Unable to insure a car which doesn't have an MOT?

NickXX

NickXX

NickXX

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19 May 2005
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My car has been off the road over the winter and the MOT expired in January. I've booked an MOT for Saturday. Phoned up a broker and asked to get Insurance and they told me it needed a valid MOT to insure it (and subsequently needed a valid MOT to remain insured).

Their suggestion was to trailer it to the MOT station and give them a call afterwards.

Anyone else had this before?
 
A car with no MOT is not deemed roadworthy, so in the event of a claim an insurance company would decline to cover you. Your car shouldn't be on the road.

Trailer is technically the only legal option. Depends how far away the garage is I guess.
 
Yep. I took my car off the road over the winter and the MOT expired. I phoned up to put it back on and Bell wouldn't insure it without an MOT number.

I eventually managed to get them to 'do it as a favour' provided I phoned up the following day with my MOT number after shouting at 2 different managers. (They key thing is I went into quite detailed discussions with Bell when I suspended my insurance and they confirmed then that I could insure without an MOT to get to an MOT centre).

I can see their point however. They said they have no way of knowing the roadworthyness of a car that doesn't have an MOT, and they do not want to insure something that could potentially be dangerous. How to they know that I haven't stripped it to a bare chassis with 4 different sized wheels and massive spikes sticking out of it? A lot of situation like this come from people fixing their own cars after accidents or things, so they need the quality of repair verified.

But it creates a PITA situation that means I won't be taking my car off the road without first getting an MOT on it (thus giving me 12 months to insure it again before hitting this issue).
 
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I've never had than problem with 3 different cars that I used to leave laid up for months and months.

Nobody has ever even asked about MOT status, not sure why roadworthy ness is a consideration for my insurance company.
 
Did you cancel insurance, or suspend it?

The key thing for me is I suspended it, and to reactivate it they needed an MOT number. Had I cancelled it then your right, I could have just applied for insurance as I always have and nobody would have ever asked about an MOT.

However, do insurers run your car details to check is has an MOT before confirming your cover? They wouldn't need to ask you, they just enter the reg and the system says 'yes'?
 
MOT is not an indication of roadworthiness. Except possibly driving off the testers forecourt.
 
paradigm said:
I've never had than problem with 3 different cars that I used to leave laid up for months and months.

Nobody has ever even asked about MOT status, not sure why roadworthy ness is a consideration for my insurance company.
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To be fair I work for a brokers and I don't remember us ever checking it either, it's an assumption that it is MOT'd.

Surely it's quite obvious however why an insurance would insist on it being roadworthy?
 
paradigm said:
Neither, I just didn't renew.
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So same as cancelling, i.e. there isn't an active policy. No different to moving from one insurer to another at the end of the term, which I have just done and nobody asked about an MOT.

But with my insurance suspended my car spent 7 months off the road on a 10 month policy and I still earn't a years no claims. As this is usually a situation where people have crashed, suspended the insurance, fix it, then reactivate the insurance, I can see why Bell wanted an MOT number.

The OPs post suggests this is a new policy though, so unless he's told them its been off the road, not sure why they asked about MOT? Unless there is that background check happening?
 
Just a question, is it still taxed?

Because if the tax has expired it is illegal to use it on the road period. It would have to be low loaded to the MOT station and taxed before being on the road again.

From my understanding although there is leeway regarding MOT and being on the road to a pre-booked test. There is nothing about any leeway for untaxed vehicles.

Edit: I am totally wrong ignore this.
 
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Third Opinion said:
Just a question, is it still taxed?

Because if the tax has expired it is illegal to use it on the road period. It would have to be low loaded to the MOT station and taxed before being on the road again.

From my understanding although there is leeway regarding MOT and being on the road to a pre-booked test. There is nothing about any leeway for untaxed vehicles.
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Wrong.

You can drive an untaxed car to an MOT station, then from an MOT station to a single place of repair, and then back to the MOT station for the retest.

Without using a trailer you need:
Insurance to drive to an MOT test
An MOT to get Tax
Tax to drive anywhere other than to the MOT test or a place of repair

The problem the OP has is the Insurer requiring an MOT creates a catch 22.
 
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Skeeter said:
Wrong.

You can drive an untaxed car to an MOT station, then from an MOT station to a single place of repair, and then back to the MOT station for the retest.

Without using a trailer you need:
Insurance to drive to an MOT test
An MOT to get Tax
Tax to drive anywhere other than to the MOT test

The problem the OP has is the Insurer requiring an MOT creates a catch 22.
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Sorry just re-checked seems like you are correct. So much is said around the net.

Surely the best thing to do is just insure it with somebody else and immediately take it for an MOT
 
Orch said:
A car with no MOT is not deemed roadworthy, so in the event of a claim an insurance company would decline to cover you. Your car shouldn't be on the road.

Trailer is technically the only legal option. Depends how far away the garage is I guess.
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This is basically totally wrong.
 
[TW]Fox;24314641 said:
This is basically totally wrong.
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Yep.

The Insurer is covering their own ass, nothing more. Bell never tried to claim it was any legal requirement or anything, they simply said it wasn't their policy to insure cars without a valid MOT.
 
Skeeter said:
I went through the whole process of getting an uninsured, untaxed and not MOTed car back on the road last month. There is indeed a lot of garbage information on the internet.
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Your not wrong there. I got a bit confused it is like a lot of dealers and car supermarkets will sell you a car without tax and give you a map to the nearest post office claiming 'they have an arrangement' and you have grace. That turned out to be complete bull when I checked on it with the local police.

Surely as the OP is doing nothing illegal they would have to honour insurance even if it is just on a 3rd party basis.
 
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