Imported car without rear seatbelts

[samoht]

My parents are accommodating a Ukrainian family, who have arrived in a 1990s Toyota Carina E which has no seatbelts for the rear seats (and never has had).

So the questions are:
- if they travel with their three 12 year old children in the back, might they get in trouble?
- will it be able to pass an MoT to re-register it in the UK, assuming they stay long enough to need to?
- what sort of company should they be looking for to retro-fit rear seatbelts? I imagine the car has the mountings present, since it was sold with rear belts elsewhere.

[Baldchap]

I believe rear seatbelts are tested 'where fitted'. Check in the ask an mot tester thread to be sure.

[sixor8]

All cars registered after 1987 have to have rear seatbelts fitted in the UK. I'm surprised a 1990 Toyota, even in a different country would be produced without them. So it would be a MoT fail, but if you remove the rear seats entirely, it may pass with an advisory. If it's LHD though, the headlamps will have to be masked or RHD lamps fitted.

The 'only if fitted' is one of the rare times a later law retrospectively trumps 'grandad' rights. If you have a car with no rear belts (my 1975 Triumph hasn't), you CANNOT transport a child under 135cm tall or 12 years old in the rear unrestrained.

https://www.gov.uk/seat-belts-law

Edited by sixor8 on Saturday 24th December 09:40

[Chubbyross]

I used these guys to change some seat belts in a Porsche a few years ago. Great service. They may be able to help.

https://www.quickfitsbs.com/

[Mave]

sixor8 said:

The 'only if fitted' is one of the rare times a later law retrospectively trumps 'grandad' rights. If you have a car with no rear belts (my 1975 Triumph hasn't), you CANNOT transport a child under 135cm tall or 12 years old in the rear unrestrained.

https://www.gov.uk/seat-belts-law

Edited by sixor8 on Saturday 24th December 09:40

I don't think that's the case. The pages you quoted is open for misinterpretation IMHO, but if you look at the page about "what if your car doesn't have seat belts"

https://www.gov.uk/seat-belts-law/if-your-vehicle-...

It says

"If your vehicle doesn’t have seat belts, for example it’s a classic car, you aren’t allowed to carry any children under 3 years old in it.

Children over 3 are only allowed to sit in the back seats.

These rules only apply if your vehicle was originally made without seat belts."

This suggests to me that children over 3 are allowed to sit in the back.

[0ddball]

Who said they were never fitted in that market? I'd be surprised, especially from Toyota who used to quite forward thinking back then.