MOT and car insurance-stuck abroad

AdrianC

Jumblebumble said:

If there is an incident and there is the slightest chance that lack of MOT contributed then the insurers can easily repudiate liability

No, they cannot.

If they can show the car was unroadworthy, then they might be able to hand the bill back to the policyholder once they've finished paying it... but they cannot "repudiate liability".

And, as we all know, the presence or absence of a current MOT certificate has precisely zero to do with the roadworthiness of a car.

Nobbie1967

Jumblebumble said:

TooManyPoints said:

from more checking it does look as if it is down to it being roadworthy as far as the insurance goes, unless one's insurance company insists on an MOT.

Your insurers cannot void Third Party cover because of a lack of MoT.

 While this is true I think this sort of advice is dangerous
If there is an incident and there is the slightest chance that lack of MOT contributed then the insurers can easily repudiate liability
The op would be far better off getting someone else to bring the car back to the UK and not be encouraged to break the law

A lack of MOT cannot contribute to an accident. If a fault in the car contributes to an accident then the presence of an MOT makes little difference, indeed it could make things worse if the fault was an advise that has been ignored. If the OP is worried, get a garage to give the car a once over to check that the car is roadworthy before embarking on your journey. Go to whatever their equivalent is to an MOT centre is and explain what you need. They should know what to look out for.

lesalanos

Jumblebumble said:

TooManyPoints said:

from more checking it does look as if it is down to it being roadworthy as far as the insurance goes, unless one's insurance company insists on an MOT.

Your insurers cannot void Third Party cover because of a lack of MoT.

 While this is true I think this sort of advice is dangerous
If there is an incident and there is the slightest chance that lack of MOT contributed then the insurers can easily repudiate liability
The op would be far better off getting someone else to bring the car back to the UK and not be encouraged to break the law

Which law would they be breaking?

cestina

Yes my UK insurance covers me for an unlimited period. It is why I have to stick with Saga. I will triple check under the circumstances.   Getting someone to take the car over and back is tricky because of the covid restrictions.  I think it's likely to have to be the reregistering route....which seems to be required under Czech law anyway. 

AdrianC

lesalanos said:

Jumblebumble said:

TooManyPoints said:

from more checking it does look as if it is down to it being roadworthy as far as the insurance goes, unless one's insurance company insists on an MOT.

Your insurers cannot void Third Party cover because of a lack of MoT.

 While this is true I think this sort of advice is dangerous
If there is an incident and there is the slightest chance that lack of MOT contributed then the insurers can easily repudiate liability
The op would be far better off getting someone else to bring the car back to the UK and not be encouraged to break the law

Which law would they be breaking?

Driving a car that does not have a valid current MOT. In the UK, it's RTA88 s45. Other countries en route will have their own legislation.

Assuming the car is roadworthy, then it's a trivial paperwork-only offence, and one that in the UK carries no points.

cestina

There is certainly no problem getting a local test to certify it as roadworthy, which it is at the moment....

lordmountararat

If there is an incident and there is the slightest chance that lack of MOT contributed then the insurers can easily repudiate liability

They cannot 'easily repudiate liability'. It is almost impossible for insurance companies to escape Road Traffic Act liability if the premium is paid up to date.

cestina

I have now double checked my car insurance policy; it is as I thought valid for unlimited driving abroad. That's the good news. The bad news is that it does require the car to have a valid MOT certificate, not just to be roadworthy.
It seems to me that I have two options. One is to discuss the situation with the company and hope that, as the ABI have said this week “Motorists should get their MOT in the usual way. If this is not possible due to the impact of Covid-19, such as the need to self-isolate, insurers will be pragmatic and not penalise you for something that is out of your control."
If they follow this line they could agree that my insurance should remain valid until I am able to return to the UK and get an MOT. In the meantime I am of course happy to agree to testing here in the Czech Republic and to have the results translated for the insurers.
I would prefer to do it this way but am concerned that if they say no, then I will not only be uninsured but they could also decide to cancel my policy which would be fairly disastrous for me given the fact that it is the only company that does give unlimited cover.
However, if I do not approach them and I continue the limited amount of winter driving over here, followed by a return to the UK driving across Europe (I very much hope by March) and have some sort of accident, that would be possibly even more disastrous although as I now understand it they should not be to repudiate at least Third Party Liability if the car is roadworthy. 
Seems to me I am between the devil and the deep blue sea.... 

Herzlos

How much is the car worth?
If it's worth a lot/important to you, then it'd be completely legal (but expensive) for you to get it shipped back to the UK, MOT'd and returned to you.
If you don't fancy that, then getting it registered in the CR would be the least effort for you and you can leave it with your daughter if/when you return to the UK.

If it's not worth much, I'd be tempted to just SORN/scrap it and buy something local. You'll have a much better time having the steering wheel on the correct side.

cestina

It's a tricky balance Herzlos. Not valuable as such, a bog standard 6 year old Hyundai iX20, but in 55 years of motoring it is one of the nicest, and certainly the most problem-free, car I have driven ranging through an Ugly Duckling to an Alhambra people carrier and all shapes and sizes between. Sadly I don't think shipping it over is within my price range. If borders were problem-free I might get a young Czech friend to do the trip but he could get stuck anywhere including getting into the UK at the moment.

I think I will have to go down the Czech registration route though daughter has never learned to drive so it's no use leaving it with her.  My first two years of driving experience were in Germany with a British car, straight after passing my test in England, so the steering wheel on the "wrong" side has always been normal for me. But thanks for the ideas, they are all grist to the mill :-)