Taking an untaxed car on le shuttle eurotunnel?

[r8hilbocus]

Hi all,
I was hoping to get some advice on taking a vehicle on the channel tunnel. I have a car in france that isn't MOTd or taxed but will be dropped off at Calais on a trailer. since it's not going on the roads, I am ok to drive it off the trailer onto the train, then back onto another trailer at the other end in Folkestone. Will customs allow it without tax?

Thanks

[Taita]

Chance of being noticed / anyone caring must be quite low, even with ANPR (as it might look up against a different database than the tax one?)

Must be loads of untaxed vehicles each day given how frequent it is across the country?

[stevemcs]

It will be fine, you need an MOT to get the tax and if its lived in France it wouldn't need an MOT.

[Pit Pony]

PREBOOK an mot in the UK.

Distance does not matter. You coukd legally drive to Anglesey from Dover to a prebooked MOT

As long as you have insurance.

[Panamax]

Taita said:

Chance of being noticed / anyone caring must be quite low, even with ANPR

Priceless.

[Granadier]

Ah, excellent, I was waiting for the monthly "can I drive an untaxed car 200 miles to a prebooked MoT?" thread. Quite an interesting variation this time, throwing in an international dimension.

[jm8403]

Panamax said:

Taita said:

Chance of being noticed / anyone caring must be quite low, even with ANPR

Priceless.

he's right tho

[r8hilbocus]

it's more about whether they'll let me on the train without tax. I don't intend to get it MOT any time soon, it will just go back on a trailer in the UK.

[stevemcs]

They don’t check for tax, only passport and tickets

[MattyD803]

Just a thought....when you drive off Eurotunnel on the English side, you basically get directed straight onto the UK road network....i'm not aware of any side roads you could use to avoid doing so? Therefore, unless someone comes along and tells you otherwise, you'd need to be a little be clever about where to site the collection trailer to minimise risk of getting 'picked up' by police or ANPR. I can't help but think that of all the places the plod / ANPR might be sited, it'll be in that area to pick up those coming straight into the UK off the trains....?

[peterperkins]

Clearly the intention and method proposed to achieve it are reasonable and proportional.
This is not some mickey taking scheme. Of course there may be minor law infringement along the way.

Just park receiving trailer as near to exit from tunnel station as possible, load up and be off.

Automated offence detection might be an issue but a sensible officer offered a reasonable explanation by a polite enthusiast as outlined is unlikely to get excited.

[Jester86]

There is ANPR as you come off the trains in Folkestone and there is nowhere to park up that is private property that you can load the car onto a trailer without being on public roads. I know as I helped install the ANPR.

I would 100% make sure you remain the right side of the law when you hit UK soil.

[MattyD803]

Is the car on British or French plates?

[Truckosaurus]

Thinking slightly outside of the box. Remove the number plates when you are on the train. You won't go through any checks between the train and the road network and you can pull off into the petrol station a few hundred metres from the train, before merging onto the motorway proper.

[MattyD803]

Truckosaurus said:

Thinking slightly outside of the box. Remove the number plates when you are on the train. You won't go through any checks between the train and the road network and you can pull off into the petrol station a few hundred metres from the train, before merging onto the motorway proper.

But I don't think he will be able to get a trailer to said petrol station....? IIRC, it's accessed via those exiting Eurotunnel only...and staff via the service road.

[RB Will]

Maybe change plans to ferry it?
I know your car is a runner OP so not quite the same situation as mine. I broke down on the way back from the Ring a few years back.
Obviously because of how you load, Eurotunnel won’t let a broken down car on the train so I had to sack that off and go via ferry.
The flatbed dropped me off in the lorry bit at Calais, one of the tugs then pulled me onto the lorry deck of the ferry then a AA truck met me at the bottom of the ferry ramp at Dover having been dragged off that side.
Dunno if Joe Public could get same level of access?

Otherwise, I’m not sure if you can access the petrol station straight after getting off the train via the service road from the A20 or if that is controlled access? Failing that I’d have the trailer waiting near to Folkestone Rugby Club.
Other than that you are stuck going 5 miles up the M20 to the first services

[Jester86]

RB Will said:

Otherwise, I’m not sure if you can access the petrol station straight after getting off the train via the service road from the A20 or if that is controlled access? Failing that I’d have the trailer waiting near to Folkestone Rugby Club.
Other than that you are stuck going 5 miles up the M20 to the first services

There is no public access to the petrol station on the egress road. Only offloading passengers/HGVs and staff can access it.

[dan98]

Yep this is all fine, without MOT and tax, nobody gives a monkeys.
As others have said, just prebook an MOT to be on the safe side.