Mot

[alfhyde]

I have looked at several post about driving to an MOT without tax but cannot find any referance to any limit on distance. I have to collect an untaxed car without MOT from 200 miles away. Would this be legal if I was going to a prebooked MOT?

[cerberusalert]

AFAIK it is legal to drive to a pre-booked MOT, but one that's 200 miles away?..... I doubt it.

[Guest wino]

I agree that 200 miles is stretching it a bit. Can you not get a trailer and bring it back on that? There are companies that will collect it and deliver it for you.

[alfhyde]

I am rather disapointed. I am getting replies from people who appear to know no more than me. Surely there is someone out there who can quote the law or help me find it.

[cerberusalert]

It is illegal to drive a non-exempt vehicle that requires a test on public roads without a current MOT, except when driving to or from (subject to your insurance terms and conditions) a pre-booked MOT Test. It should be booked at a garage close to you because if plod stop you they will 'phone the garage to confirm the booking, logic dictates that booking an MOT 200 miles away would be extracting the urine somewhat. Besides the legal aspect I doubt whether your insurance company would even consider covering you.

[cerberusalert]

Exemptions

 

A vehicle can be driven on the road without an MOT certificate :

 

When the vehicle is being used solely for the purpose of taking it for examination for a test certificate. The test date and time must be pre-arranged

 

While the vehicle is being tested on the road by an authorised person or someone acting under their personal direction

 

When a vehicle fails a test and is either being delivered to a previously arranged appointment for the necessary repairs or is being taken to be broken up.

http://www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/information/InfoCentre/ItemDetails.aspx?sid=1905

[JACTAC]

Your question asks can you drive on the road without TAX to a pre-booked MOT appointment.

The answer is a simple NO. Under the road traffic act you have to have tax to use any vehicle even whilst driving to a pre-booked MOT appointment. Your only option is trailer or tow.

Did you also realise that it is now even illegal to park on the road without a valid MOT, obviously you have have a valid tax disc also but you must have a valid MOT also since 2006. I know of someone who's car was involved in a hit and run whilst parked up outside her house but her car was not mot'd, her insurance refused to pay out under the road traffic act as the vehicle should not of been parked on a public road withou a valid MOT, she was also charged & fined under the same road traffic act by the police who attended the incident.

[T.C.]

Your question asks can you drive on the road without TAX to a pre-booked MOT appointment.

The answer is a simple NO. Under the road traffic act you have to have tax to use any vehicle even whilst driving to a pre-booked MOT appointment. Your only option is trailer or tow.

Did you also realise that it is now even illegal to park on the road without a valid MOT, obviously you have have a valid tax disc also but you must have a valid MOT also since 2006. I know of someone who's car was involved in a hit and run whilst parked up outside her house but her car was not mot'd, her insurance refused to pay out under the road traffic act as the vehicle should not of been parked on a public road withou a valid MOT, she was also charged & fined under the same road traffic act by the police who attended the incident.

 

Sorry you are wrong

Driving an untaxed vehicle to an MOT test -

You can drive your vehicle to and from a pre-arranged test at an MOT test station as long as you have adequate insurance cover in place for the use of that vehicle.

This is also for vehicles being driven to and from a pre-arranged test at a Vehicle Inspection Check (VIC) test station, an approved weight testing station and reduced pollution test.

 

Parking a vehicle on a road without tax, insurance and MOT is different to driving a vehicle to a pre-arranged MOT and it is an exemption that has always been in place and there are no plans to remove the exemption.

The vehicle must be taken to the nearest MOT test centre, and it must be driven there by the most direct route, so for example you can not book a test 200 miles away.

 

Using a vehicle without MOT and insurance is an offence under the road traffic act, but using a vehicle without a tax disc is a vehicle excise offence and the prosecution is carried out by the CPS on behalf of the DVLA

 

Was your friend arrested? You do not get charged with a traffic offence unless you are arrested, which usually only occurs for the more serious matters such as death by dangerous driving, drink driving, but for cases such as no insurance, no MOT, speeding and the like, the offender will be reported for summons, big difference.

Edited December 31, 2010 by T.C.
Sentanbce spacing

[patdavies]

There is no distance limit set in statute for driving to/from a pre-booked MoT. i have known it done, and have even known it advised by a traffic officer.

 

If you were stopped and plod thought that you were taking the p*ss, they would probably go over you and the car with a fine-tooth comb and find something wrong.

[JACTAC]

I have just rang my friend to ask for the details, she was reported for having a car (parked) on a public road without a valid MOT. She opted to go to court to put her point across that the cars was not being driven and only parked outside her own home, she was found guily under the road traffic act for the above offence, she had a fixed penalty fine of £60, no point to her licence though.

[JACTAC]

She also lost her claim from the other drivers insurance company as they stated that her car should NOT of been parked on the road without a valid MOT, even though the other driver was charged and found guilty of reckless driving, not reporting an accident and leaving the scene of an accident.

The mad thing is, there must be countless cars all over th country that are parked outside peoples homes without an mot, for whatever reasons but are still taxed and insured yet the owner could be at fault if there is an incident of some kind, without even knowing it.

[T.C.]

There is no distance limit set in statute for driving to/from a pre-booked MoT. i have known it done, and have even known it advised by a traffic officer.

 

If you were stopped and plod thought that you were taking the p*ss, they would probably go over you and the car with a fine-tooth comb and find something wrong.

 

You are right, there is no distance set in statute, hence the regs state that it must go to the nearest MOT station by the most direct route, but it is open to interpretation and discretion of the copper stopping you.

 

I have stopped many a vehicle on its way to a pre-arranged MOT in some cases 300 miles away at the opposite end of the country. Suffice to say, they ended up with a conviction and a fine.

 

As far as being parked on a road is concerned, this is still regarded as "Using" a motor vehicle on a road, hence the conviction. It does not have to be driven, the very facrt that it is on a public road means that even parked, it must have Insurance, Tax and MOT if required. If it is on a private road, then the regs do not apply.

[Boro]

Where does it say the nearest mot station, i ask this as when i looked into it the term reasonable distance was used, obviously reasonable distance is open to interpretation and does not dictate the nearest station, certainly when i used to take customers cars in for mot i took them to the mot garage i used rather than the nearest garage to the car, i think though the original poster should consider regardless of whether or not it it legal to drive a car 200 miles to an mot that the vehicle does need to be fit to be on the road and if stopped and the vehicle found to be unroadworthy then they would end up in trouble, i personally wouldnt like to stand up in court and have to explain why i was driving an unsafe car 200 miles to an mot, for this kind of distance i would agree that having it transported would be a more sensible option

[crem]

certainly when i used to take customers cars in for mot i took them to the mot garage i used rather than the nearest garage to the car

 

I think your reasoning for going to that particular garage would stand the test of "reasonableness", i.e. there may be 10 MOT testing stations in your town, but if you have a good working relationship with 1 in particular that you also find trustworthy, then to drive a (shortish) distance past several of the others to get to your favourite one would, I believe, be seen as reasonable.

 

I think anyone would be hard pressed to consider driving 200 miles to a MOT station as equally reasonable!

[Cardiff Devil]

You would be much better off arranging to have the car MOT'd at a garage near to where you're picking the car up.

[sir_gilmour]

Hi

Welcome to The Consumer Action Group.

 

 

I am just letting you know that as you haven't had any replies to your post yet, it might be better if you post your message again in an appropriate sub-forum. You will get lots of help there.

 

Also take some time to read around the forum and get used to the layout. It is a big forum and takes a lot of getting used to.

 

 

Once you start to find your way, you will soon realise that it is fairly easy to get round and to get the help you need.

 

It can be bit confusing at first.