MOT ing untaxed car?

[banana]

How can I get my car to an MOT station when it doesnt have either Road Tax or Insurance?

At present it has a SORN notice but I want to get it back on the road. I cant tax it without a MOT and I cant MOT it without getting it to the garage.......help!

[THECORBYLOON]

You MUST be insured before you can drive the car. You do not need to have a current Tax Disc if you are travelling to a PRE-BOOKED MOT test. If you are stopped, you must be able to give the time of the MOT test.   So, get insured, get an MOT Test booked and Robert is yir Mother's brother!!!!!!!

[Buenchico]

I'm not sure about the accuracy of The CorbyLoo's answer. As I understand things, you are permitted to drive to a pre-booked MoT without a current MoT certificate but not without a valid tax disc. (This seems to be confirmed by the Highway Code which mentions the MoT certificate exemption but offers no tax disc exemption:
http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/28.htm#3 )

Your options seem to be either
(1) book the vehicle into an MoT test station very near to where you live and just take a chance OR
(2) pay the garage to collect the car from you. (The vehicle will then be covered by the tax on the garage's trade plates and by the garage's own insurance).

Chris

[sddsddean]

CorbyLoon is quite correct. As you cannot get tax without an MOT, you are allowed to go to a pre booked MOT (as long as you are insured). You must then drive directly to a Post Office or DVLA office to get your tax, or drive back home and go and get your tax. You cannot wait 'a couple of days' with the car on the road to get your tax.

[BillyNoMates]

Plus the fact that it is illegal to park an untaxed vehicle on the road - it would also invalidate your insurance.

[ianess]

No tax OR insurance?
Phone the garage and ask them to collect it and return it to you under THEIR insurance.

[THECORBYLOON]

This is on the Sussex Police website but it will be others too.

"The following vehicles are exempt:

 � Fire Engines
 � Ambulances
 � Electrically propelled vehicles
 � Invalid carriages
 � Road construction vehicles
 � Vehicles used solely for spreading material to deal with frost, ice and snow.
 � Snow ploughs

Also exempt are vehicles solely used when:

 � Going to a test centre for an MOT if pre booked time and date
 � On an MOT test
 � After failing an MOT test, for the purpose of taking the vehicle to a pre booked appointment at a garage to have the identified faults rectified."

(The highlighting is mines)

You will be ok if you have pre-booked the MOT Test

[banana]

Cheers everyone for your helpful answers. I sort of expected the only solution to be hiring the garage to collect the car under their trade plates so its valuable to have an alternative solution.

Now all I need is the money for this extra expense.... :-)

[Andy Boz]

Take it on a trailer?

[THECORBYLOON]

You could always get someone who has Comprehensive insurance to drive yir car there and back. Their insurance would cover them for Third Party Insurance while driving yir car.

[JudgeJ]

You need to beware of THECORBYLOON’s advice because of a recent development.

Since 1st October it is now an offence to be the registered keeper of a vehicle the use of which is not insured in accordance with section 143 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. Such an offence does not require the police to prove that the vehicle was in use on the road.

So, the sequence of events must be:

1. Get the car insured.

2. Book an MoT Test appointment.

3. Take the car directly to the MoT testing station (do pass “Go”, do not collect �200)

4. Pass or fail, return the car immediately to where it was whilst out of use.

5. Obtain the vehicle excise licence (the “tax disc”) either by post or by visiting the post office.

Having no tax does not invalidate one’s insurance. (If this were the case, as soon as your tax ran out your insurance would be invalid. You would then have no insurance – a pre-requisite to getting the car re-taxed!)

[JudgeJ]

One more point concerning insurance (though not directly relevant to this question:

Norwich Union recently announced that its comprehensive motor policies would no longer allow policyholders to drive cars not belonging to them. Other companies are expected to follow suit.

This, they say, is to stop younger drivers taking a comprehensive policy out on a fifteen-year-old Fiesta, then driving their father’s BMW 7-series. If implemented across the insurance industry this would also prevent THECORBYLOON’s idea being adopted.

[kwd1954]

In reply to Judge J's answer, I work for Norwich Union in the Car Insurance department and although what he says will be true soon, it will only affect drivers after their renewal documents are sent out. We cannot stop this instantly since an insurance document is a form of contract. Drivers over 25 yrs old with Fully Comp insurance are still allowed to drive other vehicles on third party cover only in emergency. My advice if in any doubt is to contact your insurance company and find out as it is not likely until the the end of 2006, that ALL drivers will not be allowed to drive other cars on their own insurance.

[THECORBYLOON]

JudgeJ did you not read ma first answer? I said the banana had to get insured before driving the car. I am also aware of the forthcoming change in Norwich Union's policy but as banana is asking (I assume) what to do NOW, I did not see the point of confusing things.

Being a "Judge" I am surprised you did not read correctly, the evidence put before you by ma good sel!