MOT Query

[anothernameitist]

I've got a car with 4 months MOT.

I dont know if it will pass its next MOT, so I might sell.

If I take it for an MOT today for instance and it fails does that void my 4 months MOT, because that will make it less sellable.

I would have an issue selling it if there was a major safety fault though, but with 4 months ticket and an advisory or so I'd be comfrtable selling on, but wouldn't lie to a seller if they asked about the actual condition opinion of the car

If it passed I'd keep it

[johnster1991]

As far as I'm aware, your MOT will not be affected, you will still have the 4 months left, please someone correct me if I'm wrong though.

[Galileo]

If it fails the MOT it is deemed not fit for road use as off the time of test. The 12months is a maximum time between tests, but once the car fails you cannot just go back to the old certificate.

The plod would see it that you were willfully driving a car you knew was not fit to be on the road.

In the old (pre-central registry) days, you would have got away with it but not now that it can be checked when the last MOT was and if it failed or not.

Edited by Galileo on Thursday 24th October 11:38

[CYMR0]

Galileo said:

If it fails the MOT it is deemed not fit for road use as off the time of test. The 12 months is a maximum time between tests, but once the car fails you cannot just go back to the old certificate.

Yes you can - in fact you can't do anything else unless you get a retest.

However the car may need to be repaired before it can legally be sold or used on the road as there is a separate offence of selling an unroadworthy car.

An MoT failure doesn't void the old certificate; you just don't get a new one. Once repaired, the car will be road legal and have four months' MoT remaining (or whatever is still left at that point). If it's not repaired, it still has an MoT but won't be road legal.

Note that if you are using an unroadworthy car on the road, that is a more serious offence (with or without an MoT) than simply using a roadworthy car without a valid certificate.

Edited by CYMR0 on Thursday 24th October 11:41

[anothernameitist]

^ Thanks.

best to get an opinion off a friendly MOTer then and move from there.

[Engineer1]

I was informed by a tester that the current MOT remains valid until it expires, but if the car fails on a major safety issue there is a requiremnt to get it fixed.

[hairykrishna]

You are right that failing an MOT effectively judges it unroadworthy, but I don't think it invalidates the certificate. They're essentially two different things - you are always required to keep the car roadworthy.

If, for example, he took it for a test and it failed on the tyres which he then replaced but didn't bother with a retest he'd still be able to legally drive it for the four months of the existing certificate, wouldn't he?

Edit- oops lots people said the same thing while I was typing.

[Andyjc86]

An MOT is valid for the length of the certificate. A failed MOT does not invalidate an existing certificate.

Whether the car is roadworthy is another matter though.

[Galileo]

I've just checked and EVERYTHING I said is wrong.

[mrmr96]

Galileo said:

I've just checked and EVERYTHING I said is wrong.

lol, good on you for coming back and admitting it.

OP - if I were you i'd take it somewhere which can do a "Pre MOT Check" for you. I.e. it's basically an MOT test, but it's not a formal MOT test.

This is because if you take it for a real test and it failed then there would be a note in the electronic records (available online and which a buyer may want to check) that it had failed. Doesn't stop you driving around in the car, but it would potentially diminish the value if the buyer checks online.

[CYMR0]

Galileo said:

I've just checked and EVERYTHING I said is wrong.

To be fair, when a car fails an MoT it may well be judged unroadworthy as you said - it's just that it's curable without a new test.

Good on you for being so frank though.

[anothernameitist]

good man Galleo.

Yes I've got the intention of a pre MOT.

Worth asking for others points of view Cheers

[Galileo]

To be fair, I am married. I get to use that sentence quite often.