Driving from England to Northern Ireland for booked MOT, without road tax

openotherside28

I live in NI, and I'd like to buy a car in England and bring it over. The car has a valid MOT and as far as I know it's roadworthy. I'd like to keep it SORN for about 3 months after buying.

Can I legally book another MOT for it in NI, and bring it over on the ferry with short term insurance and no road tax, to avoid paying a month's road tax for one day of driving? I realise I'd probably get stopped and have to explain myself, but have heard of people covering long distances within mainland GB on this basis.

If I can do this, does it have to be just in time for the MOT or could I travel earlier? Then once the car is parked off road again, can I cancel the MOT booking and declare SORN?

Stateofart

The rules are pretty simple.  Car on the road, parked, running or non-runner needs road tax.  It'll be one month minimum, just to cover that day, unfortunate but the government changed the rules for a reason...more £££

You can travel to an MOT station for a test without an MOT, but you'll need proof you are going.  Going long distance won't convince any cop in the land when there are millions of perfectly good MOT stations nearby.

Grumpy_chap

openotherside28 said:

I live in NI, and I'd like to buy a car in England and bring it over. The car has a valid MOT and as far as I know it's roadworthy. I'd like to keep it SORN for about 3 months after buying.

Can I legally book another MOT for it in NI, and bring it over on the ferry with short term insurance and no road tax, to avoid paying a month's road tax for one day of driving? I realise I'd probably get stopped and have to explain myself, but have heard of people covering long distances within mainland GB on this basis.

If I can do this, does it have to be just in time for the MOT or could I travel earlier? Then once the car is parked off road again, can I cancel the MOT booking and declare SORN?

You need to insure and have valid VED for the car while driving from England to NI.

It is not relevant in this case, as you state the car as a valid MOT, but it is permissible to drive a car to a pre-booked MOT without a valid MOT or VED for that essential journey.  Again, I suspect a pre-booked MOT far away from the starting point would not be covered under that "essential" criteria.

Regardless of MOT status, the driver is responsible for ensuring that the car is road worthy.

Mildly_Miffed

No, the "take it to an MOT" exemption is for prosecution for driving without a current MOT.
Without an MOT, you can't tax the car, so the exemption covers prosecution for driving an untaxed car, too.

This car has an MOT. The exemption doesn't apply.

Also, the exemption is only for driving STRAIGHT TO the test centre, not to your home first then cancelling the test.

You're going to have to tax it - then cancel the tax again if you want to SORN it.

How much is a month's tax, anyway...?

paul_c123

From https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1994/22/schedule/2 (Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994)

22(1)A vehicle is an exempt vehicle when it is being used solely for the purpose of—

(a)submitting it (by previous arrangement for a specified time on a specified date) for a compulsory test [F58, a vehicle identity check] [F59or a vehicle weight test], or

(b)bringing it away from [F60any such test] [F61or check].

The problem is, the word "solely". You'd need to be prepared to stand up in court and say, the only reason you were doing that journey was to go get it MoT'd. Whilst the legislation doesn't mention distance, I believe people have been done for stopping at the shops and buying fags etc so a trip of many hundreds of miles would take some explaining.

Also in cases where the trip IS hundreds of miles, its been found to be reasonable that if you, for example, bought an otherwise roadworthy car just that didn't have MoT, then planned a trip from its collection directly to the MoT station, it could still be said the purpose was solely to get it to the test.

By booking it in for a test when it ALREADY HAS an MoT, it looks like you're trying to use the exemption for a wider benefit than solely getting an MoT because it needs an MoT.

Its an interesting idea but one I'd not be trying, because the financial penalty is quite severe and it just smacks of tax-dodging.

paul_c123

Also one might argue the MoT is no longer "a compulsory test" if its not run out (or within the last month of running out).

paul_c123

Mildly_Miffed said:

No, the "take it to an MOT" exemption is for prosecution for driving without a current MOT.
Without an MOT, you can't tax the car, so the exemption covers prosecution for driving an untaxed car, too.

This car has an MOT. The exemption doesn't apply.

Also, the exemption is only for driving STRAIGHT TO the test centre, not to your home first then cancelling the test.

You're going to have to tax it - then cancel the tax again if you want to SORN it.

How much is a month's tax, anyway...?

Can you cite the legislation for the above?

Herzlos

No. The MOT exemption is purely because you can't tax with an MOT. Your car has got an MOT so there's no need to get an MOT in order to tax it. 

I also doubt anyone would believe you were driving it to NI just for an MOT. 

Why are you buying it and then wanting to SORN it for 3 months? Surely you'd be better buying something in 3 months?

How much is the months tax you're trying to save?

Grey_Critic

Some body raised a similar question a coupleof years ago I seem to recall. The law is very clear any vehicle on a Public Road must be taxed, insured and have a valid MOT. As others have said you would have some difficulties convincing plod  - plus should you be involved in an accident ( and yes they do happen and not only to others) then the little money you might think you have saved would likely cost you a lot of money.

Car_54

Grey_Critic said:

Some body raised a similar question a coupleof years ago I seem to recall. The law is very clear any vehicle on a Public Road must be taxed, insured and have a valid MOT.

No definition of a “Public Road” exists AFAIK, so far from clear

 The law is not quite so clear. 

MOT and insurance are needed on “a road or public place”.

Tax is only needed on a “road maintained at public expense”.

TooManyPoints

"... can I cancel the MOT booking and declare SORN?"

Then you would not be driving it directly to the MoT station. Are you saying you will only put it in for testing if you get stopped (or perhaps not even then).

I must say it seems an awful lot of faffing about to save one month's tax.