Wife away and can't sort MOT and road tax - where does she stand?

Arunmor

If it was me I would wait until after the 1st of the month to stop this problem of being unable to tax it if the MOT runs out before the end of the month.  It is a total pain.

Once you have an MOT it will be easy to tax.

Try and get it off road if when the VWD/MOT run out.

Alternatively if nobody can drive it you could SORN it until she returns (needs to be off the public highway).

shapala

Arunmor said:

If it was me I would wait until after the 1st of the month to stop this problem of being unable to tax it if the MOT runs out before the end of the month.  It is a total pain.

Once you have an MOT it will be easy to tax.

Try and get it off road if when the VWD/MOT run out.

Alternatively if nobody can drive it you could SORN it until she returns (needs to be off the public highway).

Doesn't sound like an option as we live in a tenement flat so no driveway or anything like that around and then I'd have to find someone to drive it anyway. 

Going to see about sorting a local garage to collect and return.

Just worried what happens if it fails its MOT - car hasn't since it was manufactured in 2019 but knowing our luck of late wouldn't surprise me if fails.

Rodders53

2019 is a relatively new car so is unlikely to fail on something that isn't easy to fix (tyres, brakes, lights). Dig out the last service documents and MOT paperwork (or online) to see if there were any advisory/warnings of impending problems.

If the vehicle has stood unused for too long the battery may be flat and won't start.

You should go over it check tyres condition, depth of tread and inflation.  Start and run it for a reasonable length of time, having first checked oil level.  Top up washer water, check the windscreen wiper rubbers, and that all lights work as expected.

It may be an excuse to talk to the neighbours for help/advice, too.

My 19 plate Ford gets it's annual service and MOT at a nearby main dealer. They collect and return it in the normal charge (MOT is reduced rate as done with the service).  It's a common enough practice. 

Personally I'd avoid places like Halfrauds and Kwik Ripoff.  Get recommendations from people you trust if the normal servicing garage is now not local enough to do a collect/return.

400ixl

Is it dues a service as well as the MOT?

It is more common for garages to offer free collection and return services when a service is also involved. It may also be that at 5 years old there are additional items that may be due on the service schedule as well. Having the service at the same time they should pick up and resolve some of the more common issues.

Unlikely there will be major issues, but they would be there regardless of whether you take the car or they collect it. The fact you do not need it back in a rush actually takes the pressure off and if it does need something doing then you just arrange it with them to do it. It may cost you a little more, but I would say in your current situation taking one more thing off your wife's plate is worth it.

Stubod

shapala said:

Stubod said:

..you should find a few relatively local garages that will collect and deliver at a reasonable price...

And it's fine I don't drive and what happens if the MOT fails? Is the car then held to ransom?

..not sure what answer you are looking for....if it fails you pay to get them to fix it for you....??...( shouldn't be that much wrong with a car around 5 years old??)

molerat

Brie said:

If you google "mot at home" you should come up with a number of options.  But if you want to go with a national firm you might try Halfords.  Car Collection & Delivery Service | Halfords UK

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2024/apr/13/halfords-service-car-owner-alfa-romeo-insurance

Maybe not

mgfvvc

She can add a driver to her insurance temporarily. Last time I added a driver to my insurance for a single day it was only a quid. You can also get short term insurance by the day. I seem to remember about £15 for a day but that probably varies considerably.

prowla

Note that you can't park it on the road without Road Tax and you can't declare it SORN and keep it on the road (the "OR" is for "off road").

Therefore you'll need that MOT.

A relatively new car could fail on consumables like lights, tyres, windscreen wipers, but that's just a matter of replacing them, so no dramas.

Get it MOT'd as soon as you can before the end of the month, so you're not stressing about it and you're not going to have it there with MOT/Tax expired.

The idea of service + MOT could be a good one.

Herzlos

Virtually impossible to answer but how long are you expecting her to be away? Long term it may be easier to just sell the car to one of the car buying places that'll collect it because it'll be losing value and costing money just sitting there.

Other than that, the garages nearest you should be able to arrange some kind of system to collect, MOT, service and return it. Assuming it drives it could be as simple as one of the mechanics driving it. If it fails on anything then you'd need to get it fixed to put it back on the road and they should be able to store it off the road until sorted. Most parts for popular cars are available within a day or 2, but there's a risk that if it needs something obscure it could be unavailable for weeks so it's definitely worth getting it in for the MOT as early as possible within the 30 day window.

Bigphil1474

OP, try a local dealership for the brand of car. My Peugeot dealership does a free* collect and return service for MOT and all servicing work on my Peugeot, and it's about 5 miles away. Think they limit that to 10 miles.