Advice on driving to a pre booked MOT.

[danthecapriman]

Sorry to ask this, but it's not something I've ever done over a long distance before.

 

I know a lot of you shite buying diehards wouldn't think twice about it but the Volvo 740 I should be getting soon is about 80 miles from my house. It has no MOT and is on SORN. The last MOT expired mid 2015 so it's been sat a little while.

 

My easiest option with it is to go up there one day, give it a good look over and get it started, running and moving under it's own steam. Obviously check the important stuff like lights etc etc then drive it the 80 odd miles back home to a pre booked MOT test somewhere local to home.

 

So, would you lot do this?

Or do you think I'm taking the piss with that sort of distance?

Am I likely to end up in the shit by doing this?

I know it 'technically' legal to do it but is 80 miles a little bit over the top and unreasonable in the eyes of the law!?

 

Of course these days the chances of seeing, let alone getting stopped by a police car for not having any tax or MOT is unlikely even over that sort of distance but my other concern is ANPR cameras.

The car is currently in Bath so I'm thinking A36 south, then M27 and A3 to my house near Portsmouth. Or should I stick to more rural roads?

 

Feel free to offer me any advice, or if not laugh and take the piss out of my lack of balls!

[Fabergé Greggs]

Don't forget insurance! 

 

Gerrit done. 

[SiC]

Some on here have done it with no problems with that sort of miles travelled. I however don't have the balls to do such a thing!

 

Plus if you have an accident, you could be a bit in the shit if something fails that would have failed it on an MOT.

[danthecapriman]

Don't forget insurance! 

 

Gerrit done. 

Oh yeah! I reckon some cheap breakdown cover might be worth having too?

[SiC]

Double check the t&c if you do. Some don't cover if you don't have a current MOT in force.

[Shep Shepherd]

I wouldn't have any problems driving an untested car that distance in order to get to a prebooked test, as long as it drove, steered, stopped and wasn't obviously unroadworthy. I'd make sure that I had the testing garage's contact number to hand in case I got stopped, though

[eddyramrod]

When I won the Roffle Rover 75 recently, I just insured it, booked an MoT and drove it 105 miles to the test station (round the corner from home).  And it passed   I'd say go and get the Volvo running and when you feel confident with it, then arrange a test for a day when you have time, and drive it there.

 

 

Or, wait until I'm there and can come with you!

[barefoot]

I'm driving my sorn van to a pre booked mot tomorrow as well, wish me luck.

[nigel bickle]

Done it loads. Prob doing it next week when I return (an out of Mot car) to the Uk. So that'll be 110 miles home from Dover....

 

It needs to be 'safe'- if you do get stopped. Tyres, lights, brakes rust etc...

 

I do book a proper Mot, and print out an email confirmation- I've only been asked the once and he was immediately satisfied - after a cursory tyre check!

 

It's easy enough to prove, it's in the Mot station diary and will be logged on the system once presented - so legally allowed. Distance is not a legal objection, and you can sensibly divert for fuel, a piss etc.

 

Insurance is NEVER compromised by a lack of Mot, but if it's separately unroadworthy- that's a whole different kettle of tuna.

 

Play it straight - you'll not have a problem

[twosmoke300]

Make sure the garage that it's booked into has the full reg number !

[scaryoldcortina]

As long as you apply some common sense and don't try to drive something obviously unroadworthy you shouldn't have an issue. Check if the lights work, the tyres are legal and the brakes pull you up sharp and straight for example.

 

To be legal to drive without test you must be insured and EITHER on the way to a test or to a place of repair following a test failure. If you are driving to a test it must be prebooked and the station must have your registration recorded (in case the police phone to check). SORN status doesn't matter, you can't tax it until it's tested anyway.

[danthecapriman]

Brilliant advice so far guys, thanks.

 

I will probably split this over two visits. The first day I'll concentrate on getting it going and fixing stuff. Then go back another day and attempt to drive it back.

I think it'll be cutting things too fine trying to get it going, fix it and check it's safe then make it back in time for an MOT. Best take it easy and do it properly without rushing!

 

When I won the Roffle Rover 75 recently, I just insured it, booked an MoT and drove it 105 miles to the test station (round the corner from home).  And it passed   I'd say go and get the Volvo running and when you feel confident with it, then arrange a test for a day when you have time, and drive it there.

 

 

Or, wait until I'm there and can come with you!

It might well be around that sort of time...

The extra set of hands (and criticisms!) is always a good thing!

[Supernaut]

This thread is enlightening. I may be doing something similar in the near future, but over a smaller distance.

 

The first car I bought didn't have an MOT at the time though, and I drove it from Elgin to Aberdeen for a pre-booked* test!

 

 

 

*like fuck it was.

[greengartside]

I'm planning to do exactly the same on Friday with the Zafira. Total distance will be 7.5 miles.

 

Am I right in thinking if I get day insurance then I'm okay to drive it to the test centre? (Has been pre-booked) - all tyres are good and is solid and safe to drive?

[cms206]

I did Brighton to Glasgow on a prebooked test in a Volvo 740 with the early stages of HGF and sensibly diverted via car show. No issue. Get it done.

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[captain_70s]

My dad was insisting that due to a recent change in the law you had to have tax on any car being driven on the road and that if you needed to get an untaxed car to an MOT station it'd have to be trailered there.

 

Am I correct in assuming this was a technique to avoid me attempting to drive the Dolly 1300 from his house to mine via the MOT station?

[Lacquer Peel]

Should I drive a Xsara that hasn't been MOT'd for 3 years from Perth to north of Inverness? It's looking like the cheapest and easiest option.

[Eddie Honda]

Grow a pair FFS!

 

Flew over from Ireland to repatriate from Essex a V300 with accident damage that had sat 2 years.

 

Hammering, light unit, loads of elephant tape (thanks Ken) and drove it 66 miles across Essex/Hearts/Thames Valley manors (M11/M25/M40) without an eyelid batted. Even stopped for fags, petrol & Irn Bru before reaching the garage. Passed MOT with 1 advisory, bought tax, drove another couple of hundred miles and caught ferry from Holyhead same night. Job jobbed.

[danthecapriman]

My dad was insisting that due to a recent change in the law you had to have tax on any car being driven on the road and that if you needed to get an untaxed car to an MOT station it'd have to be trailered there.

 

Am I correct in assuming this was a technique to avoid me attempting to drive the Dolly 1300 from his house to mine via the MOT station?

I think it might of been!

 

 

I've done similar, much less legal and less well planned collections before but generally only over local distances. My Capri was done this way when I bought it, and that was fucked royally at the time! If the police had seen me in it then it'd have gone straight to the crusher and me to somewhere almost as bad!

 

I did Brighton to Glasgow on a prebooked test on a Volvo 740 the early stages of HGF and sensibly diverted via car show. No issue. Get it done.

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That is brilliant!

I think I'm worrying over nothing with this tbh but it pays to plan it I suppose.

[Eddie Honda]

My dad

Correct. Your dad was being a dickheid (again)

[Faker]

I've done it. Perfectly legal to do. I've not driven 80 miles though. Must have insurance, 3rd party extensions don't cover second vehicles belonging to you. Make sure that there are no major defects..... That's the only thing that'll get you in trouble. Defective tyres etc. You'll get done for defects going to a test centre if they're obvious. Minors generally don't get you in bother post exam... Anything serious the centre will issue a prohibition notice restricting the vehicles movements or bar it from the road completely until rectified. Good luck!

[Mally]

Taking account of distance, days insurance, fuel, possible recovery insurance.

It may be as cheap to organise a recovery vehicle. Around £80 should do it.

Ask eBay for someone in your area and scrounge a lift both ways.

[scaryoldcortina]

Anything serious the centre will issue a prohibition notice restricting the vehicles movements or bar it from the road completely until rectified. Good luck!

 

Actually, we don't have the power to do that. I can mark any failure as dangerous and the VT30 will state that the vehicle should not be driven due to that defect but I can't actually stop you ignoring me and driving it anyway.

 

 

edit - you're NI. Your test stations CAN bar cars from the road in the same way a VOSA checkpoint over here can.

[Guest Breadvan72]

There is no limit on the distance that you can drive a car to a pre booked MoT, and there is no requirement that the distance be reasonable. The only issue if challenged would be whether the car was genuinely being driven for the purpose of reaching the MoT.  This weeds out anyone taking the pish by driving a car for a week all over the place ostensiby to get to an MoT.

[greengartside]

I've just done a dayinsure thing and it doesn't mention anywhere about a requirement being the vehicle has to be M.o.T'd. Costs me £23 which I can live with.

[Guest Breadvan72]

I add that as others have said you must have valid insurance to drive the car.   It need not be taxed if on its way to an MoT.

 

There is the practical point that the longer you drive the car the more the chance that you may be stopped, which could at the least be a hassle, but should not be more than that if the car has no major roadworthiness defects.

[dollywobbler]

Keep the invoice from the MOT as well. Handy evidence if you get any ANPR letters further down the line - though given MOT history is now online, they should be able to check themselves really.

[inconsistant]

If you're unsure, could you do it the other way around and book an MOT close to where the car is now, and then afterwards legally drive it home from that prebooked MOT (to yours?) Assuming it fails you would at least know how tragically it failed and could make a judgement about whether it's roadworthy or not before setting off.

[DodgeRover]

I've done Surrey to Yorkshire for prebooked MOTs quite a few times

[cros]

Should I drive a Xsara that hasn't been MOT'd for 3 years from Perth to north of Inverness? It's looking like the cheapest and easiest option.

It'll be fine with the proviso that I'm not sure if they accept UK MOTs in Australia.