Why would MOT month and road tax not match up?

[raptor600]

Quick question - I car I am looking at has road tax run out end of July and MOT due end of October.

Surely the months should be the same of 6 months part...or am I being completely stupid?

[soda]

People get lazy, like me taking mine off the road for a couple of months.

In the case of NI a few years back the waiting time for MOT was a couple of months, plenty driving round on an expired ticket.

[mnkiboy]

You can tax and MOT at any time. Car may have been sat on a forecourt for a month or two before being taxed.

Same with MOT - car may have had a couple of months left on MOT, but garage gave it a premature MOT to make it easier to sell.

[steve_bmw]

if you mot a car 2 months after you tax it then the dates wont match.

[orangesrule]

not if the car has been sorn or off the road at some point in it's life.

[Deluded]

Plenty of reasons they might not match up. Maybe sorned for a month or 2... maybe off the road after failing an MOT for a few months... Maybe driven without owner realising MOT had ended months before...

You are being silly.

[raptor600]

OK - perfect thanks

/thread.

[98elise]

Why would they? lots of people will MOT a car before selling as it makes a car more atractive (say 1 year vs 3 months). Tax is just part of the sums in buying and selling so I doubt someone would also tax a car before a sale (more likely to be the opposite)

[sjtscott]

You can cash tax in/sorn for a refund at any time. Additionally a car could sit off the public road with a lapsed MOT too - which only then gets done before taking it back on the road.
Seems like a non event to me to be concerned about.

[CampDavid]

raptor600 said:

Quick question - I car I am looking at has road tax run out end of July and MOT due end of October.

Surely the months should be the same of 6 months part...or am I being completely stupid?

It's probably been through a dealer who, seeing it had 5 months MOT left, MOT'd it for a customer

[FRMATT]

Mine don't, I bought the car in May with the MOT due in September, as the previous owner had sold it in April and claimed the remaining tax back.