MOT - can I drive it to be repaired somewhere else?

benham3160

wuckfit wrote: »

AFAIK you are ONLY permitted to drive a car TO a PRE-BOOKED MOT appointment and HOME again if it fails. If it needs to go somewhere for repairs then it needs to be towed or on the back of a truck.

If you get stopped driving without a valid MOT (and not on your way to a pre-booked test), you could end up with points on your licence.

I don't think you are allowed to drive home technically, infact I've had this situation put to me many times over the years.

You'll now be reported to VOSA rather than the Police dealing with it interestingly, like the DVLA are responsible for car tax now, it is no longer strictly a Police issue. VOSA will then deceide whether to persue you.

When were you last stopped to prove you had a valid MOT though?

Regards,
Andy

Quentin

wuckfit wrote: »

If you get stopped driving without a valid MOT (and not on your way to a pre-booked test), you could end up with points on your licence.

No you won't.

HappyMJ

Quentin wrote: »

No you won't.

I didn't think so but I suppose you could get points for the fault. If the tread on the tyres is below roadworthy standard then I suppose the police officer could get you on that.

Quentin

HappyMJ wrote: »

If the tread on the tyres is below roadworthy standard then I suppose the police officer could get you on that.

You would get those points irrespective of whether or not you had a MOT certificate!

Sparx

benham3160 wrote: »

When were you last stopped to prove you had a valid MOT though?

Police don't randomly pull people over though and ask if they have insurance, tax, etc though.. They have the ANPR system for that which automatically checks every car that passes or they have insight really can either automatically get tagged or they can manually input reg plates to check for things such as invalid/or no insurance, tax, MOT, etc..

So the day it runs out, the day after he is driving about could be the moment he gets pulled..

mikey72

No problem driving it, and even if it fails it doesn't invalidate any current MOT.
If it hasn't got one at all you can still drive it home, to a different garage, mate's house for repair etc.


http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/OwningAVehicle/Mot/DG_4022108




"It is generally an offence to use on a public road, a vehicle of testable age that doesn’t have a current test certificate, except when:

• taking it to a test station for an MOT test booked in advance
• bringing it away from a test station after it has failed the MOT test, to a place of repair
• taking it to a place, by previous arrangement, where problems that caused the vehicle to fail its MOT test, can be repaired
• bringing it away from a place where the problems with the vehicle have been repaired

Hammyman

Quentin wrote: »

No, failing an MOT doesn't mean your current unexpired MOT has been invalidated. It remains valid until it expires. (Just as a valid MOT doesn't mean you have a roadworthy car!)
.

However you have a document in your hand which states that the vehicle does not meet the minimum standards required under the road traffic act so if stopped, you can hardly claim to be driving a vehicle with faults you're not aware of.

Wig

You can take a car with no MOT and or No Tax disc to an MOT station by appointment for an MOT test. If it fails you can then bring it away from the MOT station to your home (has to be "off road" storage) or directly to a place of repair with no appointment.

If you first take it home and then on another day want to take it to a place of repair then you can only do so by prior appointment. And then you can drive it back to your home again.

When you have your next MOT appt booked you can take it to the MOT station.


The above is the standard understanding in all the motoring forums and of so called "experts". However I have discovered something which no-one wants to admit. The above exclusions are PURELY to exempt you from the requirement of a valid MOT certificate and/or a valid Tax disc. You are not and never will be excluded from the requirement to have a vehicle in road worthy condition or from the construction and use requirements. Which when you think about it, makes a mockery of all the government advice that tells you you can drive a car away from an MOT fail. If push comes to shove and you do find yourself pulled over for un roadworthy vehicle or construction and use violations, and you find yourself being taken to court, then a defense of showing all the government advice that tells you you can do this should get you a very lenient fine if not a "not guilty" verdict.

My advice just drive it away to wherever you want it to go.

mikey72

Hammyman wrote: »

However you have a document in your hand which states that the vehicle does not meet the minimum standards required under the road traffic act so if stopped, you can hardly claim to be driving a vehicle with faults you're not aware of.

Or you could have fixed them all, and then take it back for a re test the next week.
Or it could have been a split wiper blade, or a dodgy back door handle it failed on.
Still classed as having a valid MOT.

mcjordi

all this jazz about ANPR its not all that. my xsara had run out of test about 5 months before it actually went in ( i forgot about it) worse case is a £60 FPN.. No mot doesnt invalidate insurance.

i drove my xsara for 5months with no MOT and the ANPR cars near me didnt pull me.. goes to show that ANPR isnt all its cracked up to be..