Is it legal to drive a car with no tax?

No — driving or keeping an untaxed vehicle on a public road in the UK is illegal, unless it's declared SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification) and kept off public roads entirely.

What can happen if you're caught:

• An automatic fine, typically starting at £80 (reduced if paid promptly, higher if it goes to court)
• The vehicle can be clamped or impounded, with release and storage fees added on top
• Continued non-payment can escalate to court action and a higher penalty

The DVLA uses automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras to cross-check vehicles against tax records, so untaxed cars are typically identified quickly, even without being stopped by police. There's no exemption for "just driving it to the shops" — unlike MOT, there's no equivalent allowance for driving an untaxed car to sort out the tax itself, so it needs to be taxed before it's driven at all.