Hi all, I’m looking for any advice about applying for a reduction in my car tax.
All information is gratefully received.thanks
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Hello Gaynor,
The advice on the gov.uk website suggests you can get help with car tax if you receive certain benefits.
Financial help if you’re disabled: Vehicles and transport - GOV.UK
Vehicle tax exemption
How to claim
You claim the exemption when you apply for vehicle tax.
If you’re claiming for a vehicle for the first time, you have to claim at a Post Office. You must do this every time you change your vehicle.
Vehicle tax reduction
You can get a 50% reduction in vehicle tax on one vehicle, if you’re eligible.
The vehicle must be registered in the disabled person’s name or their nominated driver’s name.
Eligibility
You can get the reduction if you get the:
Hopes this helps.
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Unfortunately and very unfairly when you reach pensionable age a mobility component is no longer available which means there is no reduction, allowance or compensation for a disabled pensioner.
I have to dig deep into savings if I want to continue to drive.
Otherwise jump into a box or body bag and wait to be taken away.
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It is important that if you claim this the car can only be used for the benefit of the disabled person, so not for a joint or family car.
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Thanks.
It’s as complicated as I thought. We’ve applied for some benefits and awaiting the decisions.
So I’ll take it as, I pay the full amount.
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What a palaver.
So I need my own car for those very, very rare times when I go out alone. 
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We don’t have a car and decided it was too expensive to run.
Instead, we use taxis for when we need to go somewhere and as you say these are very very rare times indeed and so actually it is cost effective.
If you like to go out regularly, there may be an option for you to register with your local council for a Dial-a-Ride scheme.
I don’t know if this scheme is available nationally but it is available for London and it is meant for people who can’t euse the buses or London underground system. There may be similar schemes in other parts of the country.
If you say you use the car very rarely, are you not “wasting” money by having a car? I did the sums and taking into account the costs of keeping a car on the road: road tax, insurance, maintenance, and MOT it made no sense to have a car. So I scrapped it 
It was very hard for me to do this as the car had sentimental value, but in the end it was a drain on my already limited financial resources.
Hi ManjiB,
I use the car rarely by myself but with my disabled husband we use it a lot. We live in rural Scotland and taxis are very expensive and sadly dial a bus options aren’t available. I even asked about help from the hospital ambulance service but that’s only for NHS appointments and as he isn’t getting NHS physio we have to pay privately so we dont qualify for rhat help either
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Hi Gaynor,
There are so many variables that affect the service and care we end up getting. Various criteria are used to determine ability to pay for own care, qualification for benefits etc. and then it depends on local services with not all locations served equally. Those like yourself who live in the rural areas are, I suspect, going to lose out as there may not be enough pressure to invest.
Perhaps, and this is just an assumption of mine and I may be totally wrong, but those living in affluent areas, possibly the rural areas like yours might be financially better off and so they me be expected to pay for their own care. That is not say others who are equally well off but live in other areas may not be expected to pay or contribute. As an example, when a care needs assessment is carried out, they look at your income, expenses and assets which then determine how much help you will qualify for. Also, where councils pay for the care, not all councils are well managed and so the ability of councils to pay or help is also variable. I don’t know too much more details but just going by the comments on this forum and the few people that I know who are being cared for.
It may sound unfair and it probably is unfair, but unfortunately that is the way of the world. Sadly, right now I cannot think of what we might do to right these wrongs 
Just to be clear, have you checked if your husband is eligible for the allowances for his car? Every little helps …