Before anyone hurridly explodes regarding the thread title, let me explain.

I've seen what appears to be an absolute bargain for a mere £150. No need to go into why when etc, I simply consider it to be so, and that's my perogative.

The thing is, there's no mot or tax on it, and on the sellers own admission, it needs a small amount of work doing on it to pass.

He lives in Northamptonshire, and I live in Cheshire.

Tyres lights and brakes are fine.

Question is, can I LEGALLY drive it back up here PROVIDING I've pr-booked it into my mates mot station, anyone know the letter of the law surrounding this conumdrum?

I know it's possible to a pre-booked MOT, but whether you can drive the 140-150 miles to a pre-booked one, I wouldn't risk it personally

I know it's possible to a pre-booked MOT, but whether you can drive the 140-150 miles to a pre-booked one, I wouldn't risk it personally

Call to the plod shop might help?

Any traffic rozzers in here by chance?

Call to the plod shop might help?

Any traffic rozzers in here by chance?

I believe willskoda works in traffic, give him a pm

Heard it's got to be the nearest MoT centre to the present location.

I know my sisters just got herself a car and that was driven around without tax to get it to the MoT centre as we couldn't tax it till it had passed the test.

I would hire a trailer and ask a mate to tow it for you

According to direct.gov:

It is generally an offence to use on a public road, a vehicle of testable age that doesn’t have a current test certificate, except when:

• taking it to a test station for an MOT test booked in advance
• bringing it away from a test station after it has failed the MOT test, to a place of repair
• taking it to a place, by previous arrangement, where problems that caused the vehicle to fail its MOT test, can be repaired
• bringing it away from a place where the problems with the vehicle have been repaired

You can only drive it from wherever it is currently directly to an MOT station that you have already booked (wherever that may be). After it has failed the MOT you can drive the car to your home (for repairs ), to a garage for pre-booked repairs and back home again. What you are not allowed to do is drive the car to a different location before you have taken it to an MOT station for a test.

Regardless of the above exceptions for MOT/tax you still have to ensure that you are insured and that the car is road-worthy (which is something distinct from having a valid MOT).

According to direct.gov:

You can only drive it from wherever it is currently directly to an MOT station that you have already booked (wherever that may be). After it has failed the MOT you can drive the car to your home (for repairs ), to a garage for pre-booked repairs and back home again. What you are not allowed to do is drive the car to a different location before you have taken it to an MOT station for a test.

Regardless of the above exceptions for MOT/tax you still have to ensure that you are insured and that the car is road-worthy (which is something distinct from having a valid MOT).

Well that's interesting. No mention of just where the mot station has to be in relation to where the car is purchased.

Insurance cover isn't a problem, as i have a trade poicy that I simply add and/or delete vehicles from anytime online.

I've now done a google search on the question, and the genral opinion is that there isn't a mileage limit on taking it pre booked for an mot, but I'd still like some reasurrance though, and on the road tax situation too.

I'd guess what they say it correct then about the mileage, I'm not 100% where I heard it mentioned, but better safe than sorry with that kinda thing IMO.

This topic was covered in detail here http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/186474-mot-how-far-can-you-drive-a-car-to-an-mot/page__p__2230509__fromsearch__1#entry2230509

What you can do depends on whether it is SORN. No, you can't drive it from Northamptonshire to Cheshire, as quite clearly the primary purpose for the journey is to transport it back to Cheshire - not to take it in for an MOT.

MOT it locally then drive it back?

This topic was covered in detail here http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/186474-mot-how-far-can-you-drive-a-car-to-an-mot/page__p__2230509__fromsearch__1#entry2230509

What you can do depends on whether it is SORN. No, you can't drive it from Northamptonshire to Cheshire, as quite clearly the primary purpose for the journey is to transport it back to Cheshire - not to take it in for an MOT.

BOTH actually, as I would intend cleaning it up to sell it on with 11-12 months MOT.

Technically you are driving it to an MOT station - the law doesn't specify a distance or the nearest one so you will be fine on that point. The only sticking point is the road tax but you can't get that without the MOT so don't know where you stand with that one!

i think its a **** take that you have to have the insurance certificate to tax it.... as it takes a good couple of days to receive the insurance cover note through the post

most post offices will not accept a faxed cover note from an insurance company so you have to wait around for a couple of days for the hard copy....

bit of a joke really

This has been discussed before and no, you can't do it. If you were stopped (likely due to ANPR etc) then as much as you try to spin a yarn about booking it in for an MoT etc etc and trying to interpret the law to your advantage, you'll end up having the car taken away which will then cost you a whole lot more than if you'd just trailered it in the first place.

If you do it, it's a huge risk and in the event of an accident I would absolutely expect your insurance to be invalidated.

And before anyone mentions it, you can't drive it on trade plates either!

This has been discussed before and no, you can't do it. If you were stopped (likely due to ANPR etc) then as much as you try to spin a yarn about booking it in for an MoT etc etc and trying to interpret the law to your advantage, you'll end up having the car taken away which will then cost you a whole lot more than if you'd just trailered it in the first place.

If you do it, it's a huge risk and in the event of an accident I would absolutely expect your insurance to be invalidated.

And before anyone mentions it, you can't drive it on trade plates either!

Yarn?

Making me sound like some sort of cowboy trying to get away with a motoring offence.

I was merely asking for anyone that knew the definative answer to my question, NOT if anyone thought I could get away with doing something illegal.

Edited 17 March, 201115 yr by Mr Ree

You say it needs a load of work doing to it,do you think its safe to drive any sort of distance? if you do get stopped by the police & they examine the vehicle & find lots wrong with it you could be in a world of trouble,me personally would just hire/borrow a trailer & tow it home.

You say it needs a load of work doing to it,do you think its safe to drive any sort of distance? if you do get stopped by the police & they examine the vehicle & find lots wrong with it you could be in a world of trouble,me personally would just hire/borrow a trailer & tow it home.

No. In my first post this is what I actually said.....it needs a small amount of work doing on it to pass.

Apparently the windscreen washer pump has packed in. Tyres have 5mm all 'round, lights brakes and steering all fine.

Obviously if I went all the way down there and found he'd been lying mis-describing, and it was in a bad state, I wouldn't touch it, let alone drive it.

You don't need to go to "the nearest MoT station", but I think that a 150 mile trip for an MoT would be regarded as "extracting the urine". OTOH it might be reasonable as a trip to a pre-booked "place of repair", but that would depend on the vehicle in question.

For instance, taking a Nissan Skyline to Middlehurst Motors for repair would be reasonable, but claiming that you had to take a Skoda there is extracting the urine again!

Edited 17 March, 201115 yr by KenONeill

No. In my first post this is what I actually said.....it needs a small amount of work doing on it to pass.

Apparently the windscreen washer pump has packed in. Tyres have 5mm all 'round, lights brakes and steering all fine.

Obviously if I went all the way down there and found he'd been lying mis-describing, and it was in a bad state, I wouldn't touch it, let alone drive it.

My apologies,mis read post! If your happy to drive it & accept whatever happens on the journey home then thats fine,Id trailer it,if it was me or if your not happy towing then get someone to collect it for you. Hope it works out ok for you in the end.

Personally I would contact VOSA and ask them directly.

4 of us travelled from Kent to Swansea to collect 3 HGV's that were to be used at a driving school, they were not MOT'd either but VOSA gave us written permission to drive them back to Kent as they were all booked in for their MOT's the day after at the local Kent VOSA station.

Heard it's got to be the nearest MoT centre to the present location.

I know my sisters just got herself a car and that was driven around without tax to get it to the MoT centre as we couldn't tax it till it had passed the test.

It doesn't have to be the nearest, but 150 miles is probably taking the **** a bit.

Yarn?

Making me sound like some sort of cowboy trying to get away with a motoring offence.

I was merely asking for anyone that knew the definative answer to my question, NOT if anyone thought I could get away with doing something illegal.

I wasn't making you personally sound like any kind of cowboy, what I was saying is that in that situation, no matter how well you try to get out of it, the police will have your car away.

Hope that clears things up

When I was buying the last furby it was late being delivered (by about 5 months, sound familiar?) and the px's tax ran out a few days previous, I enquired to Plod and was told that if I wanted to drive the px to pick up the new one I would have to tax it regardless of it being a pre-booked sale to a garage etc etc, their only other suggestion was to sorn it and put it on a trailer (not a tow line).

I'm a believer in if in doubt dont. If its a bargin put in on a trailer and dont take the chance as it may cost you more than the possible profit you could make on the car.

Or if it needs so little book into a garage up there and have it MOT. There are a few cheshire/crewe members on here that could give you advice on a good MOT station.

If I was still living up north I'd help you out but I'm not. Good luck with what ever way you go about it