Running and organising a family home, and all the tasks it entails, isn’t something which just happens. It requires dedicated input from one or more family members. I’ve written more about why you’d want to get organised here. Getting on top of regular administrative tasks can save you time, money, as well as a significant dose of angst.
In this post, I’ll walk you through the regular car admin tasks you need to complete to keep your car on the road. As well as how to look up key dates and information. To find these things out – all you will need to know is your car registration number.
When organising your car admin, it is helpful to find out the following dates:
- Car Tax Expiration
- Insurance Expiration
- MOT due date
You can record these any way you like. You may prefer to store them digitally on your phone. My preference is for a paper diary. If you are looking to buy a diary, these Papier ones are my absolute favourite. They’re not the cheapest ones around but I treat myself to one each Christmas. You can use my ‘mention me’ link for £15 off your first order. (For full disclosure if you use this link I will get £10 credit with Papier).
Car Tax & MOT
To find out when your car tax and MOT are due, you will need to put your vehicle registration number into the .gov website. You must have an MOT every year after your vehicle is 3 years old. You can register for reminders by text or email.
In addition, you can look up your previous MOT report. This will show you the list of things to monitor and your advisories from your previous MOT. So you can see what you’re likely to need to replace at your next MOT (or before). For example I know I’ll need two new tyres on or before my next MOT so I’m keeping an eye on them.
A helpful tip – is that you can also see your milage recorded here. This means you can look back over the last couple of years and see how much you drive in a year on average, which is helpful for your insurance quotes. (But don’t forget, 2020 is the year no-one drove anywhere!!)
Insurance
You can double check if your car is insured using the Motor Insurance Database however, this unfortunately won’t tell you the dates it’s insured for, just if it’s insured right now. To find out the dates your insurance covers, you’ll need to find your certificate, or contact your insurance provider. Put a reminder in your diary a month before the insurance is due giving yourself time to shop around for better value cover.
Costs for your Car Admin
Costs related to your vehicle are fairly predictable. You will always need insurance / MOT and tax. You can also predict that there will likely be some maintenance costs throughout the year. Because of this, we have a sinking fund for car related costs. This means, I save the same amount, each month throughout the year into a pot, this takes away any stress from unexpected costs, and paying upfront means I can usually get a better deal on our insurance. Just add up the cost of your insurance / MOT and tax from the previous year, add a buffer for unexpected repairs (I tend to add around £300) and divide by 12, and that’s the amount you need to save each month.
There you have it, easy ways to keep on top of your car admin. Now repeat for each vehicle you have.
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