Am i allowed to drive my car for 10 days after an MOT fail?
Discussion
kambites said:
When does the old MoT expire?
^ ThisIf the old MOT is still current - ie not expired you can continue driving
It's why people get cars MOT'd a month before the expiry of the existing MOT - you get the MOT to expire at same date 1 yr later
If you've left it to the last day - then No unless it is to a place of repair or a pre-booked re-test
Cemesis said:
Is it correct that when you take a car for an MOT 10 days early and it fails that any remaining MOT you had becomes void at that point?
No. Your original MoT expires when it expires. It'll still be valid until it runs out. However, having a valid MoT does not make a car road-worthy so that doesn't mean it's legal to drive it. folos said:
Cemesis said:
Is it correct that when you take a car for an MOT 10 days early and it fails that any remaining MOT you had becomes void at that point?
I should think so, if it's not roadworthy.ManFromDelmonte said:
As above.
If you fail an MOT test it means, essentially, that your car is not roadworthy. Whether you have a valid MOT or not it is not legal to drive around in an unroadwrothy car (with certain exceptions).
Not strictly true. A car can fail an MOT on many things. Unless it has failed on something deemed dangerous and has then been prohibited, so long as there is time remaining on the MOT then the driver can continue to drive around until it expires. Of course if he is stopped and the police find something wrong then he risks fines, but the point is the original MOT certificate is still valid until its original expiry date, even after an MOT fail.If you fail an MOT test it means, essentially, that your car is not roadworthy. Whether you have a valid MOT or not it is not legal to drive around in an unroadwrothy car (with certain exceptions).
Stoofa said:
Not strictly true. A car can fail an MOT on many things. Unless it has failed on something deemed dangerous and has then been prohibited, so long as there is time remaining on the MOT then the driver can continue to drive around until it expires. Of course if he is stopped and the police find something wrong then he risks fines, but the point is the original MOT certificate is still valid until its original expiry date, even after an MOT fail.
So the real question is, would it flag up on ANPR? Cemesis said:
Is it correct that when you take a car for an MOT 10 days early and it fails that any remaining MOT you had becomes void at that point?
No, it's entirely incorrect. The old MOT remains valid until its expiry date.Assuming the car has faults (it may not - MOT testers aren't infallible, and I've even heard that some dodgy ones deliberately fail cars on dubious points) the faults themselves may make it illegal to drive - but as the faults were presumably present before the latest MOT it was already illegal to drive. Failing the MOT does not make driving it any more illegal than it already was.
Pragmatically speaking what to do depends on what it failed on. If it has bald tyres and brake pads worn down to the rivets then obviously don't drive it. If it failed on something like emissions, or rear seatbelts that I didn't use anyway then I would keep driving it until I got round to getting it fixed.
Even if it does have dangerous faults in order to drive it legally you just have to get them fixed - you don't need a new MOT test until the old certificate expires.
The MOT is still valid until its expiry date but the problem nowadays is that VOSA Police and Insureers share the database, depending on how quick it is updated , you could be involved in a non fault accident and your insurers would wash there hands of it as due to the failure you were driving a knowingly defective vehicle.
Welsh Ash said:
My car failed its MOT by a couple of things and was wondering, because it says i have up to 10 days to take a re-test. Does this mean i can drive my car around for ten days? Thanks
You are misreading the failure notice. The ten day period is relevant to the charge that can be made for a re test after remedial works. You don't have to have the car re tested within ten days. You can't, however, lawfully drive the car on the road unless it has a current MOT certificate (and in any event it has to be roadworthy.[quote=Who me ?]I read on some site that BIB have access to MOT information ,so any recent fail and reason would show ,as will advisories,so if stopped, it might show up that it has recently failed.
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Doesn't matter if the current one is still valid and the failures don't make it unroadworthy.
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Doesn't matter if the current one is still valid and the failures don't make it unroadworthy.
Relevant link:
https://www.gov.uk/getting-an-mot/after-the-test
NB this advice is symmetric in the sense you are permitted to drive a car with no valid MOT only to a pre-booked test.
I've had no problems with this twice in 4 years with a (ex-hillclimb, open so weather-dependant SORN) car, but I still ensure the garage has my name and car reg on the booking in case I did get pulled and the appointment called-in to check.
tl;dr: Guidance is clear, don't take the P.
https://www.gov.uk/getting-an-mot/after-the-test
NB this advice is symmetric in the sense you are permitted to drive a car with no valid MOT only to a pre-booked test.
I've had no problems with this twice in 4 years with a (ex-hillclimb, open so weather-dependant SORN) car, but I still ensure the garage has my name and car reg on the booking in case I did get pulled and the appointment called-in to check.
tl;dr: Guidance is clear, don't take the P.
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