UK ownership & registration documentation
 

In Britain, when I lived there many years ago, the vehicle registration document was called the “log book”. In it, as I remember, the owner’s name and address were recorded. If the vehicle changed hands, the new owner’s details were added. In that same document, as far as I remember, a rubber stamp was used (?) to show that road tax had been paid. A paper disc was also provided and this was shown on the windscreen. There was, in other words, one document that provided both proof of ownership and proof of registration of the vehicle (and payment of road tax).

Is this how it still is? Is the one document still used, as above, or are there separate documents (a) to show ownership and (b) relating to registration and payment of road tax?

Hi,
The V5, as it is officially known, is the registration document (used to be refered to as the Log book). It provides all the details of the vehicle (engine number, chassis number, registration etc etc etc) It also shows the details of the registered keeper (name, address, date purchased etc).
It doesn't have anything to do with the tax though. There is no way of telling from the V5 whether a car is taxed or not, that is all done by displaying the tax disk in the window.
Details of vehicle ownership, tax, MOT and insurance are also all stored on a database these days, making it much harder to get away with using a vehicle that doesn't have all of those things.

Sam

Police and others can use a camera called an ANPR camera which use a car's number plate to instantly tell if a car is insured, MOT'd and taxed. Pol;ice can then stop the car and impound it until the due taxes are paid.
About time too - I've got two cars and a bike and have to pay for everything on these.
Funnily enough, you get a reminder letter to let you know when your vehicle tax is due but nothing to inform you when your MOT (vehicle safety check) is due

popotla

Blimey. You must be as old as me to remember that!

The Log Book was indeed stamped every time Tax was bought. These were folding card 'log books'.
These documents were phased out something like 40 years ago when vehicle registrations were moved from the local County Council where you lived, and transferred to a central national department now called DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency).

Now we have what Niva Say Never describes.

This V5 lists the "Registered Keeper". This is not necessarily the Owner - a situation brought about by finance companies, technically owning vehicles until paid off, not being the Keeper who is legally responsible for its use on the public roads. The "Keeper" need not ever use it, or even have a Drivers License, just be registered and as a result be responsible.

When the Law changed to make liability for Parking Tickets fall on the Keeper rather than the actual driver, some people got their infant children (not capable of being legally responsible) listed as the Registered Keeper, in an attempt to avoid paying. It worked for a while until the Law was changed again!
One bright spark even tried making his dog the Registered Keeper:). It failed!
Governments are bad losers.