MOT

[Spriddler]

Why would you ever drive a vehicle that has failed an MOT unless it's a dire emergency?

There's a world of difference between a minor fault and a major safety issue. A minor fault could be a straight Fail or an Advisory. If there was a major fault and risk of imminent danger the Tester would tell you and record it.
It depends upon the reason for failure. If it was a failed headlight bulb I'd drive it in daylight to get it fixed, and we've all seen dozens of cars driving around like that! If it was a failed w/screen washer, weak handbrake, or chip in the w/screen I'd drive it to get it fixed. I've taken this up with my insurance company just a couple of weeks ago for an article in my motorbike magazine and they confirmed that cover would still be valid whilst the vehicle was being removed for repair and returned for retest, provided that (their words):

1.To confirm if a vehicle is taken for MOT which it then subsequently fails, the garage would state on the failure note whether it is fit to drive or not. If the vehicle is deemed ok to drive away for further work to be done the insurance would continue to be valid and in place as long as reasonable precautions are considered and put in place by the driver. An example of this would be headlight failure - if the MOT failed on this it would be expected that the vehicle was driven in daylight and not in the dark…If the tester notes that the vehicle should not be used it must be transported away by trailer etc.

2. If a vehicle is taken for MOT say 2 months before the due MOT and is notified to have failed yet ok to drive (or an Advisory issued), the insurance would also continue to be valid and in place. It should be noted however that the insurance provided is based on the owner taking all reasonable steps to protect it from loss or damage. An MOT failure tells you that your vehicle has not been shown to meet the minimum legal requirements for the reason(s) detailed. If you intend to use your vehicle on the roads you should have it repaired without delay and have it retested before the existing validity expires".

The only grey area is with those registered as 'Historic Vehicles' which do not require an MOT nor are liable for road tax (RFL) but this is unlikely to apply to our m/homes.

 

[dave newell]

The M

I was just clarifying what is on the governments website.
Not my opinion, but theirs.
I assume then that any mot failure means the vehicle is in a dangerous condition or has a major defect?

The MOT test is a minimum standard test, if it doesn't meet minimum standard then it's a fail. Because it's minimum std a fail means the vehicle is NOT roadworthy, that is not necessarily saying it's dangerous just that it doesn't meet minimum std. Since the test went online a new test supersedes any existing test certificate so after a fail you can not legally continue to use the vehicle on the public highway other than taking it home, to a place of repair or to a pre-arranged test.

D.

 

[Allanm]

I've taken this up with my insurance company...........they confirmed that cover would still be valid whilst the vehicle was being removed for repair and returned for retest, provided that (their words):.............. An MOT failure tells you that your vehicle has not been shown to meet the minimum legal requirements for the reason(s) detailed. If you intend to use your vehicle on the roads you should have it repaired without delay and have it retested before the existing validity expires".

This statement appears to agree with with present government guidelines but not with the post above by Dave N.

 

[Puddleduck]

There's a world of difference between a minor fault and a major safety issue. A minor fault could be a straight Fail or an Advisory. If there was a major fault and risk of imminent danger the Tester would tell you and record it.
It depends upon the reason for failure. If it was a failed headlight bulb I'd drive it in daylight to get it fixed, and we've all seen dozens of cars driving around like that! If it was a failed w/screen washer, weak handbrake, or chip in the w/screen I'd drive it to get it fixed.

The garage that does the MOT pre-check would fix any minor issues for me as a matter of course

I would hope that any major issues would have been picked up during the regular servicing - done by the same garage that does the MOT pre-check.

 

[mfw]

The M


The MOT test is a minimum standard test, if it doesn't meet minimum standard then it's a fail. Because it's minimum std a fail means the vehicle is NOT roadworthy, that is not necessarily saying it's dangerous just that it doesn't meet minimum std. Since the test went online a new test supersedes any existing test certificate so after a fail you can not legally continue to use the vehicle on the public highway other than taking it home, to a place of repair or to a pre-arranged test.

D.

The minimum standard is down to tester but some seem more lenient than others what 1 fails another puts as advisory

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