TV Licence

[TEAK36]

I have recently purchased a car which has a TV built into the dashboard. Do I need a TV licence for this, or does the one I have for my the TV in my house cover the one in my car as well?

[Loosehead]

Not 100% but I think it is covered by your house licence.

[samuel23]

My dad's friend has a caravan and he was told by the site owner that he needed a separate licence for that.
When I was in student digs if we had TVs in our rooms the uni told us that we needed separate licences for every room. However when I moved out and into a shared house the landlord paid the licence and it covered all of us.
He (landlord) said that was because the house was classed as a single dwelling and the student rooms at uni were classed as individual accommodation ~ originally (according to my dad) students with a portable set were thought to be covered by their parents home licence, but the Gov put a notice out saying it wasn't the case.

[Buenchico]

You don't need an additional TV licence for sets which are regarded as being genuinely 'portable'. So, you can use a battery powered TV away from home without needing a second licence. But, if you take a (so-called) portable TV to your holiday cottage and plug it into the mains, you'll need a licence to cover the holiday address.

It's likely that the licensing authorities would regard a TV built into a car's dashboard as 'portable' because it's not mains-powered. So it's unlikely that you'd be prosecuted for not having a licence.

A TV can only be legally installed into a dashboard if it's positioned in such a way that it's not visible (either directly or indirectly, e.g. by reflection in a window) from the driver's position.

Chris

[Loosehead]

Not true Chris, I have one clearly visable from the drivers position. It's only visable though when the car is stationary. Othewise the screen blanks.

[TEAK36]

Many thanks for all of your answers, I have delved a little further into this and Buenchico is correct, I do not need a licence for a tv fitted in the dashboard.

Like Loosehead, my car tv is clearly visible from the driving position, but it will not work unless the vehicle is stationary.I find this strange because my tv is also my satnav screen, and this can just as offputting as a tv.

[SLUGGER.U.K]

I always was under the impression it was a tv licence and therefore if you own 5 tv`s technically you needed 5 licences as on the licence itself it states 1 licence for each tv owned, and by the way it dont even need to be a working/plugged in tv it still has to have a licence by law

[Bedsit-Bob]

Buenchico says "It's likely that the licensing authorities would regard a TV built into a car's dashboard as 'portable' because it's not mains-powered."

Unfortunately not true.

A device, used outside the home, is only covered by your home licence, if it is operating from "its own internal batteries".