Pre-booked MOT - The Official Response

Before I went away (I'm back now, in case you were wondering) I sent a question to VOSA about how far you can drive to a prebooked MOT and all that.

Below is their response, complete with the pages of legalese that prove it's from the Gubmint:

(Don't get your hopes up *too* much, though... this one will run and run)

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Thank you for your e-mail, > > It was forwarded to the MOT policy department who have provided this > response:- > > > The Motor Vehicles (Tests) Regulations 1981 do not state a distance that > you are allowed to drive a car to a pre-booked MOT. > > In section 6 2ai (Exemptions) it states: > "(2) Pursuant to section 44(6) the Secretary of State hereby exempts from > section 44(1) the use of a vehicle- > (a) > (i) for the purpose of submitting it by previous arrangement for, or > bringing it away from, an examination, or" > > > The issue of reasonable distance has been mentioned by various people in > the past and I would suggest that this would need to be a decision for the > Courts. > You mention a few common situations i.e. a specialist car and I would > suggest that may be a representation that might be used but ultimately it > would be down to the Courts to decide what is an unreasonable distance. > > > Regards, > Rob Evans > ********************************************************************** > This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended

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Reply to
PC Paul
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Cool. I fancy a couple of days away, anyone know the number of a garage in Stornoway?

And this gives me an idea. Suppose I lived next door to a garage that did MOTs, and also worked next to such a garage. I could then book a test next to work, drive to work, not bother with the test if I didn't get pulled, book a test at the garage at home, not bother with the test again, and continue this for as long as I didn't get pulled. That would work wouldn't it?

(Yes I know the garage owners probably wouldn't cooperate, but let's just imagine they did).

Steve

Reply to
shazzbat

Possibly. Would you have the car SORNed?

It's not only getting pulled you'd have to worry about though - you'd need to *only* park the car at one garage or the other, and off the public road. You'd have to strenuously avoid ANPR or gatsos that don't give you an immediate pull.

And, as you said, the chances of two garages being prepared to risk it are quite slim indeed.

Reply to
PC Paul

Plus you're still liable for any failure to comply with the C&U regs. Which would make it utterly pointless in that situation.

Reply to
Duncan Wood

How about if you are the owner of both of the garages? You don't even need to pre-book then as long as you can say you arranged with yourself to have an MoT that day.

How about the owner of a franchised chain of MoT garages?? He can pretty much at any time claim he's on his way to one or other of his garages to get an MoT test he decided to have done before he set out.

Reply to
Mark W

Unless the wording has been changed it also includes driving to and from a place of repair? , that does not have to be an MOT station and could include any garage.

Reply to
Fred

Typical VOSA response, they wont commit themselves to anything!

Reply to
SimonJ

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