Who is responsible when car is towed by DVLA?

shaun_from_Africa

I do not believe one can drive home (or to the DVLA office) from that
appointment?

You can drive to the prebooked MOT and also back home again afterwards without requiring VED for the vehicle concerned.
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/OwningAVehicle/HowToTaxYourVehicle/DG_069671

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.

This also applies to 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
station

lil.smartie

Registered keeper is responsible for tax, MOT & insurance on a car so I'd say not the garages responsibility. Had they been stopped for driving it it would be the drivers responsibility to ensure it was taxed but parked up.... nope!

Kate

It_can_get_better

I'd say it's down to the owner. They are the ones who didn't tax it. It could also be towed for not having insurance.

Nilrem

IIRC you can drive to and from prebooked MOT's without tax or MOT BUT must have insurance.
You also don't have to go direct, IIRC the courts have found that it is not unreasonable to stop on the way for petrol etc (or for example a cash point), and you don't even need to go to the nearest MOT test centre, as long as there is a reasonable excuse (IE you're taking a car that is known to have unusual features to a MOT centre that specialises in that model).

I don't think you could stop at the DVLA office on the way back unless it's on the route, and you parked off the road though.

As for whose at fault.
If the car owner dropped the car off and said he'd be back the same day IMO it's not the garages fault if it got clamped/towed the next day, most garages do not have room to store cars dropped off for MOT's overnight (my local garage for example only has room for a handful of customer cars, and they can get through probably a couple of dozen mot's a day).