It ordered Khan to pay a total court bill of £340.84
Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan has been convicted and fined after being accused of failing to tax a 24-year-old Nissan Micra.
The Labour politician was convicted by a magistrate last month in a criminal prosecution brought by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).
Khan was found guilty of keeping an unlicensed vehicle. However, City Hall officials say the car does not belong to either the Mayor or Transport for London (TfL), raising the possibility that he has been wrongly convicted.
Court documents show that letters from the DVLA about the unpaid vehicle tax were sent to Gordon Ramsay’s east London restaurant.
The restaurant is located close to TfL’s offices, but the letters were not received by the mayor or City Hall officials.
The case was heard privately under the Single Justice Procedure in Herefordshire, with Khan convicted in his absence.
He was ordered to pay a £220 fine, £85 in costs and £35.84 in unpaid vehicle tax.
The case relates to a blue Nissan Micra first registered in 2002, with its annual vehicle tax expiring in September 2025.
The DVLA said the vehicle was spotted untaxed on January 24.
It told the court that Khan’s name and date of birth appeared against the vehicle on official government records.
The agency said it sent a letter to confirm the identity of the vehicle’s owner, but it was addressed to the wrong building.
The letter went unanswered in January, with the DVLA subsequently bringing a criminal prosecution on August 18 after no plea was entered.
The court also sent a record of conviction to the Gordon Ramsay restaurant.
It ordered Khan to pay a total court bill of £340.84 within 28 days or face further enforcement action.
This could include increased fines, bailiffs or even “a warrant for your arrest to bring you to court”.
The DVLA said it was reviewing the case and investigating the circumstances surrounding the prosecution.
Defendants who believe they have been wrongly convicted in their absence can apply for their case to be reopened.
This would typically involve appearing before a judge and making a statutory declaration.
Khan could argue that he was unaware of the proceedings because the DVLA correspondence was sent to the wrong address.
If the case is reopened, he could ask the DVLA to withdraw the prosecution if it is established that he was wrongly accused.
He could also enter a not guilty plea.
Alternatively, the DVLA could apply to the court for the case to be reopened.
The incident comes after Sadiq Khan expanded London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) across the capital in August 2023.
The expansion was met with protests from motorists and opponents of the scheme.
Some motorists said they planned to register their vehicles in Khan’s name, which would potentially make him liable for the £12.50 daily ULEZ charge.
