Expired MOT

[Clay1990]

Hi guys, I was wondering if you could help me out. Basically I didn't realise that my Micra's MOT had expired 10 days ago (i've booked it in at the garage now), and i've been driving it as normal, including a long trip to Bovingdon Airfield for a track experience. Needless to say, i'm bricking it because I definitely will have been past a few ANPR cameras in that timespace. Am I screwed? Any help or advice would be appreciated. Obviously i'm not going to drive the vehicle until it's done. Thanks guys.

[Mr Penguin]

Highly unlikely for anything to happen IME.

[Riley Blue]

You'll just have to wait and see what comes through your letter box.

FWIW, after 'a friend' changed cars a few years ago I they completely screwed up MOT dates and drove for three moths without one; nothing came through my their letter box.

[Clay1990]

Nice one mate

[brillomaster]

Well, you're legally allowed to drive a car to a garage for an mot test even if the current mot has expired. An ANPR camera has no way of knowing where you are going, so rather difficult to send a NIP out.

But as said, naff all you can do about it now, other than wait to see if anything turns up, and get the mot test ASAP.

FYI the far greater crime is driving a car in a dangerous condition, but to get done for that you'd need to be stopped and assessed by a BIB.

[J4CKO]

Was talking to someone about this last night, they checked their mums and it was nearly a year out of date, had done a fair few miles and nothing had happened, the MOT aspect doesnt seem to be set up with ANPR, either that or they were very lucky.

[SteBrown91]

Police don't have the time or resources to be chasing expired MOT fines using ANPR, they would get hundreds a day, and then all the counter-arguments of whether you were driving to an MOT station, checking its genuine etc would cost a fortune in admin time.

Its generally something thats checked by in-car ANPR or roadside checkpoints etc, at which point they will pull you over.

So if you havent been pulled over youll be fine.

[LuS1fer]

Highly unlikely anything will happen but no MOT is not endorsable anyway. They tend to be more interested in generating revenue from speeding courses.

[Super Sonic]

While I have been stopped for no MOT, I know of people who have driven sans mot, and nothing happened. If you didn't actually get stopped, I think your fine. It is a non endorsable offence anyway.

[sutts]

The ANPR system does not proactively scan passing vehicles for expired MOT’s - you will be fine.

[boyse7en]

Don't think you have anything to worry about. Due to an administrative oversight someone I know managed to drive around 6000 miles over a period of eight months without an MOT with no repercussions. Granted most of those miles were in a fairly rural area, but there were still several motorway trips involved.

[Gericho]

My mate bought a car and taxed it. For some reason he thought that also meant it was MOT'd. So he drove around for a year without MOT.

But the real issue is if you get stopped for no MOT then what else will they try to pick you up on. They'll do the usual tyre kicking, check insurance and all that. I believe a minimum of third-party insurance is required to keep driving the car.

Edited by Gericho on Wednesday 14th August 10:43

[SkodaIan]

Gericho said:

My mate bought a car and taxed it. For some reason he thought that also meant it was MOT'd. So he drove around for a year without MOT.

Edited by Gericho on Wednesday 14th August 10:43

You can't tax a car without a current valid MOT (unless the car is less than 3 years old) so you mate was sort of correct. However he could have taxed it with only a day of MOT left. Most likely if it was a secondhand car it actually had a few months MOT remaining and expired some time before he tried to tax it the following year.

[Clay1990]

Thanks for the answers folks, that's going to make me sleep a little easier. Next time i'll remember to get the damned thing MOT'd on time.

[E90_M3Ross]

I think you'll be OK. I think ANPR work by tax....and I don't think you can tax a car without an MOT, so providing the MOT was OK at the time the tax was set up I don't think ANPR will pick it up.

Might be wrong, mind.

[vaud]

Likely nothing, I have run without an MOT for weeks (I set a reminder in my diary and set it for the right day but the wrong month)

[Mr E]

We serviced and MOT’d our cars at the same time.
For whatever comms reason the mot didn’t happen. We didn’t check.

6 months later we couldn’t tax the thing.

Nothing happened.

[Panamax]

I think "enforcement" just comes through the process whereby you can't tax your car unless it's got a current MOT, unless you trip over some other encounter with the authorities.

[InitialDave]

sutts said:

The ANPR system does not proactively scan passing vehicles for expired MOT’s - you will be fine.

This, I've known a few people forget their MOT for multiple months and have nothing come of it.

One who did eventually get picked up for it was due to the police behind him at a petrol station checking his car, and the copper explained that it doesn't ping anything by default, it's only if they specifically check the car's details they'll see it.

[Super Sonic]

E90_M3Ross said:

I think you'll be OK. I think ANPR work by tax....and I don't think you can tax a car without an MOT, so providing the MOT was OK at the time the tax was set up I don't think ANPR will pick it up.

Might be wrong, mind.

You are indeed wrong.
When I was stopped for no MOT, I had tax on the car.