Three MOT Questions (1 Viewer)

[Jim]

Chattering to someone yesterday we had a few differences of opinion on the MOT. So three questions for you.

1. Most dealers won't put an MOT on a Motorhome till its sold. So if you test drive a motorhome with no MOT are you risking points and a fine?

2. If you take your motorhome to the testing station a month before your current MOT cert runs out and the motorhome fails. Is it still legal to drive it home, Is your old Cert still valid for a month?

3. If you wanted to extend a stay in the South of France or Spain by say three months beyond your MOT expiry. (still taxed insured, which of course can be arranged over the phone.) Can you make an appointment with a test centre and be completely legal as long as you are travelling directly to the test centre?

 

[scotjimland]

My guesses are

1. yes

2. No

3. No

 

[Jaws]

The only one I know for sure is number two

No.. because the vehicle is unroadworthy

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[acting_strange]

As an Ex tester my answers are

1. Yes
2.No
3.No

but I stand to corrected by Geo....

 

[Gaz]

i would think

1 no because tou are driving on trade plates

2 not too sure but i think you are still covered untill due date

3 probably not

 

[Munchie]

I believe it is legal to drive to and from the test station for the purpose of the test. :thumb:

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[scotjimland]

I believe it is legal to drive to and from the test station for the purpose of the test. :thumb:

yes.. but MUST be insured and with provisos

From Ask The Police

No, a car must be insured, taxed and have an MOT to be driven on the road. The penalty for driving a car without an MOT is a fine.

The most relevant exception to this is if you are driving your vehicle to and from a pre-arranged appointment for an MOT and you must take a direct route to the garage (but the vehicle must be insured). Although you must be aware that most failures of MOTs are offences in their own right so you may be committing other offences, for example defective tyres, brakes, lights, steering, horns etc.

However if you are stopped by the police on the way to or from the garage the onus is on you to prove that you had a pre-arranged appointment. Where possible it is always advisable to book your car in for an MOT in good time.

There are one or two other very minor exceptions in addition to the above but they do not really apply to the ordinary car driver.

 

[Road Runner]

Blimey if Yosser reads this he might even consider getting one


If you not a British citizen you can get away with almost anything as most don't pay up or turn up in court.................:Sad:

I for one nowadays worry about all aspects of motoring.............

 

[estcres]

My understanding is:-

A. Provided the vehicle is on Trade Plates and covered by the Garages Insurance policy you cannot be done.

B. I believe that you can drive the vehicle to a pre appointment MOT and back again unless the reason for failure is considered dangerous. Ie. Front headlight not working - OK to drive, Brakes not working properly - Not OK to drive.

C. Ok until you hit UK soil, then it becomes illegal.

Most probably incorrect, I await being corrected.

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[scotjimland]

If you not a British citizen you can get away with almost anything as most don't pay up or turn up in court.................:Sad:

.

much as the Brits do while abroad then ? ie .. Tolls, speeding etc

 

[dave newell]

1 yes although I'm not sure that no mot carries points.
2. You can take the vehicle home or to a place to repair it, that's all. You cannot legally take it home and then later to a place for repair.

3. Once the mot has run out you can legally drive it directly to a pre booked mot but nowhere else. If you were in a foreigncountry and the mot ran out you can only legally drive it directly (one journey and ferrycrossing would count as part of that journey) to a pre booked mot test. Even though you might be outof of uk you cannot legally drive the vehicle other than to a pre booked mot in uk.

D.

 

[Landy lover]

As I understand it the answers are

1/ If the vehicle is on trade plates for the purpose of demonstrating and a sales person is with the vehicle then it is legal - I know they have tightened up dramatically on the use of trade plates.

2/ If an MOT is in force then it is in force - the issue of a failure within the 28 days does not cancel the original MOT - however if the failure certificate highlights a safety issue then you would be driving an illegal vehicle - if it is a serious issue then you would be advised it was unsafe to drive.

3/ I believe on the issue of prebooked MOT's is that it can be at a garage of your choice within a 'reasonable' distance but it must be prebooked and the garage must have it in their system with the following information - presenting person /company name - vehicle type and model - registration number. If that information is not held then that specific vehicle is not deemed to be booked in. The other point is that you must go straight to the MOT station and nowhere else - you should not use the journey for any other purpose to or from and yes the vehicle MUST have insurance in place. If a garage is taking it on your behalf for an MOT and there is no insurance in place then it will I believe only be covered on their insurance under the law if it is being travelled on trade plates.

Another issue that many people forget is that a vehicle should be presented in a reasonably clean condition so that the tester can check all the points ( ie not caked with mud all over) all contents should be removed - child seat - booster seat - childs buggy kids toy tractor etc etc. - An MOT tester is not allowed to remove anything to conduct the test so may refuse to test a vehicle if it is not presented in a reasonably clean or empty condition.

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[Peter JohnsCross MH]

Chattering to someone yesterday we had a few differences of opinion on the MOT. So three questions for you.

1. Most dealers won't put an MOT on a Motorhome till its sold. So if you test drive a motorhome with no MOT are you risking points and a fine?

YES YOU ARE, Trade plates as no substitute

2. If you take your motorhome to the testing station a month before your current MOT cert runs out and the motorhome fails. Is it still legal to drive it home, Is your old Cert still valid for a month?

You can drive an MOT Failure home and repair it and return for a retest, dunno about the other!

3. If you wanted to extend a stay in the South of France or Spain by say three months beyond your MOT expiry. (still taxed insured, which of course can be arranged over the phone.) Can you make an appointment with a test centre and be completely legal as long as you are travelling directly to the test centre?

You would be legal in UK, dunno about abroad![/QUOTE]

Peter

 

[Peter JohnsCross MH]

My lot got a severe bollocking from me about test drives on vans with expired M.O.T's

The use of trade plates is merely for Road Taxation purposes and absolutely nothing absolutely else.

Peter

 

[Road Runner]

much as the Brits do while abroad then ? ie .. Tolls, speeding etc

So Brits get arrested abroad for no licence, insurance or MOT....lie to the cops till there blue in the face then released with financial implication do they? give false names and address's...?

I think not, speeding I am not so sure you get away with that even now do you abroad?

Try watching some really up to date cop shows and see how things pan out (really pi$$es off the cops) if you or I got pulled we would suffer.......others non brit without docs don't suffer as don't turn up for court, plus you cant take a licence away that was never held........I accept we have joy riders (great name eh!)........

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[Geo]

Chattering to someone yesterday we had a few differences of opinion on the MOT. So three questions for you.

1. Most dealers won't put an MOT on a Motorhome till its sold. So if you test drive a motorhome with no MOT are you risking points and a fine?

2. If you take your motorhome to the testing station a month before your current MOT cert runs out and the motorhome fails. Is it still legal to drive it home, Is your old Cert still valid for a month?

3. If you wanted to extend a stay in the South of France or Spain by say three months beyond your MOT expiry. (still taxed insured, which of course can be arranged over the phone.) Can you make an appointment with a test centre and be completely legal as long as you are travelling directly to the test centre?

A 1.Yes you are at risk of points and a fine, Trade Plates do not cover you for absence of MoT

A2.An MoT test fail does not cancell out the remaining month, You are at risk for using an unroadworthy vehice

A3. During the period of your extended stay you would not be road legal in the UK ergo not legal in country of your stay, Insurance may have conditions attatched requiring you to be MoTd at all times and roadworthy
Your journy from the ferry to the MoT station of your choice would be legal subject to fully pre booked details with the station and a direct journy to and from it to a place of repair
Geo

 

[chatter]

if on trade plates i think you are covered
you can take your vehicle a month early if it fails you can drive it unless the failure is a dangerous one that makes the vehicle unroadworthy, as if it had passed the mot would of run from when the current one ran out so giving 13 months if it passed on the day you took it
If your vehicle runs out of MOT while abroad you can drive it back as long as you take it straight to an MOT station when you land in England but i think you do have to of booked the spot in the testing station

 

[chatter]

Just read Geos' reply
so a further question most car dealerships will take you out on trade plates so we are to take it that we should check the vehicle has a current mot to be safe - im sure most will say the vehicle is mot'd even if its not because an awful lot seem to give 12mths mot with their deals. I noticed this when looking recently with my daughter for her replacement car

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[haganap]

A 1.Yes you are at risk of points and a fine, Trade Plates do not cover you for absence of MoT

A2.An MoT test fail does not cancell out the remaining month, You are at risk for using an unroadworthy vehice

A3. During the period of your extended stay you would not be road legal in the UK ergo not legal in country of your stay, Insurance may have conditions attatched requiring you to be MoTd at all times and roadworthy
Your journy from the ferry to the MoT station of your choice would be legal subject to fully pre booked details with the station and a direct journy to and from it to a place of repair
Geo

wouldn't want to take it up with the master, but my understanding is that you would not get points for no MOT, but would get points for vechile being unroadworthy in condition if that was the case. So you test drive the van, you get pulled, it has no MOT, but, is in roadworthy condition at inspection by the officer. You get a fine for no MOT but no points.
scenario B, you get stopped on test, the vechile has a bald tyre and no Mot, you get done for no MOT (still no points) but the baled tyre gets you 3 points because your vechile is in unroadworthy condidtion...
Am i Right geo?

 

[pappajohn]

have you considered the van may already be MOT'd and the dealer will put a full years MOT at the time of sale ?

no rule to say it can only be tested annually....MOT it every month if you want

private hire cars/taxi's are MOT'd every 6 months.....at least they are in Scarborough !

 

[jhorsf]

From website

[HI]• There is no automatic exemption from MoT
testing for vehicles used under a trade licence.
A vehicle used under a trade licence is only
exempt from the MoT testing requirement
when being driven during the course of, or on
completion of repairs, or when being driven to
and from a pre-booked MoT test. A vehicle that
has failed the test and has no current MoT in
place must be towed to the place of breaking.

• Trade plates should not be used on a vehicle
that is carrying passengers for hire and reward
as the purposes for a trade licence being issued
does not allow passsengers to be carried on a
commercial or personal basis.
[/HI]

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[John & Joan]

Point 2
On the notice "Refusal of an MOT Test Certificate" at the bottom are the words "This document tells you that your vehicle has not been shown to meet the minimum legal requirements for the reasons(s) detailed. If you intend to use your vehicle on the road you should have it repaired without delay and have it retested before the existing test validity expires."

In the bottom of a valid certificate it states "2. A test certificate relates only to the condition of the components examined at the time of test. It does not confirm the vehicle will remain roadworthy for the validity of the certificate."

So yes it is legal to drive with a current certificate, even if it later has a fail certificate.

John

 

[John & Joan]

Point 3

My insurance requires that my vehicle has a current MOT at all times, otherwise the insurance is invalid.

On the DVLA site I read that a vehicle registered in the UK that did not have a current MOT on entering the country, could not be driven to an MOT station from a port of entry, but must be transported there to get a current certificate.

John

 

[estcres]

have you considered the van may already be MOT'd and the dealer will put a full years MOT at the time of sale ?

no rule to say it can only be tested annually....MOT it every month if you want

private hire cars/taxi's are MOT'd every 6 months.....at least they are in Scarborough !

Is it an MOT or is it an inspection by the Local licensing Authority?.

Our local Authority checks Taxi's etc every 6 months just to ensure they are kept in good condition, Ie Lights working etc.

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