MOT in Northern Ireland for vehicle registered in England

Carnmore

The first MOT on a van is due in NI when the vehicle is three years old unlike the rest of the UK.

I have just bought a 2016 van and the MOT is due in 2019 in NI but when I attempted to book an MOT online for this year it stated the MOT is not due until 2020.

The vehicle has a 12 month warranty which includes a pre-MOT check and any post-MOT work required so I need it to be MOTd in 2019.

Is it possible to MOT it in 2019 and if so how?

motorguy

Carnmore wrote: »

The first MOT on a van is due in NI when the vehicle is three years old unlike the rest of the UK.

I have just bought a 2016 van and the MOT is due in 2019 in NI but when I attempted to book an MOT online for this year it stated the MOT is not due until 2020.

The vehicle has a 12 month warranty which includes a pre-MOT check and any post-MOT work required so I need it to be MOTd in 2019.

Is it possible to MOT it in 2019 and if so how?

Presumably as the van is now registered on the UK mainland it just required MOT at 4 years?

So why do you need it to be MOT'd now?

Carnmore

motorguy wrote: »

Presumably as the van is now registered on the UK mainland it just required MOT at 4 years?

Yes but in NI, where the owner is resident, it is three years.

motorguy wrote: »

So why do you need it to be MOT'd now?

The vehicle has a 12 month warranty which includes a pre-MOT check and any post-MOT work required so I need it to be MOTd in 2019.

poorweelass

MOT in NI is at 4 years old, not 3

motorguy

Carnmore wrote: »

Yes but in NI, where the owner is resident, it is three years.

Ah right i read that the wrong way round - i read it that it was bought in NI and was now in the UK.

motorguy

poorweelass wrote: »

MOT in NI is at 4 years old, not 3

Not for LGV's - its 3 years. 4 years for cars.

chuffniut

I can't see any reason why you can't take a car to have an MOT at any stage. You don't HAVE to but if you want to, there's nothing to stop you.

System

motorguy wrote: »

Not for LGV's - its 3 years.

Sure about that? Its 12 months after date of first registration the first one is due. LGVs have never and will never be 3 years for the simple fact of the mileage and the hammer they get. Our lorries are double shifted and doing aroundr 200,000 miles a year.

AdrianC

chuffniut wrote: »

I can't see any reason why you can't take a car to have an MOT at any stage. You don't HAVE to but if you want to, there's nothing to stop you.

NI is very different in MOTing to the rest of the country - tests are only done by government-run centres, so it may well be harder to book.


Vehicles aren't "registered in England" - apart from DVLA being in Wales, all UK vehicles are registered there now, after the old DVLNI closed a few years back and everything got transferred. MOT requirement is based solely on the address the vehicle's registered to. If it's registered to an NI address, it goes on the NI timings. I presume this particular van was new in GB, is on a "GB plate" rather than an "NI plate", and is now registered to an address in NI, where you're based?

If the manufacturer's warranty specifies something different to local law, then I'd expect any NI dealer would be perfectly familiar with the process. But, yes, I think you might be getting confused with the timings.
NI - van 3yrs, car 4yrs
GB - van 3yrs, car 3yrs

So if this is a van, it sounds like it's actually a problem with whatever's determining when the test is due - the test booking system?

motorguy

Tarambor wrote: »

Sure about that? Its 12 months after date of first registration the first one is due. LGVs have never and will never be 3 years for the simple fact of the mileage and the hammer they get. Our lorries are double shifted and doing aroundr 200,000 miles a year.

** Edited as per AdrianC's subsequent comment **

LGV as in Light Goods Vehicle as per the government website link.

https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/what-mot-scheme

First paragraph -

"When vehicles are tested

You can check the status of your vehicle by calling DVA Enquiries on 0300 200 7861, however, as a general rule the points below indicate when your vehicle will be due a MOT test:

• cars and motorcycles which are four years old and over
• light goods vehicles from three years old
  
• trailers, large passenger carrying vehicles and heavy goods vehicles (over 3,500kgs gross weight) from one year old
• buses and taxis from when they are first used"

Then again half way down -

"Goods vehicles and trailers

All goods vehicles with an gross vehicle weight up to and including 3,500kgs (light goods vehicles) must be submitted for first test on the third anniversary of the date on which they were first registered and once a year thereafter."

motorguy

AdrianC wrote: »

NI is very different in MOTing to the rest of the country - tests are only done by government-run centres, so it may well be harder to book.


Vehicles aren't "registered in England" - apart from DVLA being in Wales, all UK vehicles are registered there now, after the old DVLNI closed a few years back and everything got transferred. MOT requirement is based solely on the address the vehicle's registered to. If it's registered to an NI address, it goes on the NI timings. I presume this particular van was new in GB, is on a "GB plate" rather than an "NI plate", and is now registered to an address in NI, where you're based?

If the manufacturer's warranty specifies something different to local law, then I'd expect any NI dealer would be perfectly familiar with the process. But, yes, I think you might be getting confused with the timings.
NI - van 3yrs, car 4yrs
GB - van 3yrs, car 3yrs

So if this is a van, it sounds like it's actually a problem with whatever's determining when the test is due - the test booking system?

^^^^^^^^^^^^^
What this man says.