Driving without an MOT to a garage

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sam4321

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I know you can drive without an MOT if you are are driving to a garage to get one, but..

if you are buying a vehicle without an MOT can you drive it from the seller (wiltshire) to a garage (suffolk) straight there,

or is there a distance limit?


and also, how do you get a tax disc if a vehicle id not MOT'd??

thanks
 
I would have thought you would need to book it in at an MOT garage near to the seller and drive it there. I dont think you would get away with driving it that far to be honest, best thing to do would be to book the MOT in for the morning at a garage that will the run for you then take it straight there, then you will need to get the tax as you will not get tax without an MOT
 
You can't get a tax disc without an MOT because without one its not roadworthy.

Don't know about the distance but sounds as if you will be pushing it with no tax and no MOT over such a distance. Also, I very much doubt any insurance would cover you.

Phone your police and ask them for advice might be the best thing.
 
i drove my car round for about 4months cos i forgot the mot ran out and was fine....

with the tax thing make sure u get a reciept from the seller there and then and you should be fine driving it home from teh seller - this is wat a policeman told my dad last time we bought a car home....

i would wonder why the car hasnt got an MOT tho? as a buyer that would worry me? also if the seller is a garage then could u not negoiate them to MOT it?
 
it should be booked in to the nearest garage, also most insurance companies stipulate an MOT must be in place for insurance to be valid so would check that if I were you
 
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i drove my car round for about 4months cos i forgot the mot ran out and was fine....

with the tax thing make sure u get a reciept from the seller there and then and you should be fine driving it home from teh seller - this is wat a policeman told my dad last time we bought a car home....

You may have driven your car around for 4 months but im afraid that doesnt make it legal to do so, if you were stopped by a police officer they may have had something to say about it!
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Yes you can drive the vehicle back from the seller without tax but you will still need an MOT before you can apply for the tax
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As others have said, you can't tax a vehicle unless it is MOT'd.

If you are driving the vehicle to be MOT'd then as far as I know it doesn't matter how far you dirve it, but you MUST have an appointment on that day for the MOT. If you are stopped for any reason the police will check with the garage, and if you do not have an appointment for an MOT you will be in big trouble.
 
I don't think the law has changed in 20 years - friend drove a car from Reading to Newcastle with an MOT booked at Newcastle and was OK, was in the late 80s.
Directgov info about MOTs This does not say you can't book an MOT at home, but it may be worth checking!

However if the vehicle is unroadworthy eg brakes not working, illegal tyres you may be in problems.
 
thanks very much for all your advice,

i think i would book it somewhere local to be on the safe side, and not risk it esp. as there is no tax as well.

flissy-mare - its actually a horsebox which is off road and a private seller
 
sam4321- I would do the same because im a worrier!
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I would worry that the lorry wouldnt make it home and get stuck without breakdown cover!!!
 
trubie - mee too! having experienced breaking down on the way back from buying a horsebox (which had had a new mot!!) im not keen to repeat it!!.

its a cheap box that eventually i want to put on a new chassis
 
There are two circumstances when you can drive without an MOT. First, to an MOT station. Second, away from an MOT station to the garage where it will be repaired.
Re insurance, if you are driving without an MOT and have an accident, your insurance will be invalid.
 
Sorry you can not drive it with no tax at all onless its towed ie front wheels off ground or on a trailer. If it was just because it had no mot then yes you can drive it to where ever as long as its booked in.
 
You can drive it to an MOT centre for a pre-booked test without tax. My dad has a garage (but not an MOT one) so regularly drives cars to the MOT centre. Recently he was stopped by the police on a random check, and they asked him why he wasn't using his trade plates. He correctly reminded them that he didn't need to use them to drive to the MOT centre; they actually called the other garage to check he was booked in
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which of course he was and it was fine.

Also, I drive from Edinburgh to Aberdeen to get my car the MOT. That's about 125 miles. Normally I do try to get it done before it runs out, but I would get off with that journey, so long as the test was actually booked.
 
we recently bought a car off e bay with no tax, we decided to run the risk of driving home with my husband following me all was going well until the cam belt went (ouch!) and had to pull over on motorway!we were stuck there for an hour and was dreading police stopping haha we had to be towed to garage which apparently was the only legal way to travel the car anyway!the car did have a valid mot certificate but think as long as booked in for the day your travelling its ok.its just the tax they wont let you get away with!
 
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