I am bidding for a car that has no current tax-

[mockingbird]

HI I AM CURRENTLY BIDDING FOR A CAR ON EBAY THAT HAS NO CURRENT TAX- iS TRAILERING THE ONLY LEGAL WAY TO GET THE CAR HOME? THANKS

[roger]

Do you know anyone with trade plates ?

[TheWinner]

Yes, unless you have trade plates.

[RATTER15]

Can you not tax it to bring it home?

[hc4361]

It probably has no MOT, Ratter.

[d9f1c7]

You'll need insurance too but you can use the green slip to get it taxed on the day you buy it at a post office. Other than that it's a trailer or trade plates only. You can actually tow it with another car then it technically becomes a trailer and does not need tax/insurance/mot at all. How far away?

[EDDIE51]

Yes get someone to tow it back home , you need to put a numberplate the back the same as the towing vechicle to be really fully legal. As said it is then part of the towing vehicle for insurance and legal purposes, make sure the tow car has insurance to tow another car and that the driver is qualifed to tow another car. People who have passed the test in the last few years are not qualifed to tow a trailer or another car unless they pass a seperate test.
Not sure but I think the date is Jan 1st 2003, anyone who passed on or after that date can not tow without passing a seperate test. I am ok I passed in 1971 .

[SpikeyBush]

To add to Eddie's answer I don't know where so many people got the notion to do this, DO NOT HAVE YOUR HAZARD LIGHTS ON WHEN TOWING / BEING TOWED. All you need is a sign on the back of the towed vehicle saying "On Tow" and the registration number of the towing vehicle.

[EDDIE51]

Actually there is a way round this one ,
When you pick the car up book an MOT at a test centre near to your home. As long as it has insurance you can drive it to the prebooked MOT and drive it home afterwards even if it fails. You can insure any car even without tax or MOT, if you do not want to change your insurance you can get a temporary insurance for 1 day or more . Again large dealers normally have a 'drive home' policy this lets a buyer drive the car home on the dealers insurance , but not all have it so you have to ask. If it is a private sale this will not be available it is only available to traders.

[EDDIE51]

Spikey, hazard lights are not a legal requirement but they are a good idea, it warns others that something is not as normal. I have several times seen a car try to overtake a car that is being towed and then cut in front between to tow car and the towed car . The result is either an accident or at best a snapped tow rope or damaged tow hook.

[SpikeyBush]

But what if it already has an MOT just no tax? Surely the Gestapo will take the presence of a current MOT as being no excuse not to have current tax on the vehicle?

[EDDIE51]

If it has a MOT you can tax it instantly on line or over the phone as long as it has insurance. You could use one of the new 'smart phones' if you aren't nar a PC or laptop.
As an aside, I once saw a car try to overtake a car that was being towed, The towed car slammed on the brakes and the tow rope snapped. But the tow car did not notice that he had lost the towed car and just drove on ! It was about 10 mins before he came back looking for it !

[hc4361]

To drive to an MOT station the vehicle must be insured.

You cannot tow a vehicle with any of its wheels on the road unless it is taxed and mot'd.

[EDDIE51]

hc4361, if a car is being towed it counts as part of the towing car , as long as the tow car is insured it covers the towed car . The towed car , wheels on road or not. does not need insurance or MOT. I had to tow a car myself and was actually told by the police that this was ok and the towed car did not need tax or MOT. The car I towed was SORN but the police still said it was ok as long as it was just to move the car to a new 'home' . You could not tow it away on holiday for example and use it as a caravan !

[SeaJayPea]

Hate to disagree, Eddie but having hazard lights on when being towed means you cannot indicate that you are pulling out to overtake a parked vehicle, turning right or left. I think you'll find that it's actually an offence to have hazard lights on when moving.

As spikeybush says, all you need is an ON TOW sign and the towing vehicle's reg number.

If it has an MOT, insure it then tax it online. This will give you five days within which you won't be nicked for failing to display.

If it doesn't, do what Eddie suggests and book one near home. I'm not entirely sure that you'd get away with taking it for an MOT 400 miles away, but within reason you'd be OK.

[cathfromsaron]

tax it online after you pay? x

[JonnyBoy12]

No, you can also carry the car home in a really really big rucksack if you like.

Hope this helps.

[hc4361]

Sorry, Eddie, you're wrong. A car is a 'motor vehicle' even when it is not running and must be fully legal to have a wheel on the public highway.

[RATTER15]

If it is out of MOT you can only drive it to your "nearest" MOT testing station and it must be booked in prior.

[EDDIE51]

hc4361 , suppose just for the purpose of the argument, that you remove the engine , gearbox and drive shaft from a car or van so that it is just a 'rolling chassis' and then tow it is it still a 'motor vehicle' or a trailer ? let us also suppose that you lock the steering so it just follows the tow car as well and does not need a driver to steer.

[EDDIE51]

Been doing a bit of Googling. It seems that if you have a proper 'tow frame' where the front wheels are on the frame and the rear wheels on the road and a 'light bar' with indicaters and brake lights on the rear of the towed car it is NOT a vechicle in it's own right and can be towed anywhere any distance , no seperate insurance or MOT is needed, but the rear tyres must be legal as they are considered part of the tow car.