Prosecuted for no MOT

[James_B]

I screwed up, and missed getting my MOT done last week. I was subsequently pulled in one of London’s less pleasant areas (“we stop all cars like yours here sir, they are normally stolen.”) and will be prosecuted for driving without an MOT.

That’s all fair enough, I did it, so it makes sense, but I wonder if anyone has any idea if I was very unlucky, or if pulled without one is nearly always prosecution.

I think the fine is £100, is there a reduction if it’s paid quickly?

[poo at Paul's]

Seems to be a common problem now since they changed the "tax disc" rules and rules on having to cash in tax when selling a car. It means millions of drivers used to the old system that tax and MOT pretty much ran out together, or at a 6m cycle, who also have no daily visual reminder that their tax is due and hence MOT may be, seem to miss the fact it is lapsed.

Guy who reversed into my missus parked car recently had no MOT, not for 6 weeks. My neighbour had his car nicked, and realised that his MOT went out over 6m before...!! Oddly enough, he got it back, found locally, still did not realise the MOT was out, then 2 months later had a call from plod who said that they were sorry, investigations into finding his nicked car had proven fruitless it had not shown on ANPR at all and must have been shipped out of the country.
No mention of no MOT on it and no mention of it being spotted as he drive it 600 miles to the n of Scotland two weeks previously!!


You're unlucky to get nabbed a week over, there's lots of cars out there in the same boat, with oblivious owners. Maybe try one of the Apps on your phone that you can get to set up and MOT and tax reminder notification? May help spot it next time.

But have to take this on the chin I think.

[Pistonheader101]

poo at Paul's said:

Seems to be a common problem now since they changed the "tax disc" rules and rules on having to cash in tax when selling a car. It means millions of drivers used to the old system that tax and MOT pretty much ran out together, or at a 6m cycle, who also have no daily visual reminder that their tax is due and hence MOT may be, seem to miss the fact it is lapsed.

Guy who reversed into my missus parked car recently had no MOT, not for 6 weeks. My neighbour had his car nicked, and realised that his MOT went out over 6m before...!! Oddly enough, he got it back, found locally, still did not realise the MOT was out, then 2 months later had a call from plod who said that they were sorry, investigations into finding his nicked car had proven fruitless it had not shown on ANPR at all and must have been shipped out of the country.
No mention of no MOT on it and no mention of it being spotted as he drive it 600 miles to the n of Scotland two weeks previously!!


You're unlucky to get nabbed a week over, there's lots of cars out there in the same boat, with oblivious owners. Maybe try one of the Apps on your phone that you can get to set up and MOT and tax reminder notification? May help spot it next time.

But have to take this on the chin I think.

I’m sure you can get a text reminder from the DVla when your mot is due. In fact most dealerships give you a ring before it’s due

[chow pan toon]

Straight £100, no points, no discount. Ask me how I know...

I now put it in my phone calendar with a reminder 30 days beforehand.

[TooMany2cvs]

Pistonheader101 said:

I’m sure you can get a text reminder from the DVla when your mot is due.

Yup, you can sign up for a text/email reminder for free.
https://www.gov.uk/mot-reminder

[James_B]

chow pan toon said:

Straight £100, no points, no discount. Ask me how I know...

I now put it in my phone calendar with a reminder 30 days beforehand.

Every year I think on the way home that I’ll stick it in the calendar, every year I never get round to it. I’ll make sure that I do it this year.

The tax had run out too, but they didn’t mention that.

[chow pan toon]

James_B said:

chow pan toon said:

Straight £100, no points, no discount. Ask me how I know...

I now put it in my phone calendar with a reminder 30 days beforehand.

Every year I think on the way home that I’ll stick it in the calendar, every year I never get round to it. I’ll make sure that I do it this year.

The tax had run out too, but they didn’t mention that.

Haha, yeah I was the same. In answer to the other part of your question, I was stopped solely for the lack of MOT.

[675 Gaz]

On my last car I completwly messed up and managed to overrun by 6 months.

I was convinced it was mot'd when I bought the car, I was wrong. It was my daily commuter doing min 80 miles a day all over the place and never heard a thing. Very lucky I think.

Completely honest mistake that won't be happening to me again now !

[Gary C]

675 Gaz said:

On my last car I completwly messed up and managed to overrun by 6 months.

I was convinced it was mot'd when I bought the car, I was wrong. It was my daily commuter doing min 80 miles a day all over the place and never heard a thing. Very lucky I think.

Completely honest mistake that won't be happening to me again now !

6 months ? Pah

I was pxing my 200sx for a new mr2 and wanted my reg transferring. Got a call from the dealer saying they couldn't do it as the car had no tax or mot. Hum, I thought, it doesn't runout til the end of the month ?

Quick look at the car, oh bugger, that was a year ago !

Right pain to mot and tax. Had to take it to the dvla local office for inspection as well before they would tax it.

Didn't get caught though,

[Countdown]

A common problem for PH'ers I would have thought, especially with multiple cars and/or frequent turnover of cars.

Best thing to do is to sign up to the text reminder thing but also to have a car calendar for regular annual tasks such as

- service
- road tax
- insurance
- bodyshop for repairing all the parking dings that wife/daughters have caused

[Piersman2]

This time last year I got a reminder to tax one of the cars. I went online to do so and was rejected as car had no MOT. Checked it and the other cars out.
One was 2 weeks overdue, one was due the next week, and one was 6 months overdue. Oops.

Had them all MOT'd the following day so they all now have the same expiry date each year!

[V8RX7]

You were unlucky - or failed the attitude test.

[anonymous-user]

I never get how people forget getting an MOT, it is once a year, required. It like saying I forgot to get insurance or fill the car up with petrol.

[V8RX7]

Thesprucegoose said:

I never get how people forget getting an MOT, it is once a year, required. It like saying I forgot to get insurance or fill the car up with petrol.

There is a gauge for petrol and Insurance is always the same date every year, running multiple cars and changing them frequently it's very easily done - as is the tax now there is no disc

[Fastpedeller]

Thesprucegoose said:

I never get how people forget getting an MOT, it is once a year, required. It like saying I forgot to get insurance or fill the car up with petrol.

Crikey - that's excellent fuel economy, or very few miles!

[Gary C]

Thesprucegoose said:

I never get how people forget getting an MOT, it is once a year, required. It like saying I forgot to get insurance or fill the car up with petrol.

when you have four cars all with different MOT/Insurance/Tax dates !

[Dogwatch]

Thesprucegoose said:

I never get how people forget getting an MOT, it is once a year, required. It like saying I forgot to get insurance or fill the car up with petrol.

I think some arent bothered. there's a car parked on a nearby street which hasn't turned a wheel in months. In fact it would have difficulty turning one now as most of the tyres are flat. The MOT ran out in early August, the tax runs out in Jan or Feb. Just waiting........

[anonymous-user]

Gary C said:

when you have four cars all with different MOT/Insurance/Tax dates !

fk me 4 cars what hard work to remember 4 different days.

the people that 'forget' mots are usually the same sort who steal grapes in supermarkets.

[anonymous-user]

V8RX7 said:

Thesprucegoose said:

I never get how people forget getting an MOT, it is once a year, required. It like saying I forgot to get insurance or fill the car up with petrol.

There is a gauge for petrol and Insurance is always the same date every year, running multiple cars and changing them frequently it's very easily done - as is the tax now there is no disc

Yeah its not quite the same thing. It's fairly obvious when you're low on petrol as the car tells you, or it conks out. And lots of people forget insurance renewals too, which is why I happen to like auto-renewals - yes some bad companies might take the piss with the renewal price and you could possibly get a lower premium if you hunt around, but you can do that anyway even if it auto-renews and if you forget then you don't have the potentially huge consequences of an accident with no insurance.

IMHO the DVLA should issue MOT reminders as a matter of course as they do with tax reminders.

My memory is terrible, often I forget what I did the day before let alone remember multiple MOT dates per year. I have a list of them but then I forget to check that too Maybe I need a reminder service to remind me to check my list....

Edited by anonymous-user on Saturday 6th October 11:49

[TooMany2cvs]

Gary C said:

Thesprucegoose said:

I never get how people forget getting an MOT, it is once a year, required. It like saying I forgot to get insurance or fill the car up with petrol.

when you have four cars all with different MOT/Insurance/Tax dates !

Do you not have a calender of ANY kind? Whether it be on your phone or on your kitchen wall...?