Insurance, MOT, Tax, License - order of completion

[bestest]

Hi All,

This is my first post here, so please excuse me if I am asking newbie questions or breach general board etiquette.

I have a complicated question - or at least it appears complicated to me!

I recently bought a car from a friend who was emigrating to warmer places. I didn't have a license (and still don't) and bought the car with plans of getting the license during the summer, but haven't managed to get it yet.

I have SORNed the car and it is parked on a private road. As it is on a private road and not being driven, it is also not insured. I do not have insurance myself.

My plan was to get the provisional licence, get the car and myself insured, get the car taxed/de-SORNed and then take it out on public roads.

However, I just noticed that the MOT expires at the end of this month, and that's what's suddenly complicating things.

How do I take the car out to get the MOT done without having a licence, drivers' insurance or car insurance?

I saw someone posted a similar query in the past, but at least they seemed to have had a licence so they could get single-day insurance cover to cover the trip to the MOT.

In my case, what are my options without a licence? Can I get a friend with a licence to get a single-day drivers' cover to drive me and the car to the MOT? Will they be able to get a single-day cover for the car as well (3rd party and car cover)?

[kdri155]

You will be able to get a friend to obtain temporary day cover to get to test station and back, just be sure to check with the company offering insurance as some are age specific over 21/25 etc, also make sure you have pre-booked the mot test.

[InitialDave]

bestest said:

In my case, what are my options without a licence? Can I get a friend with a licence to get a single-day drivers' cover to drive me and the car to the MOT? Will they be able to get a single-day cover for the car as well (3rd party and car cover)?

Yes, they will.

If the car is insured, you can drive it to a pre-booked MOT untaxed.

If you get the MOT, you can then tax it.

If it becomes uninsured again, you must take the tax off it.

Alternatively, for less than the cost of the short-term insurance (or perhaps even for free), the garage doing the MOT may come and pick the car up and then return it afterwards, removing the entire problem for you.

[bestest]

Thanks kdri155!

[bestest]

Thanks InitialDave - that's such a relief!

[bestest]

InitialDave said:

If you get the MOT, you can then tax it.

If it becomes uninsured again, you must take the tax off it.

Does this mean I need to compulsorily SORN the car again when the short-term insurance expires?

Also, can I leave the car SORN-ed while I take it out for MOT if that's the only time I am taking the car out for a while?

Sorry for a follow-up that's a little tangential to my main question.

[xRIEx]

bestest said:

Does this mean I need to compulsorily SORN the car again when the short-term insurance expires?

Yes, if it's not insured it must be SORN'd.

bestest said:

Also, can I leave the car SORN-ed while I take it out for MOT if that's the only time I am taking the car out for a while?

You have to, as you cannot buy tax for it without a valid MOT.

[bestest]

Thanks xRIEx, this clarifies.

[bestest]

InitialDave said:

Alternatively, for less than the cost of the short-term insurance (or perhaps even for free), the garage doing the MOT may come and pick the car up and then return it afterwards, removing the entire problem for you.

Hi InitialDave, this just occurred to me - if the car is not insured, even the garage folks wouldn't be able to take it on to a road will they? The garage driver may have a drivers' insurance, but shouldn't the car be insured as well (e.g. third-party insurance)?

[londonbabe]

The garage shouldn't need to take it on the road for an MoT.
Even if they did trade plates would cover it.

I was in your situation once. I got the provisional licence, insured the car, picked it up and drove it for an MoT, then taxed it after it passed. Drove if for a year on L plates, then didn't pass my test for another 10 years. :-)

[bestest]

Thanks Londonbabe!

londonbabe said:

The garage shouldn't need to take it on the road for an MoT.

They would need to drive it to the MOT centre under a pickup service as InitialDave was recommending - the car is parked on a private road under SORN

But reassuring to know others have been through a similarly complicated journey

[bestest]

Thanks Londonbabe!

londonbabe said:

The garage shouldn't need to take it on the road for an MoT.

They would need to drive it to the MOT centre under a pickup service as InitialDave was recommending - the car is parked on a private road under SORN

But reassuring to know others have been through a similarly complicated journey

[xRIEx]

bestest said:

InitialDave said:

Alternatively, for less than the cost of the short-term insurance (or perhaps even for free), the garage doing the MOT may come and pick the car up and then return it afterwards, removing the entire problem for you.

Hi InitialDave, this just occurred to me - if the car is not insured, even the garage folks wouldn't be able to take it on to a road will they? The garage driver may have a drivers' insurance, but shouldn't the car be insured as well (e.g. third-party insurance)?

A motor trade policy will cover "any vehicle in the policyholder's custody or control" so it will be fine.

[bestest]

Great, thanks xRIEx!

[B'stard Child]

InitialDave said:

Alternatively, for less than the cost of the short-term insurance (or perhaps even for free), the garage doing the MOT may come and pick the car up and then return it afterwards, removing the entire problem for you.

That's what my local MOT place do for me on a reasonably regular basis - I don't insure/tax all cars all the time (kept off road and SORN when not in use) but I try to keep all of them with a current MOT so if required I can insure and tax and get them back on the road with minimum effort sometimes the timelines don't work out right and I end up with a car which doesn't have MOT

My E38 is uninsured and untaxed and has an expired MOT - I have to replace all the suspension arms/linkages - once this is done I'll ask the MOT place to collect, test and return the car to me - then it will be ready to be insured and taxed and back on the road when I want/need it.

They've never charged me for anything other than the cost of the MOT but then I do use them for all tyres and exhausts that I've needed to over 25 years have built a reasonable relationship and this does help.