How to legally drive/repatriate my SORN, MOT expired car

[digger_R]

As the title, my car has been SORN for a few months and is currently overseas. I just realised the MOT expired a few days ago. Obviously I can't buy road tax as it's no longer MOT'd - am i allowed to drive it to the MOT station without tax?

Any ideas how I can get the car (and drive it legally on UK soil) - entry to the UK will probably be Dover. My family home is in Birmingham, so it's ideal if I could MOT it there somehow.

[Don1]

Trailer it?

[Motorrad]

You can drive it to a pre-booked MOT appointment-you don't need road tax for that. However if stopped by the Police I think you might struggle to persuade them the distance from Dover to Birmingham is 'reasonable' which is the only requirement AFAIK.

[Glyn84]

I believe you're allowed to drive to a pre-booked MOT with a local garage without tax, and then from the garage to a post office to buy tax. You'll need insurance though.

[littleredrooster]

There is no stipulation or restriction in the regs about distance which can be driven to an MOT station.

We do this once a month at least...

[Oldandslow]

You'll probably get away with it but if stopped the car better be in very good shape. I'd expect a copper to look for anything to do you for just because of the cheek of it.

[CraigyMc]

digger_R said:

As the title, my car has been SORN for a few months and is currently overseas. I just realised the MOT expired a few days ago. Obviously I can't buy road tax as it's no longer MOT'd - am i allowed to drive it to the MOT station without tax?

Any ideas how I can get the car (and drive it legally on UK soil) - entry to the UK will probably be Dover. My family home is in Birmingham, so it's ideal if I could MOT it there somehow.

Put it on a trailer or lowloader, and don't forget to MOT and insure it next time.

[digger_R]

The car is fully insuring an in excellent condition so I wouldn't expect any issues with the state of the car if I was pulled over.
It sounds like, I either book the MoT in Birmingham and chance it, or book it in Dover with a garage I don't know

[digger_R]

digger_R said:

The car is fully insured and in excellent condition so I wouldn't expect any issues with the state of the car if I was pulled over.
It sounds like, I either book the MoT in Birmingham and chance it, or book it in Dover with a garage I don't know

[Leptons]

CraigyMc said:

Put it on a trailer or lowloader, and don't forget to MOT and insure it next time.

1) The car is insured.

2) How can he MOT it in a foreign country?

3) Why would he pay tax in Britain if he's not driving there?

4) Read thread properly next time.

[TooMany2cvs]

Leptons said:

3) Why would he pay tax in Britain if he's not driving there?

Because, under the reciprocity rules, it has to be legal "at home" in order to be legal in the country he's visiting. Which means tax/insurance/mot.

[CAPP0]

littleredrooster said:

There is no stipulation or restriction in the regs about distance which can be driven to an MOT station.

We do this once a month at least...

We do indeed - and I'll once again post that my brother in law was stopped and fined with points for his non-MOTd bike which he was taking 35 miles to an MOT place where he knew the owner. The copper argued (successfully, it seems, in light of the subsequent prosecution) that there were several MOT stations between his home and his planned destination which he could have ridden to.

There may be no specific rule but I think you'll be chancing your arm with a 150-ish mile journey to a pre-booked MOT, particularly with ANPR, and I would think you would struggle to talk your way out of that. I would have thought that travelling 10 miles instead of 5 is OK but not long distances. You could book an MOT in Dover, Canterbury, maybe even the Medway Towns, and if you were stopped the copper would be reasonably justified in wondering why you didn't.

[littleredrooster]

CAPP0 said:

littleredrooster said:

There is no stipulation or restriction in the regs about distance which can be driven to an MOT station.

We do this once a month at least...

We do indeed - and I'll once again post that my brother in law was stopped and fined with points for his non-MOTd bike which he was taking 35 miles to an MOT place where he knew the owner. The copper argued (successfully, it seems, in light of the subsequent prosecution) that there were several MOT stations between his home and his planned destination which he could have ridden to.

There may be no specific rule but I think you'll be chancing your arm with a 150-ish mile journey to a pre-booked MOT, particularly with ANPR, and I would think you would struggle to talk your way out of that. I would have thought that travelling 10 miles instead of 5 is OK but not long distances. You could book an MOT in Dover, Canterbury, maybe even the Medway Towns, and if you were stopped the copper would be reasonably justified in wondering why you didn't.

Bit difficult to do a 'custard test' on this one, but I'm struggling to believe that it was just because there was a nearer MOT place. What - precisely - was he fined/endorsed for, given that there's no apparent basis in law for this?

[Buff Mchugelarge]

... And you don't get points for no mot.

[B17NNS]

Buff Mchugelarge said:

... And you don't get points for no mot.

But technically you are uninsured so they'll do you for that instead.

I think the only way round is to have a pre-booked appointment with a test centre and be on your way to that.

[V8forweekends]

B17NNS said:

But technically you are uninsured so they'll do you for that instead.

No you aren't.

[littleredrooster]

B17NNS said:

Buff Mchugelarge said:

... And you don't get points for no mot.

But technically you are uninsured so they'll do you for that instead.

Oh no you're not...we do that one at least once a month too.

[B17NNS]

littleredrooster said:

Oh no you're not...we do that one at least once a month too.

]Failure to hold a valid MOT is an offence under Section 47 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 and can result in a fine of up to £1000. The offence of driving without an MOT does not carry penalty points although most policies of insurance will become invalid without an MOT being in place, which could lead to an offence of driving without insurance which carries between 6 and 8 penalty points.

http://www.justmotorlaw.co.uk/blog/index.php/2012/...

Edited by B17NNS on Monday 3rd February 17:56

[Spangles]

B17NNS said:

littleredrooster said:

Oh no you're not...we do that one at least once a month too.

[i]Failure to hold a valid MOT is an offence under Section 47 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 and can result in a fine of up to £1000. The offence of driving without an MOT does not carry penalty points although most policies of insurance will become invalid without an MOT being in place, which could lead to an offence of driving without insurance which carries between 6 and 8 penalty points.[/]

http://www.justmotorlaw.co.uk/blog/index.php/2012/...

They're wrong and you're wrong. Trouble is with their advice you're paying for it as well.

[B17NNS]

Spangles said:

They're wrong and you're wrong. Trouble is with their advice you're paying for it as well.

Happy to be corrected. Just what I'd always been told so did a quick google and that came up.

A few sites say the same.

http://www.nopenaltypoints.co.uk/driving-without-i...

Edited by B17NNS on Monday 3rd February 18:02