.
This guide is part of ProbateHelp's Notifications guide cluster.
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Do not drive the vehicle until DVLA's keeper and tax requirements are met and an insurer has confirmed that you are covered for that journey and use. A policyholder's death can affect cover, but the result depends on the policy and insurer. If the vehicle must be moved, ask the insurer what cover is required first.
GOV.UK does not give a fixed processing time on the DVLA bereavement pages. If you are keeping the vehicle and have the V5C, GOV.UK says to use the green 'new keeper' slip to tax the vehicle in your name before using it on a public road. Do not wait for the new V5C.
If you are keeping the vehicle without a V5C, apply as the new keeper using form V62, pay the £25 fee and send it with the bereavement letter to DVLA Sensitive Casework. If the vehicle is sold without a V5C, the buyer applies on V62 and pays the £25 fee; the person dealing with the estate must still write to DVLA with the sale and buyer details.
Tell Us Once can cancel the deceased's driving licence and remove them as the registered keeper of up to five vehicles. However, you still need to contact DVLA separately if you want to sell the vehicle, transfer it into your name, or retain a personalised number plate. Tell Us Once handles the notification; the vehicle transfer is a separate step.
Tell Us Once can end the vehicle tax. Otherwise, DVLA ends it when it receives the relevant keeper, sale or SORN notification. It refunds full remaining months, calculated from when it receives the information; partial months are not refunded. On the bereavement vehicle routes, state in the letter who should receive the refund.
DVLA allows the executor, or a person left the registration number in the will, to deal with it. The exact documents depend on whether the number is assigned to a vehicle. DVLA asks for an original or certified death certificate, proof of the right to act, and a covering letter signed by all executors; use its current personalised-registration bereavement instructions before sending anything.
If the vehicle was purchased on finance (PCP, HP, or a personal loan secured against the vehicle), the finance does not automatically transfer to the new owner. Contact the finance company to discuss the options — they may allow the estate to settle the outstanding balance, or they may repossess the vehicle. Do not transfer the vehicle into your name until the finance position is resolved.
The MOT certificate is tied to the vehicle, not the owner, so it remains valid after a death. However, if the MOT has expired or is about to expire, you will need to arrange a new MOT before the vehicle can be driven on a public road. You can check the MOT status of any vehicle at check-mot.service.gov.uk using the registration number.