Car tax and MOT timing

overcharged123

My car failed its MOT. The garage is fixing the problems but won't get the MOT done till Tuesday 3rd September.
The tax is due tomorrow (1st). I can't pay it until the car has passed its MOT.
Do I have to SORN it? And if so, is removing the SORN difficult or do I just pay the tax?

Thanks in advance for your time

Sammy2018

If the car's on the garage's property, then presumably that would be regarded as private property, therefore car tax would be non-applicable?

As long as it's not on a public road, then would there really be an issue?

overcharged123

Thanks Sammy, I was hoping that would be the case. The car is on the garage's property.

But if you don't need to SORN as long as the car is not on the public road, then there would be no need for SORN at all, since a condition of SORN is that the car is not on the public road.

I'm just concerned that I will be fined for having a car that is neither taxed nor SORNed.

SHAFT

Sammy2018 wrote: »

If the car's on the garage's property, then presumably that would be regarded as private property, therefore car tax would be non-applicable?

As long as it's not on a public road, then would there really be an issue?

It's an offence to keep an untaxed vehicle unless it's subject to a sorn.

For two days I can't see it being an issue.

Car_54

SHAFT wrote: »

It's an offence to keep an untaxed vehicle unless it's subject to a sorn.

For two days I can't see it being an issue.

You're probably right, but garages' "two days" often become four ...


It costs nothing to SORN it to be on the safe side

SHAFT

Car_54 wrote: »

You're probably right, but garages' "two days" often become four ...


It costs nothing to SORN it to be on the safe side

I still can't see it being a problem, few years ago I forgot to tax one and it was out for about two weeks. Never heard a thing from the dvla.

facade

If you SORN it, you cannot tax it online for several days, and have to go to the Post Office.


I wouldn't bother if it is only for a few days, and I was going to tax it from the first of that month anyway. The speed of most Government divisions it will take a couple of weeks for them to react, by which time it will be taxed anyway, with no gaps, and won't have been driven on the road untaxed.


Make sure the Garage know it isn't taxed and they can't park it on the road for a few days, and buy the tax online as soon as it gets its MOT.



(But if the DVLA actually do get their finger out, you could go to Prison for 10,000 years or something....)

Rover_Driver

SHAFT wrote: »

It's an offence to keep an untaxed vehicle unless it's subject to a sorn.

Or exempt, one of the exemptions is if the vehicle is kept by a motor trader or vehicle tester at business premises - s.29 2(C), Vehicles Excise & Registration Act 1994.

Car_54

Rover_Driver wrote: »

Or exempt, one of the exemptions is if the vehicle is kept by a motor trader or vehicle tester at business premises - s.29 2(C), Vehicles Excise & Registration Act 1994.

1. I may be wrong, but I don't believe that exception applies. The person "keeping" the car isn't the motor trader or vehicle tester, but the registered "keeper", i.e. the OP.


2. In any case there is a separate offence [section 31(a(1))] "If a vehicle registered under this Act is unlicensed, the person in whose name the vehicle is registered is guilty of an offence." There is a number of exceptions to this section, including SORN, but not including motor traders' or testers' premises.

AdrianC

overcharged123 wrote: »

My car failed its MOT. The garage is fixing the problems but won't get the MOT done till Tuesday 3rd September.
The tax is due tomorrow (1st). I can't pay it until the car has passed its MOT.

I presume the old MOT has already expired?

Do I have to SORN it? And if so, is removing the SORN difficult or do I just pay the tax?

For a few days, I wouldn't bother SORNing. Just tax it as soon as it's tested.

Rover_Driver

The person 'Keeping' the vehicle and the 'Registered Keeper' can be two different entities, as can the 'Owner', a trader can be the temporary 'Keeper'. The registered keeper of an exempt vehicle does not commit the s.31A offence - s.31A, (3),(b).