The latest roadside survey data revealed that around 719,000 vehicles are currently evading vehicle excise duty (VED) this figure compares to 634,000 unlicensed vehicles (excluding motorcycles) estimated in 2019.

Most of the untaxed vehicles were PLG (Private, Light Goods) vehicles, which account for £114m of the missing revenue, goods vehicles accounted for £1.4m, buses £0.3m, and other tax classes £0.7m.

The breakdown of survey results also reveals that 55% of offenders had been unlicensed for two months or less, which suggests that many drivers are deliberately avoiding paying tax rather than simply forgetting to renew it, 38% were 10 or more years old, and 9% were less than two years old.