Safe Speed Forums

Going back to the original question.

I always thought that the *traditional* way of doing this is to book an MOT (or pre-mot test as you wish) at a test station near home. Take it for the test (something that you are allowed to do without tax AND something that you might want to do on an old new car anyway) and then take it home.

Alternativly you could drive it streight home and cancel the test once you get there!

Is there a restriction on how far away you can have a test?

(After all, My brother used to have a car that he bought from a garage over an hours drive from home! They were still willing to collect and return for service for free and they werent particularly expensive either! Under the circumstances it would not be unreasonable for him to take it there for its MOT even if the Tax had expired (No I dont understand the economics either! Unless they were using customers cars for running contraband or something!))

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"The road to a police state is paved with public safety legislation"

I once imported a car and was advised to follow this procedure:

1) Get insurance (giving chassic number since car is unregistered)
2) Do any work necessary for MOT (can drive it to and from a garage if necessary).
3) Book MOT and Drive it to MOT station (On the way there I passed three police cars while driving with no numberplates or tax disc and they didn't give me a second look )
4) Go to DVLA office and fill out registration paperwork.
5) Tax disc and Log book arrive by post
6) Buy and fit number plates.

I originally played it safe and trailered the car from the docks to my house, because I wasn't sure whether it was in a roadworthy condition. Since it was roadworthy, I *think* it would have been legal for me to drive it home unregistered. Plenty of other people were doing it.

As I understand it: It is legal so long as you are only doing what is necessary to legalise the car.

Importing is slightly different because the vehicle is unregistered, there is and there is a defence against driving an unregistered vehicle, and driving it home is possibly deemed "for the purposes of registering it". Likewise driving it around to have things done - normally you need to fail an MOT test before you can drive it without an MOT to/from a garage, but because it is unregistered it might be a defence. I have driven several vehicles home from the port without plates or tax (but definately insurance), and passed lots of police cars, I am pretty sure they all regard it as ok. The dock exit slip even has a tear-off section which looks like it gets handed to the police at some point.

Gareth