Laws on taking a car for MOT , taxed , or not etc

[blackbird]

A few questions , over from a discuss on another site .Do you need road tax to take a car to get an MOT, if the MOT is booked with a MOT station , with reg given .(This would be a bit chicken and egg cos you can't have TAX without an MOT, so would ASSUME you don't , but can anyone confirm) Just how far can you drive a car to an MOT station , without tax and MOT , if the MOT is booked with a MOT station , with reg given I guess it would be "Reasonable" But I would love to see the discussion with an officer at the side of the road on the justification of driving a car , from say Leeds to London , because you prefer the MOT centre there and not the 10,000 you would have passed on the way !!!! as "Reasonable" !!

[Mr Lobster]

You can drive a car with no MOT or Tax to an MOT as long as it is pre-booked. Car still needs to be insured though.What is considered reasonable very much depends on the individual Police officer - I'd guess anything more than 15 - 20 miles could be pushing it a bit tbh.

[seth]

Yes, the definition of "reasonable" could certainly be an interesting debate to have with a policeman. I recently took the MG straight from purchase to a pre-booked MOT at my "usual" garage where I know they treat cars fairly. I think that as long as the distance was not too great (and you weren't being rude) I think taking a specialist car to a garage you know understand such things should say a bit of extra distance in your favour.However, I know that AlistairK on R-R once had a discussion with the fuzz and was told it was illegal to drive an un-MOTd car on a motorway regardless of whether a test was booked. So worth avoiding such routes.

[Guest]

The bit about it being a reasonable distance, not being able to use motorways, or take it the day before are a bit of an urban myth - there's no rules on it, though some policemen seem to think otherwise! As long as the car is pre-booked for the test, is insured properly and you're taking it directly there (no sneaky trips to the seaside), then you're OK. If you're pulled over, they will likely ring up and confirm with the garage that your car registration is booked in for a test, but there's nothing they can actually charge you for.Though something to note is that you can still be charged for it being unroadworthy regardless of MOT situation, so probably not a clever idea to take a car with no brakes and bald tyres. Would also be best avoiding the motorway just because of the hassle you'll get from ANPRed police cars.Edit: One point to back this up is that when my old neighbour died, his Clio sat in the garage for a couple of years gathering dust, obviously then ran out of tax and test. His son came down, booked it in for test at his usual place in Scotland, filled the tank up and drove it up the motorway a few hundred miles, saying it was perfectly legal to do so as it was pre-booked and insured. He worked as a traffic cop, so I didn't have much reason to disagree.

[M'coli]

Edit: One point to back this up is that when my old neighbour died, his Clio sat in the garage for a couple of years gathering dust, obviously then ran out of tax and test. His son came down, booked it in for test at his usual place in Scotland, filled the tank up and drove it up the motorway a few hundred miles, saying it was perfectly legal to do so as it was pre-booked and insured. He worked as a traffic cop, so I didn't have much reason to disagree.

I think I'd only try that if I was in possession of a valid traffic cop warrant card and a funny handshake.

[Twiggy]

See what the "expert" says:

 

http://www.motester.co.uk/CarOwnersGuidetoTheMOT/MOTQA/MOTQApage3/tabid/2603/Default.aspx

 

Sorry, you`ll have to scroll down...............

[daverapid]

I do MOT tests at the garage I help run. I'm pretty well known for being a Skoda nut and get Skodas come to me for MOT's and repairs from all over the country. At my last refresher course I asked the VOSA representitive if it was a problem to VOSA and the answer was no. I get customers come to me from Brighton, up north ect and I'm in Royston, Herts. Just in case you're wondering my tests are done by the book!

[warren t claim]

I do MOT tests at the garage I help run. I'm pretty well known for being a Skoda nut and get Skodas come to me for MOT's and repairs from all over the country. At my last refresher course I asked the VOSA representitive if it was a problem to VOSA and the answer was no. I get customers come to me from Brighton, up north ect and I'm in Royston, Herts. Just in case you're wondering my tests are done by the book!

If I PayPay you 50 quid will you do me a quick test over the phone? Thanks!!!!

[retrogeezer]

I was an MOT testers assistant for about 6 months when I left school. I used to write out all the tickets and lock the book away etc.Every monday, there would be a few tickets written out by one of the testers after we had shut the previous Friday...... The test was only £10.70 back then...

[bazzateer]

His son came down, booked it in for test at his usual place in Scotland, filled the tank up and drove it up the motorway a few hundred miles, saying it was perfectly legal to do so as it was pre-booked and insured. He worked as a traffic cop, so I didn't have much reason to disagree.

Many many laws, including traffic-related ones are different in Scotland. I wouldn't necessarily agree with your neighbour's son on that one. However, if he was stopped and everything else is AOK I'm sure he'd only get an informal 'warning'.

[Cavcraft]

I got pulled on the way back from an MOT. Had the failure sheet, proof that I'd booked it in for a test and even a receipt for the part it required timed/dated ten minutes before I got pulled.Copper was a right nark as he'd stopped me outside my local garage where I was getting it booked in for the repair needed. He said that was it and then I got a fine through the post!When I argued it they said I'd been seen stopping on the way back at someone's house (this was true) and despite the house actually being on the very road home they wouldn't have it and I had to pay the fine

[pandamonium]

Heres one for you.....What if you buy a car with MOT but no tax, and in order to drive it back, book an MOT test and just claim it is not MOT'd?

[Cavcraft]

It'd possibly work for now (but not definately) but once ANPR catches up with computerised MOT certs you'll be knackered.To be honest for the risk it's not worth it, if it's tested you might as well tax it and drive it back. If the motor needs a long time off the road then cash the tax back and just lose a month for getting it home, better than a fine etc.

[pogweasel]

Heres one for you.....What if you buy a car with MOT but no tax, and in order to drive it back, book an MOT test and just claim it is not MOT'd?

When you get to the sellers house, simply use their broadband to buy your tax online....

[hennabm]

The Motor Vehcile Test Regs 1981 govern this issue.

 

A vehicle can be driven to and from an MOT without road tax, so long as the test is pre booked and the test station record the details in their usual manner.

In the regs there is no reference whatsoever to distance and reasonableness. That would be for a court to decide.

I have read about and met a number of people booking a test some way from them, ie just bought a car and booked it in for an MOT at their local test station etc.

The MVTR cover all mainland nations and there is also no exception about not driving on motorways.

There are many myths about it must be the nearest test station etc but this is all BS.

[r.welfare]

When you get to the sellers house, simply use their broadband to buy your tax online....

Will DVLA not send the disc to them, as their name/address will still be on the computers at that point? Covers you from an ANPR perspective (although if you stop/park you might get done for "failure to display a valid tax disc"), but you'd have to be sure of the integrity of the person you bought the car from not to cash the disc straight back in again...

[blackbird]

When you get to the sellers house, simply use their broadband to buy your tax online....

Will DVLA not send the disc to them, as their name/address will still be on the computers at that point? Covers you from an ANPR perspective (although if you stop/park you might get done for "failure to display a valid tax disc"), but you'd have to be sure of the integrity of the person you bought the car from not to cash the disc straight back in again...

I did this once , must have trusted the bloke .the tax had a few days when I picked it up , so legit going home but I wanted to renew on line , and agreed this with him that it would go to his house , as no way DVLA would have sorted the ownership out by then and far play he duly posted the disc to me not sure I would recomend or do this with every car seller

[HillmanImp]

Slightly off topic i know, but i remember a thread mentioning a few weeks back what happens to you if you stick your car through an MOT and it fails, but before the expiry of your old MOT? Cant find it.My thinking was that as soon as it has failed the MOT you cannot drive it other than home from the test station, as it has been declared unsafe. However my mate is adamant that you are okay until the old MOT has expired, but i just cant see this.Was this answered or not? Can anyone point me in the dorection of this thread.

[pogweasel]

I have a feeling that the old one remains in place, think that's what Dave Rapid said to me the other week when serving me up a sheet of FAIL... the car in question was actually MoT'd to end of November but I wanted to sell with a years worth to attract max biddage.

[Guest]

Old MOT remains valid.

[HillmanImp]

Cool. That is surprisingly good. I would have thought that they mullered you for another test, but a win for the little people for once.

[mattblack]

You might not be prosecuted for not having a valid MOT

You can't be, because you still have a valid MOT...

 

'Roadworthyness' and 'Contruction and Use' matters are a different thing...

[dollywobbler]

If the MoT man is seriously unhappy about the state of a car, even one with MoT, I believe he can class it as such - and then you can't drive it away. Would have to be bad though like brakes not working at all or something.

[FredTransit]

An MOT remains in force until it expires, but if the car fails a test before expiry, and you continue to drive it normally (not just take it home/to be repaired) you are committing an offence. You are knowingly driving an unsafe vehicle on the road. The MOT tester can issue a PG9 prohibition notice if they feel the car is really unsafe. As for the distance you can travel to an MOT, they can't set a distance as some people on the outer Hebrides or on islands could not get to an MOT if it expired.

[CIH]

anyway. this is all conjecture as the car in question actually has 2 months test left!