Legalities of driving with no Mot.

[gavin.starr]

Hey guys n gals.

 

I have bought a car off a bloke from work 2003 audi a3 for 250 quid.

 

The car has no tax or mot. The car is in Warrington and I live in Preston which is a 40 min drive door to door.

 

Now is there anything stopping me from getting day insurance, BOOKING in an mot at a local to me test centre and driving it home instead.

 

That way I have insurance to cover me just in case I get pulled over and also have the proof of a booked mot as my direct destination but then drive home and cancel the mot.

 

If not I'll just book a transporter to move it.

[Annabella]

If you think it will pass it's MOT then book in nearer to the seller and have it done, maybe a bit more tricky to say you are taking it to one that far away, although you could argue it's your local one you trust, oh and you need to tax it. You insure first then tax it, link below says you don't have to tax but you wouldn't appear on ANPR if you did, cancel it after if you're not going to need it straight away and the distance you are going....

 

https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/legal/driving-without-tax-guide/.

 

https://www.askthe.police.uk/content/Q360.htm

Edited April 2, 2019 by Annabella (see edit history)

[Shane]

If you think it will pass it's MOT then book in nearer to the seller and have it done, maybe a bit more tricky to say you are taking it to one that far away, although you could argue it's your local one you trust, oh and you need to tax it. You insure first then tax it, link below says you don't have to tax but you wouldn't appear on ANPR if you did, cancel it after if you're not going to need it straight away and the distance you are going....

 

https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/legal/driving-without-tax-guide/.

 

https://www.askthe.police.uk/content/Q360.htm

 

I think the second article here has all your answers.

 

Perfectly reasonable to use your local favoured MOT station, and as it's got no current MOT you won't be able to tax it until it has. But just about the only exception to the must have valid tax rule seems to be the pre-booked MOT. Assuming it's not a shed be prepared to get clobbered in the highly unlikely event that a roadside stop flags up dangerous defects, but hopefully you are not that silly and wouldnt be making the journey if you thought it was.

 

Make sure you get the make and reg number in the book at the MOT place, not just an MOT for Fred at 10am.

 

Don't stop for bacon sandwiches, shopping, beer, MaccyD or the Betting shop en route, just go from A to B.

[Dnk]

I doubt your insurance is valid if it doesn't have a MOT

Edited April 2, 2019 by Dnk (see edit history)

[blythmrk]

As far as I am aware it has to be a local testing station not an hour away.

[jim]

I doubt your insurance is valid if it doesn't have a MOT

 

Agree - as far as a 'work around' to keep you out of trouble if stopped by the police you might be ok, but if (heaven forbid) something was to happen I would say your insurance company wouldn't cover you.

[Dnk]

If the police stopped you they'd know the car has no mot so would possibly contact the insurer

to see if they are covering the car to be driven on the rd without a mot, only going to go one way

if your unlucky enough to be stopped

[Noz]

What would you be thinking, if someone caused an accident of which you were unable to avoid? Would you be thinking, it was worth trying to avoid getting it transported. Or would you be thinking, I really wish I could go back in time, take a little effort and pay someone to collect this car.

 

No amount of information, would make you think, "yeah, I'm totally covered in an accident". Cover your ass dude

[Shane]

Just found this:

 

Not having a valid MOT certificate is illegal under Section 47 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 and you run the risk of facing a £1,000 fine and a charge of six to eight penalty points on your licence by driving without one.

 

And this:

 

https://www.directlineforbusiness.co.uk/van-insurance/knowledge-centre/running-your-van/driving-without-MOT

Edited April 2, 2019 by Shane (see edit history)

[navtrd]

Recovery truck or get it mot local to the place you bought the car it's not worth the risk.

[gavin.starr]

Transporter it is then.

 

There must be so many people out there that have project cars without tax and mot's and have to get them to mot test centres.

 

The whole thing is such a black hole you don't know legally where you stand with it all.

[shaz2010]

Get a friend to drive behind you and one in front

[fullthrottle]

I shall be driving my car from Dover to my mot tester which is 4 hours away I have done this many times in the past never been a problem as the law states you can drive the vehicle to any mot station plus it's still possible to tax a car without mot as I did that last year

[Noz]

If you've never been pulled over or had a car accident how are you so sure it's fine to do it? Just curious.

 

If I drive at 100mph and never get caught. Does it mean I should tell others driving at 100mph is not a problem.

 

I personally think insurance companies use any excuse yo get out of paying. 4 hour drive with no MOT even if it's to a station does seem excessive use of the rules. If be careful they don't try and use that against you.

 

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=3758919

[fullthrottle]

If you've never been pulled over or had a car accident how are you so sure it's fine to do it? Just curious.

 

If I drive at 100mph and never get caught. Does it mean I should tell others driving at 100mph is not a problem.

 

I personally think insurance companies use any excuse yo get out of paying. 4 hour drive with no MOT even if it's to a station does seem excessive use of the rules. If be careful they don't try and use that against you.

 

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=3758919

 

I understand what your saying but the law quite clearly states you can drive it to your mot station of preference till they change this law all this talking on various forums is just talk and anyhow it also clearly states in the mot book that the vehicle was road worthy at time of test so you could for example remove tyres or decat pipes after the test and be illegal therefore really making the mot not worth the paper it's written on

[blythmrk]

I friend of my wife’s recently drove into the back of another vehicle on a public road and her insurance wrote her car off for minimal damage but offered her a buy back option but stated if repaired she must get an mot test on it as it ran out 8 months previously

I couldn’t believe they paid her out and she even argued they payout amount, they increased that to more than the top glasses guide! Plus she drives 50 miles commute everyday on a motorway too.

On the other hand a body shop I do business with had a damaged Audi Rsq5 and the insurance was invalid due to it not having a valid mot

According to me if your car is booked in for an mot you can drive to and from the testing station without road tax.

[Style]

I dropped the ball on my daily last year and it's MOT and tax expired almost simultaneously. I couldn't tax it until I MOT'd it so it was driven to the station without tax and then I taxed it when I got home.

[Shane]

I shall be driving my car from Dover to my mot tester which is 4 hours away I have done this many times in the past never been a problem as the law states you can drive the vehicle to any mot station plus it's still possible to tax a car without mot as I did that last year

 

I understand what your saying but the law quite clearly states you can drive it to your mot station of preference till they change this law all this talking on various forums is just talk and anyhow it also clearly states in the mot book that the vehicle was road worthy at time of test so you could for example remove tyres or decat pipes after the test and be illegal therefore really making the mot not worth the paper it's written on

 

 

I agree with most of what you say here, but tell me how you can tax a car without a valid mot?

[Annabella]

I agree with most of what you say here, but tell me how you can tax a car without a valid mot?

 

I have online, and it went through. For my Supra no Mot, appt booked. Insured of course.

[Shane]

I have online, and it went through. For my Supra no Mot, appt booked. Insured of course.

 

 

Interesting, I tried to do exactly this last October and was unable to, I called DVLA and they said I didn't need to tax it to take it to the mot station and back or oddly to have it repaired and I couldn't tax it without a valid MOT.

 

I had single journey from home to Dover I needed to make and the car was being exported, I didn't want to take the risk of driving down the M11, M25, Dartford etc without tax.

[Wez]

You must have valid insurance, when tax and mot are both expired together you are permitted to drive to an MOT station, once MOT has passed you can then tax it.

 

I printed this letter from the Police website and kept with me in case I was pulled over :-

 

https://www.askthe.police.uk/content/Q360.htm

 

Although the garages I use are all under 10 miles, I certainly wouldnt feel comfortable driving much further.

[rider]

Its all very simple with a right way and a wrong way of proceeding.

 

Wrong would be to drive to a MOT station uninsured without the car having a current MOT and that also isn't within a few miles of the starting point. Potentially 6 points and a big fine.

 

The right way of proceeding is to arrange insurance through a broker to talk over your plans to use the insurance initially as total loss cover and to drive the vehicle to a MOT testing station. This is what I did when i imported a vehicle into the UK where it is a requirement that car has a MOT before it can be registered. When I ran the VIN insurance I even wrote to the broker to say when I was driving the car to the MOT station, distance to be covered and time I'd be setting off so all bases were covered.

Edited April 10, 2019 by rider (see edit history)

[Shane]

Not sure anyone contributing to the thread advocated driving uninsured, it was mentioned early on that you need to make sure your insurance covered you to drive without a valid MOT. Not seen anywhere about the MOT station location having to be a few miles from the starting point. No mention on the DVLA wsite as far as I can see, can you post where this information came from please?

 

I am more curious as to how you tax a car without a valid MOT in place.

[rider]

From a police site:

 

If your vehicle doesn't have a current MOT certificate you can only drive it to or from a pre-arranged MOT or to or from a pre-arranged appointment to have defects remedied that were discovered on a previous test. You can also drive your vehicle on a road without road tax in these circumstances too but your vehicle must be insured. However, not having an MOT may have implications for the validity of your insurance - you would need to check this with your insurer.

 

The only way you could lawfully move a vehicle without an MOT, other than in the circumstances described above, is on a trailer or recovery vehicle so that all four wheels are off the ground.

 

Note that:

 

If a vehicle has failed an MOT you can't drive it away from the garage if any of the defects were classed as being dangerous. Dangerous defects mean a direct and immediate risk to road safety or have a serious impact on the environment - do not drive the vehicle until they've been repaired.

 

You will commit an offence if you park a vehicle without an MOT on the road.

 

The law makes no mention as to how far you can go for an MOT but we would suggest the distance is kept as short as possible because even though you are exempt from having a valid MOT certificate in the circumstances described above, if you are stopped by the police you could still be prosecuted for any defective parts on your vehicle e.g. exhaust, brakes and tyres etc. If you call in at shops etc. on your way to the MOT, it may be held that you are using the vehicle for other purposes and the above exemption won't apply. The further you travel the more likelihood there is of your vehicle triggering an ANPR camera and you being stopped.

 

You can get an MOT up to a month (minus a day) before it runs out and keep the same renewal date.

 

You can be fined up to £1,000 for driving a vehicle without a valid MOT.

 

Watchword has to be to discuss it with the vehicle insurer. They will probably have an idea what they term as a reasonable distance which will likely be dictated by where you live. If you drive past 100 MOT stations on the way the one you have booked then that may not be deemed reasonable by the insurer, by the police or by the judiciary.

[Style]

I doubt you'd need to go in to that much detail with the insurer. I'd just be asking if my car is covered under the situation described above and that's the end of it, regardless of the distance.

 

Still haven't figured out how people are taxing cars without MOT's though