Board logo

Test driving an untaxed car
Slimy38 - 1/12/16 at 07:01 PM

I'm looking at a car on the weekend that is not taxed and not SORN either (naughty owner). If I test drive it, will anything come back at me for having it untaxed, or will it just be back to the owner? I will be insured, and the car has a valid MOT.

I will mention to him that when I transfer ownership they're likely to come back to him for the outstanding tax, that could be a surprise for him.

owelly - 1/12/16 at 07:32 PM

As I see it, the registered keeper is responsible until you sign the NEW KEEPER slip. Then you take responsibility. If you get caught whilst driving the vehicle, it will be up to the discretion of the plod who catch you but again, the registered keeper needs to ensure the car is legal before they let you drive it.....

Slimy38 - 1/12/16 at 07:39 PM

quote:
Originally posted by owelly
As I see it, the registered keeper is responsible until you sign the NEW KEEPER slip.


Yep, that's how I see it too. I'll tax it as soon as I get it, although I suspect it might need to be at a post office as the online system will probably ask me to pay the last six months as well!

CosKev3 - 1/12/16 at 08:04 PM

They will seize it if you get pulled over test driving with no tax,esp since its had none for 6 months.

SteveWalker - 1/12/16 at 08:29 PM

I've often thought that there should be a system to allow you to notify the DVLA (or maybe the local police) and gain temporary exemption from the requirements for tax and MOT for the purposes of test driving a vehicle and possibly even for moving one that you've purchased. A small fee would be reasonable and the exemption could easily be limited to a specific timespan, date, location and/or route.

loggyboy - 1/12/16 at 08:31 PM

As long as ur insured and not driving like a knob i suspect most officers wouldnt care. Its a civil offence anyway so no points to worry about.

StevieB - 1/12/16 at 08:38 PM

My understanding is that it is the drivers responsibility to ensure that the vehicle they are driving is fully road legal, and therefore would face any resulting consequences.

Seems to be the Polices view as well

https://www.askthe.police.uk/content/Q679.htm

[Edited on 1/12/16 by StevieB]

johnemms - 1/12/16 at 08:42 PM

It must have a certificate of Insurance to it be on the road.
It must also have a valid MOT
It must have valid VED

If you cant tick all the above.. the car will be crushed if caught ..
And ..a bunch of points ..

Your Insurance will not cover you driving an uninsured - un taxed vehicle..

Sucks .. but call your insurance first to tell them your plan ..


Alt.. If stopped .. do a runner and deny all knowledge lol

[Edited on 1/12/16 by johnemms]

CosKev3 - 1/12/16 at 08:47 PM

quote:
Originally posted by loggyboy
As long as ur insured and not driving like a knob i suspect most officers wouldnt care. Its a civil offence anyway so no points to worry about.


If it's a ANPR traffic car and it flags it up 99% of traffic cops would seize it,especially when it comes back it's had no tax for 6 months

loggyboy - 1/12/16 at 10:52 PM

The police really arent concerned about tax, unless its along with other offences. I swapped between my 2 cars in summer, mid month and didn't think it was fair to pay 2 taxes so ran 1 without tax until other expired. Drove past plenty of traffic cars and none blinked an eye lid.
And only some, and i mean very few, policys are invalided by no tax, they care about mot only, and even then will allow u to be un taxed and un moted to a prebooked mot test.
So if you wanted to bend law and not break it you could just arrange an mot appointment for the car at a local garage.

NigeEss - 2/12/16 at 12:41 AM

quote:
Originally posted by loggyboy
As long as ur insured and not driving like a knob i suspect most officers wouldnt care. Its a civil offence anyway so no points to worry about.


Likewise with MOT. I've chatted with serving officers about this and they said the same. It's a common thing for people to say it invalidates insurance,
if that were the case then surely police would be interested ?

Although nearly 15 years ago, I wrote of my 325i and turned out MOT had expired. Insurance knocked £250 off the claim.

CosKev3 - 2/12/16 at 05:14 AM

Most insurance policies state the car 'must be in a roadworthy condition' not many actually state the car must be MOT'ed.

cliftyhanger - 2/12/16 at 07:50 AM

Roadworthy is a better term than having an MoT.
Just think how many cars fail the MoT, so are not roadworthy when driven into the MoT station. Or probably for the past 11 months.....

MoT a convenient way of showing the car is(was) roadworthy in thepast 12 months though, which is better than the flippin exemptions being given to pre 60's cars, and it seems that scheme may be extended. Terrible idea.

Slimy38 - 2/12/16 at 08:36 AM

Just to clarify, the car has a valid MOT, it's only tax that's missing. I would be insured under my own policy.

However I may have found a different car that is properly on the road so I'll be taking a look at that one first.

CosKev3 - 2/12/16 at 12:04 PM

The only way to legally drive a untaxed car on a road test is with trade plates on it.

MikeR - 2/12/16 at 01:05 PM

Having been pulled for driving a company car that didn't have tax 10+ years ago I can tell you..........

you get fined!
and the legal owner gets fined.

You get fined as you're legally responsible as the drive and should check before driving it.
The owner gets fined as they knowingly let a vehicle onto the road without tax.

In my instance I got a £50 fine (which my boss who knew the car wasn't taxed when he asked me to drive to leeds in it refused to pay). The company got fined, the police wouldn't tell me how much but said it can be up to 5k and as it was a company it would likely be substantial.

My boss ......... nothing happened to him

cliftyhanger - 2/12/16 at 01:59 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Slimy38
Just to clarify, the car has a valid MOT, it's only tax that's missing. I would be insured under my own policy.

However I may have found a different car that is properly on the road so I'll be taking a look at that one first.


The car still needs to have an insurance policy covering it, ie it needs to be on the database. Otherwise you would get pulled for no tax, no insurance.
On the otherhand, depending on where it was etc, a quick spin round the block and you are unlikely to get any grief.

morcus - 2/12/16 at 03:02 PM

as beaten to it but yeah, there is a system to be able to test drive cars with no tax etc. Trade plates.

Your normal insurance on another car will not cover you to test drive an uninsured car so if you got stopped you'll get 6 points and a £300 fine and if it went to court you could get banned from driving (Which is highly unlikely). Someone I used to work with lost his license for test driving a car that wasn't insured thinking he was covered on his own insurance.