Why is it not a MOT requirement to have vehicle tax?

Mildly_Miffed

"And why aren't all these static cameras equipped to identify vehicles driving around no tax, no MOT, no insurance?"

They are. They do. They have done for years.

They require a genuine keeper's name and address in order to send a penalty to. And therein lies the issue.

What's needed is more police.

born_again

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81907616#Comment_81907616

MOT is about testing that it is safe to drive on the road.

VED has nothing to do with that.

I can ride my bike for a annual MOT (Sorn & insured). Just to stick in back in the garage, in case I fancy a ride at some point. Then I would tax it.

Grey_Critic

There are Three things you need to be LEGAL - VED - Insurance and MOT where applicable.

Driving an untaxed vehicle is an offence - Driving without Insurance is an offence - Driving without a crrent MOT is an offence - Without VED and MOT can invalidate the Insurance. You can drive to a pre=booked MOT without VED but you must have insurance.

B0bbyEwing

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81907757#Comment_81907757

My apologies - I should've been more specific since you could be saying yes thinking I'm asking if the form on the website works. Clearly the form works.

I was meaning do you actually think that form DOES anything, leads to anything?

Newsflash - it doesn't.

It's also poorly designed because they want to know what street the car was on. What about if you see the car out & about but it's the 1 & only time that car will drive on that street? Will they contact the owner at their address? I doubt it very much.

A better form would include an option to upload proof of use where dashcam footage could be included which could include location stamps.

But nobody is interested. They're only interested if they've nothing else to do & then they post on their local policing facebook groups like they're clamping down on it - they're not.

I've reported (with video evidence) people driving down the wrong side of the road, narrowly missing a collision, tailgating etc all without MOT, sometimes tax, sometimes insurance. I remember doing one that had no tax & no MOT but was insured.

Police - not interested.

Only once have the police been interested & this was after me dragging them to it pretty much. their initial reply was not our area. Contact DVLA.

Funny that because government website says it IS your area, so who's wrong now, the gov website or you?

Can't do anything without a time & date stamp - another hurdle they tried to set (hang on I thought you said it wasn't your area a second ago??!)

Got them that.

Then there was another hurdle. Finally in the end they came & spoke with the guy & he got his car MOTd. It wasn't a genuine forget either because I knew the guy & he's an arrogant do as I want.

But I know I know ….. they're out fighting "more important" crime.

Ozzig

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81908549#Comment_81908549

No need to apologise.

For me, both the online form and the process worked.

Newslfash - used it twice, both times the vehicle was stickered then towed away.

The DVLA has a finite number of agents and flatbed recovery vehicles; they need to know where to send them. Reporting a moving vehicle would be a waste of time.

Yes, report those offences to the police 100%, again, lacking in resources, but there's always a small chance it ends in something positive.

uknick

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81908096#Comment_81908096

Well yes, but if some people had to pay VED before they got an MOT they wouldn't get the MoT. Hence better to have them get a check their vehicle is safe for a just few £.

(Yes, I know you can pay VED by DD and then cancel it after the MoT is done. But, if caught that shows clear intent to break the law and drive without VED thus negating any chance of the "I forgot to tax it" defence)

Car_54

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81908776#Comment_81908776

But there is no such defence.

Mildly_Miffed

It's perfectly legal and reasonable to test a car, then not tax it immediately. Just… don't use or keep it on the road.

As has been pointed out, you can't tax a car without a current test.

Also, you can't have a taxed but uninsured car.

This is a total non-issue. Yes, there should be better enforcement… perhaps if we hadn't had a succession of governments who knew the price of everything and the value of nothing, working their hardest to cut public services to the bone…

born_again

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81908776#Comment_81908776

VED is not always a few £, & why should you have to pay VED to get a MOT?

facade

As said, you need an MOT to tax, so if the MOT had expired you couldn't tax it.

It just shows up the flaws with our "enforcement by post" systems, the people who don't bother registering their address are immune to all motoring laws, with little chance of actually being caught.

The DVLA contractors do drive around using ANPR to search out parked untaxed vehicles from around the second week of the month (IDK what they do for the first two weeks) and clamp them. They can actually come onto private property to clamp an untaxed & unSORNd vehicle parked on your drive, although they usually only do this when they can't fill their quota with easier ones parked on the road.

Again there is very much a two tier system. They only tour "quiet" areas (they frequently clamp cars in my street, and when I look them up they were often ones rated at zero VED) as if they tried it in "rough" areas they would be lucky if they only lost their clamp….