Why you need to be on top of your vehicle registration dates
Let’s face it, we all lead such busy lives, it is so easy to leave things to the last minute. It’s the squeaking wheel that gets oiled first. However, there are also some things that should be done as soon as possible in order to avoid costly penalties. One of those things is renewing your car or truck registration, especially if you are a business running multiple vehicles.
If you wait until your registration expires to renew it, you could end up paying a lot more than you would have if you had renewed it on time. Here’s why you should never renew your car registration at the last minute.
1. You Could Be Fined for Driving an Unregistered Vehicle
If you are caught driving a vehicle with an expired registration, you could be subject to a fine. The amount of the fine will vary from state to state, but it is generally in the hundreds of dollars. For example, New South Wales has fines of $704 for parking or driving an unregistered light vehicle and a whopping $1487 (plus 4 demerit points) for a heavy vehicle. These fines are in addition to paying for your vehicle’s registration renewal. So, not only will you have to pay a fine, but you will also have to pay the fees that you would have paid had you renewed your registration on time.
2. Your Vehicle Could Be Impounded
In some states, if you are caught driving an unregistered vehicle, your vehicle could be impounded. This means that you may incur the fees for the vehicle to be sent to the pound plus any storage costs. These costs would typically have to be paid to get your vehicle out of the pound, which is in addition to the registration renewal costs that you will still have to pay.
3. Your Insurance Could Be Affected
If you let your car’s registration expire, it could affect your insurance coverage. This is because most insurance companies will not insure a vehicle that is not properly registered. So, if you are in an accident and your insurance company finds out that your registration expired at the time of the accident, they may refuse to pay for the damages. This could leave you having to pay for all of the damages out of your own pocket.
4. You Could Lose Your Licence Plates
In some states, if you let your car registration expire and you are stopped by the police, you could lose your licence plates. If this happens, you would have to go through the process of getting new licence plates, which can be a hassle and end up costing you more time and money in the long run.
So, while we can all tend to leave things to the last minute, renewing your car or light vehicle registration at the last minute should not be one of them. Not only could it end up costing you more in fines, but it could cost you a lot more if one of your fleet vehicles are uninsured.
Alternatively, of course, you could use Manage My Renewals which automatically helps you manage your renewals efficiently and effectively by automatically sending you multiple reminders about your vehicle renewals and other business renewals. Get your free 30-day trial today
