Car not being used - parked on drive but MOT about to expire

rubble2

Hello,
Pardon my ignorance on this but I am currently not able to drive due to medical reasons. My car is taxed until April and is insured but the MOT runs out next month.

The car is parked off road and wont be needed till November, can I just leave the car parked up with no MOT until it is needed again or do I have to declare it in some way similar to SORN?

Thanks

Mildly_Miffed

It's absolutely fine to have it taxed with no MOT, so long as it's not on the road.

However, it MUST be insured at all times it's taxed. If the insurance lapses, it must be SORNed.

It may well be worth getting it tested, though, so that somebody else can take it out for a run every now and then. Is it at least on a battery charger?

rubble2

Mildly_Miffed said:

It's absolutely fine to have it taxed with no MOT, so long as it's not on the road.

However, it MUST be insured at all times it's taxed. If the insurance lapses, it must be SORNed.

It may well be worth getting it tested, though, so that somebody else can take it out for a run every now and then. Is it at least on a battery charger?

Thanks for that, I did think about someone giving it a run occasionaly so will go ahead with the test as you suggest.

CliveOfIndia

Yep, having no MOT is no issue at all as long as it's not on the road - and is unrelated to tax and insurance in that scenario.  Miffed makes a very good point though, in that you may wish to keep it MOT'd so that you (or someone else, insurance permitting) can take it for a run now and then.

It's when/if the insurance lapses that you need to be careful.  If it's taxed then it must have insurance, if you have no insurance then you need to SORN it.

Even if you do SORN it, you may want to consider getting a "lay-up" insurance policy - just in case it should get damaged whilst it's sitting on your drive.  There's no legal requirement for this, it would be purely for your own peace of mind.

From what you've said, this probably won't apply to your situation, but it's worth bearing in mind should your plans change.

LightFlare

Was in a similar situation 18 months ago.

I would agree with the advice of getting the MOT done anyway and getting someone to give it a good run every now and again (obv, make sure they are insured)

prowla

I'd SORN it, as otherwise you are paying tax for several months of non-use.