New MOT rules

[AlanH]

This may well have been discussed somewhere else but I can't find it.

As I understand it cars that are tax exempt will not need an MOT from next year.

I have two cars that fall into this category but I still want to get them tested.

What if they fail? can I still drive them?

[harvey]

What if they fail? can I still drive them?

No, because any vehicle with faults can't be used on the road, regardless of whether it has a current MOT or not.

[RSi]

You won't actually qualify for an MOT due to its age, so if you insist and fail then you should still be able to use it as you Don't require one.

[tony g]

You still will have to maintain the car to an mot standard, so if someone else is checking it for you (mot tester) and deems it not safe for the road it needs fixing anyway.

Tony

[harvey]

You won't actually qualify for an MOT due to its age, so if you insist and fail then you should still be able to use it as you Don't require one.

Good luck with that.

[dollyman]

The only real answer is to think
Would you carry your child in your car? and still drive it if you knew there was a fault

Cheers, Tony.

[Carledo]

The rules are very clear, exempt or not, if your car fails an MOT it is deemed unroadworthy. You are allowed under existing rules to drive it home and/or to a place of repair. Even if your car is exempt, a recent failed MOT will show up on an ANPR camera and alert the constabulary to possible defects in your car, giving them grounds to stop you and check at the very least. They can't just prosecute you automatically for dangerous condition on the basis of the failure alone, that would be hearsay evidence, not admissible in court. But it would give them a clear list of things to check!

So if you are prudent enough to get your car MOT'd, even if it is exempt (something I will be doing when the time comes, even though I have a ramp and all other useful facilities) and your car fails, it is only prudent to do the repairs, get a retest and carry on with an MOT and not have to worry!

This is nothing to do with MOT law really, but motoring law. It is the owners/drivers responsibility to ensure the vehicle is maintained in a roadworthy condition, IRRESPECTIVE of whether it has a current MOT, lapsed MOT, or is exempt. And YOU are just as responsible as you have ever been!

Steve

BY the way, the thread you were looking for is "Roadworthiness testing for vehicles of historic interest" in this General Chat section of the forum!

[Galileo]

This may well have been discussed somewhere else but I can't find it.

As I understand it cars that are tax exempt will not need an MOT from next year.

I have two cars that fall into this category but I still want to get them tested.

What if they fail? can I still drive them?

Might be 5 pages of the previous discussion knocking about...

Details are yet to be fully decided on, as guidance is supposed to be released later this month on the technical aspects of the change.

[Galileo]

Pipped to the post by Steve! Whose also spot on about an unroadworthy vehicle, no matter if it just passed an MOT and a bulb pops on the way home, technically that vehicle is unroadworthy and there is mention of that in The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986, which is a lovely bit of light reading.

[RSi]

The only real answer is to think
Would you carry your child in your car? and still drive it if you knew there was a fault

Cheers, Tony.

Good point, and the answer is surely no for everyone.

Older cars are going to struggle with new emission laws apparently, so getting an MOT whether you want it or not, may not be possible anyway, depending on the car and its age.

There should be some sort of roadworthy test though, but meeting future MOT tests might just be impossible for some cars.

[RSi]

The rules are very clear, exempt or not, if your car fails an MOT it is deemed unroadworthy.

Your car could have failed the MOT on emissions which 40 yr old + cars are not going to be subjected too - so not technically unroadworthy from next year.

[Galileo]

The rules are very clear, exempt or not, if your car fails an MOT it is deemed unroadworthy.

Your car could have failed the MOT on emissions which 40 yr old + cars are not going to be subjected too - so not technically unroadworthy from next year.

How so? They are only getting rid of the MOT, Construction and Use regs still apply so if you are stopped for a roadside check and fail the emissions test applicable (after 1/8/75 CO 4.5% vol, HC 0.12% vol (1200ppm)) then your vehicle is practically and technically not roadworthy!

[RSi]

The rules are very clear, exempt or not, if your car fails an MOT it is deemed unroadworthy.

Your car could have failed the MOT on emissions which 40 yr old + cars are not going to be subjected too - so not technically unroadworthy from next year.

How so? They are only getting rid of the MOT, Construction and Use regs still apply so if you are stopped for a roadside check and fail the emissions test applicable (after 1/8/75 CO 4.5% vol, HC 0.12% vol (1200ppm)) then your vehicle is practically and technically not roadworthy!

Because 40 + yr old cars are not going to have to comply with emission laws, that why - MOT exempt means just that.

Roadworthy is something totally different.

[Galileo]

You are missing my point, forget the MOT, your vehicle still needs to comply with Construction and Use regulations no matter if it's 40+ years old or not.

[Carledo]

The rules are very clear, exempt or not, if your car fails an MOT it is deemed unroadworthy.

Your car could have failed the MOT on emissions which 40 yr old + cars are not going to be subjected too - so not technically unroadworthy from next year.

There are a lot of points that can fail an MOT that most sensible folk would not consider make the car unroadworthy, for example a 1" diameter rusthole in the boot floor or a big chip in the screen, or a front passenger door that can't be opened from inside, or a blocked washer jet. On emissions, the car will be tested (if presented) according to existing rules governed by year of manufacture (not whether it's over 40 years old). A 76 car would still be tested to 4.5%CO and 1200PPM Hydrocarbons same as it always has been, whereas a 75 will only need a visual smoke check, so the old iniquities remain! Honestly, if you can't get your Dolomite below those figures, there is something seriously wrong! In theory, a roadside emission test that gave a result over the MOT test limit pertinent to the YoM of your car could still render you liable to prosecution even if the car is MOT exempt! This is an admittedly unlikely scenario, but it IS possible and with the powers that be focusing increasingly on so called "dirty" vehicles, it is only going to get worse!

Steve