Driving home from MoT without tax - with a twist
Discussion
The basic situation is:
Car is insured and SORN'd.
Was driven (legally) to a pre-booked MoT at beginning of month. Car passed MoT but remained at garage as a coolant leak was found which needed to be repaired before going anywhere. By the time the part came, then snow + work commitments I couldn't collect the car until this week.
The question is, can I now legally drive it home without taxing it first? I'm hoping its still covered by the exemption allowing you to drive to/from an MoT station for a test without tax, but is the fact the test was passed a couple of weeks ago going to land me with some points and a fine if stopped?
I could tax it online, but don't want to before the beginning of the month as I'll lose a months tax for a 10 mile journey. I can't wait until after the 1st of the month to collect as the garage want it gone, so needs to be collected by the weekend.
Car is insured and SORN'd.
Was driven (legally) to a pre-booked MoT at beginning of month. Car passed MoT but remained at garage as a coolant leak was found which needed to be repaired before going anywhere. By the time the part came, then snow + work commitments I couldn't collect the car until this week.
The question is, can I now legally drive it home without taxing it first? I'm hoping its still covered by the exemption allowing you to drive to/from an MoT station for a test without tax, but is the fact the test was passed a couple of weeks ago going to land me with some points and a fine if stopped?
I could tax it online, but don't want to before the beginning of the month as I'll lose a months tax for a 10 mile journey. I can't wait until after the 1st of the month to collect as the garage want it gone, so needs to be collected by the weekend.
Taking a risk these days. Car MUST be taxed or SORN declaration made at all times if I understand the new rules correctly. If you get caught without tax/SORN OFF the road it's an offence, drive on the road whilst SORN in force also = offence committed. Only way might be the exemption to which you refer, if such an exemption exists anymore, but you'd be very unlucky to get caught between test station and home. I've never needed to use the 'no tax' exemption at MOT time, so don't fully understand the rules around that - sorry!
Presumably the cost of getting it trailered home would rub out the saving you hope to make by not taxing it until the first of next month. Speak to someone with a driveway with 'spare room' nearer the garage? Offer to pay a nominal fee for 'storage costs' at MOT station? I'd be pretty glum at the thought of paying for a full month's VED for four days use too.
Presumably the cost of getting it trailered home would rub out the saving you hope to make by not taxing it until the first of next month. Speak to someone with a driveway with 'spare room' nearer the garage? Offer to pay a nominal fee for 'storage costs' at MOT station? I'd be pretty glum at the thought of paying for a full month's VED for four days use too.
Is the car in a very high tax bracket or something? If it's only in the £200-ish/annum bracket (can't rememeber the exact figure now) and you think there's a significant risk of being caught one way or another on the drive back might it not be better, for your own piece of mind, to just forego the one month's worth of tax that you'd lose? It'll only be £20-odd quid that you'd be losing?
GreigM said:
CraigyMc said:
I agree with benbay...
When did I say I would or ever have driven without tax - I asked if it was legal for the express point of ensuring I don't end up with points and fine.Can't you simply tax it online before you drive? Yes you will be committing the minor "offence of failure to display" but they have to catch you first! And as you have only just purchased the tax on line, if caught you might get let off. There is or was talk of a 5 day grace period due to the tax disc coming by mail, not sure if that is official though.
interloper said:
Can't you simply tax it online before you drive? Yes you will be committing the minor "offence of failure to display" but they have to catch you first! And as you have only just purchased the tax on line, if caught you might get let off. There is or was talk of a 5 day grace period due to the tax disc coming by mail, not sure if that is official though.
5 days soon to become 14 days grace period, as long as the tax disc is purchased before the first day of the month it commences 
.But only if the vehicle was taxed to the last day of the previous month (ie continuously) and not SORNed, so it doesn't apply here
.GreigM said:
xRIEx said:
If you were that worried about it, you would have got the tax bought during the intervening two weeks.
You're assuming I was aware it had passed 2 weeks ago. I wasn't aware until today.Or if you don't fancy arguing with the police, just buy some tax.
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