Driving MOT failure

Ames

Hi,

My motability car had it's MOT this morning and failed because it has a bulge in a tyre. Kwik Fit might not be able to get to it until tomorrow.

I have an important meeting tonight and a hospital appointment in the morning.

The garage said they can't return the car to me as they're not insured to drive an MOT failure but I can have it back if I collect it.

Is it legal for me to drive it for a couple of days if I get it back? It's not three years old until September.

Herzlos

Can't you use the spare or get someone else to fit the tyre?

ciderboy2009

When did/does the last MOT expire? If it's in the future then it's fine to drive it.

If not then you can only drive it for a pre-booked MOT test or for repairs required for the MOT.

Personally, I wouldn't want to drive a car with a bulge in the tyre though.

Below is taken from https://www.gov.uk/getting-an-mot/after-the-test

Driving a vehicle that’s failed

You can still drive your vehicle if it fails the MOT and its existing MOT certificate is still valid (ie you got it tested before the MOT ran out).
If the vehicle fails the test and the MOT has run out, you can only drive it to:

• have the failed defects fixed
• a pre-arranged MOT test appointment

Ames

It doesn't have an MOT, this was it's first.

I can't (physically) change to the spare, and it would cost me more to have it fixed by someone other than Kwik Fit than it will for taxis over the next couple of days.

pogofish

If the MOT isn't due till September, there is absolutely nothing to stop you driving it as normal. Although getting that tyre fixed should be a matter of high priority.

Its only Motability who insist you get tested two months short of three years as a condition of the lease. The car itself remains perfectly legal till the full three years has elapsed.

I'd hazzard a guess that getting a cert early makes life/admin easier/cheaper for them when you hand the car back?

Astronaughtwannabe

Drive a car with a bulge in the tyre at your peril. Firstly because that's the biggest warning sign you'll ever get that it's going to fail, and secondly because if your involved in an accident (or even not) you could end up facing a charge of dangerous driving (by reason of vehicle condition) or worse if injure/kill someone.

It's not worth it so just use taxis.

Astronaughtwannabe

On second thoughts - if you're on notability, I'm pretty sure that the RAC will come out and change it for the spare?

stator

Driving an unroadworthy car is illegal whether you need or have an MOT or not. So if you can't get a spare wheel on the car it would be much better to use a taxi or even hire a car.

Retrogamer

I wouldn't drive a vehicle with a bulge in the tyre because it's dangerous.

The police are likely to take a dim view if they happened ot pull you over and found out about it as well.

If it blew out and caused an accident and someone did some digging and found out it failed the MOT on that, things could get pretty bad.

Car_54

Driving a car with a bulge on the tyre is a specific offence in itself. C & U Regs 1986, section 27 (1(d)).

AdrianC

The MOT is not an issue. Your car doesn't need one until September. The garage saying they're "not insured" is a red herring. They don't want to.

The tyre was an issue, both legally and with respect to safety, yesterday just as much as it is today. You were happy to drive it yesterday - albeit without knowing about the damage - so why not today?

I don't understand why Kwik-Fit are so much cheaper for you - is there some specific motability discount? If not, then they're rarely any cheaper than other tyre suppliers.