I thought the wife's car was due its MOT in May so I checked this morning, and it was due on 8 April. She's been driving around for 3 weeks without a valid MOT.
I've booked it into the garage today so hopefully it will be sorted but what are the consequences for her? Clearly they know the car has no MOT so is this an automatic fine or does it depend? Does anyone know?
My wife's quite upset and worried and I'm kicking myself for not checking earlier but I never drive the thing and have a million other things to think about.
Any advice welcome
EDIT: I think I've discovered the answer. If the car was caught by ANPR then she can expect a fixed penalty notice. Otherwise, she might get away it. I was assuming it was an automatic fine as soon as the MOT ran out but you need to be caught driving. I can't believe we let this happen.
Last edited by Onelasttime; 27th April 2019 at 09:18.
Years ago this happened to me. I might be wrong but I don’t think there is any consequence. You could have had the car off the road “being repaired” in your garage for those three weeks. Unless the police stopped you and asked to see it, you haven’t actually been caught driving without MOT.
If you’d had an accident during that period, you’d probably have been refused insurance payout.
Last edited by Christian; 27th April 2019 at 09:16.
As long as she hasn't driven past a VOSA vehicle you should be fine!
I can't advise on what might happen (I suspect nothing), but this will help next time:
https://www.gov.uk/mot-reminder
Pete
I shouldn’t worry as it’s unlikely that there’ll be any comeback.
A few years ago, I forgot to MOT a car and didn’t realise for nearly twelve months. I’d taxed the car shortly before the MOT was due so nothing highlighted my oversight.
Not just us then
I tried to set up the reminder this morning but you can't unless the car has an MOT. Doh!
Her problem, not yours! Make it her responsibility to check in future.
Funny as the same thing happened to me this year I was a month over due , and I work at a airport we’re their are cameras everywhere, I got a mot ASAP and nothing happened so you should be ok
She deals with our disabled son all day and was recently quite ill and spent three days in hospital so I can forgive her not thinking about the MOT.Originally Posted by Kingstepper
Thanks for the tip though, I'll bear it in mind.
Sorry, obviously don't know your circumstances, no offence meant.
Unequivocally there will be no comeback. Only if you are stopped by the police or Vosa would there be any comeback but if stopped, at 3 weeks overdue you would likely get a £30 fine (no endorsement) at worst and told to drive the car straight to an MOT tester.
In the incidence of an accident, your insurance COULD be invalid if the car was found to be “unroadworthy” however only if the issue could be a proximate cause or contributory factor to the accident.
As ever it would also depend on if your insurer were liable for payout or they were claiming from a 3rd party/their insurer.
My advice is to buy a little calendar and hang it inside a cupboard in the kitchen and write “MOT due” on there or alternatively type “MOT STATUS” into google.....
https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-status
It's all down to luck, but I think you would know by now if they had picked you up. I was told that going through toll booths (Mersey Tunnel in my case) is a killer and a sure fire way to be picked up.
I hope she got away with it, but a decent BF system for next year
you can set up all your cars for a reminder on https://totalcarcheck.co.uk/Home/IndexNot just us then
I tried to set up the reminder this morning but you can't unless the car has an MOT. Doh!
account is free to set up.
Last edited by Gestarp; 27th April 2019 at 09:35.
You will be ok unless you have had an incident that involves the Police or you have an accident and insurers are involved.
Last year my son drove around in his car for a month with no MOT and no Tax (unknowingly) including regularly on the M5, A38 and A303 and through Exeter.
So stop worrying, you and your wife are not arch criminals the Police are interested in.
They cannot even be bothered to turn up to most homes after a burglary these days.
I think it was really stupid to stop issuing tax disks and for the Post Office to stop checking you have both MOT and insurance when you purchase the RFL.
Thank you for that, just registered. I’m invariably late with my MOT 🙄
After owning cars for 40+ years, and never forgetting MOT , tax or insurance, this happened to me last October! The road tax and MOT dates are out of synch on my car, when I tried to tax it online The fact that the MOT had expired 4 weeks earlier came to light!
I know the guy at our local MOT garage and he let me take it in immediately. I worried a bit regarding cameras etc but has no problem.
Rick’s suggestion to have a calendar pinned up is a good one. Wifey does this for all her stuff, I need to do the same.
With all the clever stuff on cars thesedays it would make sense to programme the car to give you a reminder!
As an owner of a dealership and testing centre what I can tell you is this happens very very frequently you have to be super unlucky to get done so fingers crossed
and providing you have booked into a test centre you can drive a car with no MOT to the test.
being brutally honest the government decision to get rid of tax discs has to be one of the most stupid things ever so many people are driving around without tax and many synchronised tax & MOT so sometimes a double whammy.
I miss tax discs, if ever there should be a U Turn in policy tax discs is it.
No, they should scrap VED altogether and collect an equivalent amount by adding a few pence to fuel duty. This would cost nothing to administer and the more you use the more you pay, including foreign visitors.
Brilliant, i did not know about that. We have a car that needs MOT every year.
Thanks
B
No offence taken. In many ways I agree with you – she should be responsible for her own car, but being in the partnership of marriage means there are grey areas of responsibility, cars being one of them
To be frank, everyone over the age of 20 should have a system be it electronic or say a Filofax to give a reminder two or three weeks in advance. We all have dozens of things to renew every year so there is simply no excuse. I gave an electric and gas reading yesterday prompted by a reminder in my Filofax and if I can do it, so can you. Basically the message is to sharpen up your act and hopefully this episode will act as a catalyst for you to do that.Not just us then
I tried to set up the reminder this morning but you can't unless the car has an MOT. Doh!
However if you car was on your drive, you are safe, the only iffy time is if you have been flashed by a speed camera where an up to date tax / mot check is a quick and standard procedure. Also your insurance is invalid when out on the road without a MOT and if they refuse a claim, (as they will) you will have to prove that your car was road worthy and you would need a professional organisation to submit a report that your negligence was not a contributing factor to any accident and that the cars condition was road worthy despite having no MOT.
To cover yourself completely, you are advised to inform your garage that you are driving your car to them without a MOT and this will indemnify you from any legal issues on the short journey required. However the garage is expected to be near and you will need an appointment to prove you were drive in the right direction at a reasonable time, so don't call in to a supermarket on the way in.
You won't get an automatic fine from an ANPR camera for no mot.
Police use the ANPR to ping vehicles that are worth a closer look. Intel marker, stolen, no insurance held etc.
The mot database is always uploaded in arrears so unless exceptionally quiet, or there were other indicators go get the spidery senses going, an mot ping, especially a recent expiry marker wouldn't attract attention.
There is no correlation from ANPR to those collecting VEL. If there was you could in the time scale you are describing argue you were taking it to a place of repair or to prearranged mot appointment.
No mot doesn't necessarily invalidate your insurance. It still maintains third party liability as I recall.
Good wake up call to not do it again. But there is no fine in the post for you or your wife.
I use Vehicle Smart, a free app. Reminds me of when my car, my motorcycle and my other halfs car needs MOTing and taxing.
I look after tax MOT and insurance on our 8 vehicles ( 7 of them mine!) . I just set up a calendar appointment in my phone “ Car A “ mot , bike b insurance due. Then go into edit the appointment and set it to repeat annually.Not just us then
I tried to set up the reminder this morning but you can't unless the car has an MOT. Doh!
Why do I do this because a few years ago my wife drove around for 2 weeks without.........., and it was made clear it was MY fault!
Yes it maintains third party liability but cover is limited and there is a risk of criminal prosecution because all documents have to be produced and up to date.
Fortunately for him, the chances are he will get away with it.
Doubt you’ll get a fine but thank god you didn’t have an accident...
Pretty sure your insurers would (at the very least) wriggle.
Utter nonsense. Why do you post such rubbish when you clearly have no idea of the truth of the situation?
Didn’t know about this and just registered - thanks!
This has happened to me a couple of years ago and no comeback. Like tax and insurance when you get a reminder, it would be useful to get an automated notification. Autotrader will also send notifications if you set your car up in your account with them
If you have an accident and the car wasn't MOT'd the guidance from insurance ombudsman is a 10% reduction in settlement if they deemed that your car was roadworthy.
It doesn't invalidate insurance though.
Utter rubbish ?
The people who told me this are mainly policemen and magistrates. Motoring offences are a very common topic of conversation.
Wouldn’t it be nice if they were talking about knife crime and other serious criminal offences rather than people forgetting to MOT their cars for a few weeks
I thought it was just construction and use just like not having a number plate, small fine, no points
No MOT does not invalidate you insurance, third party is unaffected but the might reduce your own payout in the event of a total loss, the mot does not confirm road worthiness abd has a disclaimer saying so, if you were driving a car that is not road worthy, (say bald tyres, faulty brakes) you could still end up personally liable in and accident.
Last edited by adrianw; 27th April 2019 at 10:56.
Yes until someone is killed by someone driving an uninsured car in a dangerous condition that was not MOT'ed.
Also it is background staff who tend to deal with this, not policemen.
That’s a good idea,thank you.
There are 3 cars in my household and I have a reminder set on the Alarmed app for 1 month before the MOTs and then repeated daily up to the due dates.
F.T.F.A.
It is insurance company specific - the Askthepolice website does not state that it is 'invalid'.
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
Just ask any Magistrate, Policeman or even your own insurance company and then you will have it from the horses mouth so to speak.
The validity of cover of an insurance policy is a matter for the insurance company/underwriters and has nothing to do with Police, Magistrate or your opinion.
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
When I first passed my test many years ago I was very naive and assumed the car I had purchased had a full years MOT on it. Turns out i was wrong. I had been driving it around for 8 months without one!! What's worse I had been stopped for speeding twice in that time and nothing happened. I suspect had I crashed during that period it would have invalidated my insurance. Shocking how careless I was as a 17 / 18 year old really.
Great idea
Only allows 2 cars - why the limit? I couldn’t add my daughters
OP - you’re not the only dumb ass on this forum…. I managed nearly 3 months on my wife’s car recently…. All sorted and ok now!
I've got an Outlook calendar where I put things like this, insurance renewals, credit card payments due etc.
People seem to think there is more coordination between authorities than there is. I seriously doubt anyone is that bothered about a lapsed MOT unless you are unlucky enough to be stopped and then they ask to see the MOT validity (which they might not even do unless you are driving a wreck). Police don’t have the resources to follow up serious crime, let alone the thousands of MOT-less drivers on UK roads. Councils are more concerned about raising cash from their enforcement cameras, not cross-checking vehicles for MOT. The best technique to enforce the law on something like this is the ‘TV-licensing’ approach...heavily publicise the worst case fine, have the occasional roadside crackdown to create PR etc...
I've forgotten my Mot's a few times so have a
'Vehicle Smart' reminder on my phone then I'm idiot proofed.
Have you ever considered a career of marriage counsellor? You'll make a killing.
Fas est ab hoste doceri
Thanks everyone, especially Mick P for his usual failure to grasp anything remotely resembling reality.
I have reminders on my iPhone for pretty much everything but this one slipped through the net.
Anyway, the car has just passed with a minor headlight adjustment and an advisory on a worn rear disc.
We'll be selling it soon so we're all good. Phew!
Lol...
I’ve been busy all morning trying to get the Mrs cars first Mot
should have been done on 1st April
I can’t even blame the Mrs as I was thinking the main dealer or Gov would at least remind us it will need doing ,but no it’s down to the owner obviously
This happened to me, with the wife’s car a few years ago but luckily I decided to check in Monday morning and the MOT had expired over the weekend. Wife was miffed as she had to catch a bus to work but since then I’ve setup reminders on my phone and also within the Autotrader app so they both remind me.
Am also registered with my local garage who also send me a text when the mot is due.
+1
It’s great for checking on the history of vehicles you might be interested in too, as it pulls all the data together from the relevant govt sites.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I didn't know about that - thank you.
"A man of little significance"
I thought I'd add our 3 cars, even though I have reminders on an app. I had to do my daughter's via email rather than text message, don't know if email has the same 2 car limit though.
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