Register a USED vehicle

The following HCVA guidance and example V55/5 template with highlighted fields is in respect to historic vehicles only. Complete Form V55/5 form in capitals & black pen.

Important: Always refer to DVLA full guidance V355/5.

HCVA guide on completing V55/5 form for Historic vehicles:

Box 2: Refer V355/1 tax classes. Enter ‘Historic’ for vehicles built over 40 years ago.

Box 3: Either 6 or 12 months tax.

Box 4: A registration fee of £55.00 is due for the application PLUS the amount of tax due depending on your answers to Boxes 2 and 3. If ‘Historic’, no additional tax fee is due. If ‘PLG’ you will need to enter the amount you are paying for 6 or 12 months.

Box 5: Enter manufacturer e.g. Jaguar as per Certificate of conformity or IVA etc as applicable.

Box 6: Generally, the same as the manufacturer e.g. Ford, Triumph.

Box 7: For example 1500 GT or TR6.

Box 8: Enter type of body for example ‘convertible’, ‘coupe’, ‘2 door saloon’, ‘estate’ etc.

Box 9: For normal cars ‘2 Axle Rigid’ or for motorcycles ‘2 wheel’.

Box 10: The generalised paint colour of your car e.g. ‘blue’ or ‘grey’ - not the full manufacturer description. Two tone ‘black and green’ etc.

Box 11: Normally ‘N/A’ - only required for cars less than 10 years old.

Note: On the top right of the 1st page ‘Country vehicle purchased from’ is the Country you should have the title document from. Please also tick whether the car is left or right-hand drive currently.

Box 24: The date the car was first registered in its original country. If you do not have this, use the date of manufacture.

Box 25: Year of build for your vehicle e.g. 1961.

Box 26: Complete only if the vehicle had previously been registered in the UK.

Box 30: This will be the date you wish the tax to run from and will always be the first of a month.

Box 31: ‘Petrol’, ‘Diesel’, ‘LPG’ or 'Electric'.

Box 32: The VIN/Chassis number stamped on your vehicle.

Box 33: The engine number for the engine currently in the vehicle.

Box 34: Engine capacity in ‘cc’ e.g 3781 for a 3.8L Jaguar XK.

Box 70: Enter full name and address that will be used on your V5C.

Box 71: Enter DOB if a person named as Keeper (Doesn’t appear on V5C).
 Enter phone and email address as appropriate.

Box 72: Any car over 10 years old is exempt so ‘Age’ is sufficient here.

Box 73: Current mileage (convert to miles if in KM).

Once you have completed, sign and date the form at the bottom.

We recommend keeping a photocopy of your application for your records.

Additional information:

Please refer to DVLA Guide V355/5 for information on proof of identity and, vehicle identity documents, payment and form submission details.

If you wish to retain the original UK registration number:

Fill in form V765 and have it endorsed by a vehicle owners' club. You should provide a recent photo of the vehicle and documentary evidence that links it to the original number, for example the original log book (RF60/VE60).