Paul Jolly Motoring: Hats off to DVLA for new website

Today’s modern world requires use of many different websites for all sorts of things from tickets, appointments, shopping and everything else you can think of.
If you are like me, it fills me with dread in that I will have to learn, understand and navigate new websites to achieve the objective. But not so the DVLA site. This has been well designed and is easy to use.
Gone are the days of queueing in smoke-filled local taxation offices to get that miserable tax disc or joining all the others at the Post Office to do the same at the end of the month.
A lady customer bought a car from me a few days ago, sat in my conservatory and did a mobile banking transfer for the payment in full on her smart phone. Moments later, I checked my bank account on my phone to confirm payment was received. Then she tapped into DVLA to tax the car, which automatically transferred her as the new owner. She then set up a monthly direct debit to pay for the road tax and within about 60 seconds, it was all done. Nothing more to do except wait for a new V5 logbook in about seven days.
You can now transfer cherished plates on to retention certificates or straight onto your new car very simply in a matter of minutes and re-license your annual car tax likewise since DVLA and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) electronically checks your Mot and insurance are valid. When the reminder comes in the post, you go online with the reference number provided and the car is taxed for another year without moving from your chair.
My only gripe is that they do not auto-remind you of pending MOT test renewals, although this can be done through the DVSA. Many motorists have discovered their car to be out of MOT when applying for tax.
You can now sign up for this as a free service, however, which alerts you a month before expiry.
The most useful tool for me is the ability to check past MOT history and mileages on any car just with the number plate.
Well done DVLA.