Driving untaxed car to a test

[stevep944]

Morning all

I'm in the process of registering a classic car bought in the ROI and importing back into Northern Ireland.
DVLA want me to take the car for an examination to check their details are correct before they can issue a V5C.
Obviously the car isn't taxed yet, its insured on it's ROI plates still.
They say I must transport the car to the test centre as its untaxed. I thought, maybe wrongly, you can drive an untaxed car to a pre-booked test appointment.
Are they right?

Thanks.

[Paul Dishman]

If it’s still got its ROI registration wouldn’t it need to be taxed in the ROI?
In any case why would the DVLA care about a car that’s not taxed in the ROI?

[E-bmw]

I suspect from what you say the car is yet to be registered in the UK as you do not have a V5, if that is the case I think your only course to get it there as you (therefore) cannot tax it you will have to get it there by trailer etc.

[bennno]

stevep944 said:

Morning all

I'm in the process of registering a classic car bought in the ROI and importing back into Northern Ireland.
DVLA want me to take the car for an examination to check their details are correct before they can issue a V5C.
Obviously the car isn't taxed yet, its insured on it's ROI plates still.
They say I must transport the car to the test centre as its untaxed. I thought, maybe wrongly, you can drive an untaxed car to a pre-booked test appointment.
Are they right?

Thanks.

I did similar and decided to get it transported to the test centre given it was effectively without mot / wasn't taxed / wasn't registered.

Is it of an age where it will need an MOT?

Have you got it through the NOVA test and obtained a certificate of conformity - was an absolute ball ache when i did similar previously.

[paul_c123]

stevep944 said:

Morning all

I'm in the process of registering a classic car bought in the ROI and importing back into Northern Ireland.
DVLA want me to take the car for an examination to check their details are correct before they can issue a V5C.
Obviously the car isn't taxed yet, its insured on it's ROI plates still.
They say I must transport the car to the test centre as its untaxed. I thought, maybe wrongly, you can drive an untaxed car to a pre-booked test appointment.
Are they right?

Thanks.

Do you reside in ROI, has it been imported in the last 6 months, and is it fully-legal with respect to the ROI equivalent of tax and annual test? If not, then no you can't drive a ROI car (because its unregistered in NI) on NI roads. Unless that is, there's some exemption for doing so which I've not found yet (I'm still searching).

If you had trade plates, then you could drive it on those plates and be 100% legal to-from an MoT.

In other words, its not the lack of tax or MoT which trips you up (because there's exemptions for those) but the lack of being registered (and its not a temporary import, unless it is...).

ETA I believe there is an exemption for driving to-from an inspection (ie what you refer to as an MoT, in your case) during the course of registering a vehicle BUT the problem is, the exemptions for driving an unregistered vehicle; and those for not displaying a registration mark - are different! All vehicles on UK roads MUST display either a registration mark OR a trade plate. If it doesn't have registration plates, for whatever reason, then it MUST display trade plates.

So you could arrange transport but it doesn't NEED to be trailered, it could be driven on plates.

Does the MoT place you're taking it to, have plates you could borrow?

Edited by paul_c123 on Tuesday 30th September 10:40

[E-bmw]

paul_c123 said:

stevep944 said:

Morning all

I'm in the process of registering a classic car bought in the ROI and importing back into Northern Ireland.
DVLA want me to take the car for an examination to check their details are correct before they can issue a V5C.
Obviously the car isn't taxed yet, its insured on it's ROI plates still.
They say I must transport the car to the test centre as its untaxed. I thought, maybe wrongly, you can drive an untaxed car to a pre-booked test appointment.
Are they right?

Thanks.

So you could arrange transport but it doesn't NEED to be trailered, it could be driven on plates.

Does the MoT place you're taking it to, have plates you could borrow?

I don't think (from the OP) it is an MOT test but a DVLA inspection of some description.

This won't affect the legality of the use of trade plates (I assume) but just sayin'.

[stevep944]

Thanks for the replies.

I live in NI and the car has previously been registered here and is still on the DVLA database. I have done the NOVA etc.
It's MoT exempt being 1982, but the inspection as far as I can tell is to check the VIN and that it actually is a 1982 Cortina!
Not sure if they do an MoT at the same time or not - here the MoT is done by the DVA not like garages in the UK.

I'll probably get it transported, it's just more hassle and expense.

Cheers

[simon_harris]

when I imported Skylines from Japan it was fine to drive them to the SVA centre without tax (or MOT) so long as you had all the import paperwork and were insured.

If this is something you need to do to get a UK V5 then I would expect it would be the same rules

[E-bmw]

stevep944 said:

Thanks for the replies.

I live in NI and the car has previously been registered here and is still on the DVLA database. I have done the NOVA etc.
It's MoT exempt being 1982, but the inspection as far as I can tell is to check the VIN and that it actually is a 1982 Cortina!
Not sure if they do an MoT at the same time or not - here the MoT is done by the DVA not like garages in the UK.

I'll probably get it transported, it's just more hassle and expense.

Cheers

I am pretty sure it is literally just an "identity check" so wouldn't expect an MOT standard test, just to say it is what it claims to be before issuing a fresh V5.

[stevep944]

Yes that's what I think.