Can You Tow A Car Without MOT?

An MOT certification is what drivers must have as a testament to the roadworthiness of their vehicles, which also permits them to legally ply their vehicles on the road. There are numerous restrictions placed on cars without this clearance, but can you tow a car without MOT?

No, you are not allowed to tow a car without MOT except when such a vehicle is at least insured. You are only permitted to tow it without MOT if you are taking it to a pre-arranged MOT appointment, though even then, you will have to obtain what is known as RFL before you do that. In such instances, you can tow with a rigid bar and the driver of the towed car must himself be a license holder and his car too must be insured.

What is MOT?

The MOT test (Ministry of Transport) is a yearly test to which all vehicles must be subjected as proof of their safety, roadworthiness confirmation and compliance with the exhaust emissions required in the United Kingdom, for all vehicles that are at least three years old. This test and the certificate issued out after it are known collectively as MOT.

Why should a car be towed without MOT?

A car only is towed without MOT if the previous year’s MOT certificate is still valid and not otherwise. If you fail to adhere to this condition, you stand the chance of being fined up to about 1000 pounds, and in addition, the car may even be impounded in violation as well.

Furthermore, you are again allowed to drive your car without MOT if you are driving it to or from a pre-arranged MOT test in order to get any defects remedied. In short, you are committing an offence even if you just park the vehicle on the road without an MOT clearance.

Can you tow a car with MOT?

Of course, you can provide both drivers of the two cars are licensed and qualified to ply vehicles on the road, and they comply strictly with all traffic regulations. Having an MOT test certificate proves that your vehicle is not only roadworthy but that it is also certified safe for public use with regards to its exhaust emissions.

Can you tow a car without MOT and tax?

No, you simply cannot. To be allowed to tow a car, it must at least be insured. Otherwise, you are only allowed to tow it if you are conveying it to or from any pre-arranged MOT test. The driver of the towed must in addition also be a license holder. Outside these conditions, you can’t tow any car in the UK, for example.

Can your car be seized from having no MOT while towing?

Should the police stop you for having no MOT certificate, failure to present one or not having one can lead to prosecution for non-compliance? It is not illegal to drive a car without MOT only if you are driving it to or from a pre-booked appointment at any garage meant for such a  test. Anything contrary to this may get your car seized by the police until a fine of about one thousand Pounds is paid. Therefore, yes, your car can be seized for not having an MOT certificate.

Will the AAA tow a car without MOT?

For one, most AAA personnel will be able to realize that it’s not a roadworthy car and so it is likely to be charged for transportation if you get them to do it. A roadworthy vehicle is that which has all the necessary valid papers, such as tax, MOT and all others. So, AAA is not going to tow a car without MOT certification, unless under certain very rare occasions.

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What are the purpose of an MOT and its usefulness in towing?

Primarily, when a vehicle is an MOT certified, it is proven that such a car is both roadworthy and safe for driving on public roads without posing any threat to lives and properties in any guise.

In addition, having an MOT clearance also means that the car is certified to be in compliance with the regulations for healthy emissions. This means that gaseous exhaust from the car is not viewed as a threat to human health.

What is the law on towing a car with no MOT?

To begin with, you are not permitted to tow any vehicle without an MOT clearance, except maybe when you are either going to or coming from one. In the event that you do, there is a pretty good chance that you would be heavily fined for this violation if you get caught.

How do you fight a towing charge?

First, all complaints and any supporting evidence with regards to towing issues must be logged by email messages to: TSS.Towing@transport.nsw.gov.au.

• After this is done, select the ‘Dispute online’ button.
• Proceed afterwards to complete this online complaint form.
• Then, attach any supporting evidence or documents, where such are available and applicable too.
• Finally, submit your completed dispute form and request for further attention. That’s it.

FAQ

Can I tax a car without MOT?

No, you really cannot. In the first place, a tax clearance is necessary before you are qualified for an MOT test, and hence not having a valid MOT certificate is illegal under Section 47 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, which may attract a heavy fine or six to eight penalty points on your license, if you drive without one.

Although in some instances, if you are planning to tow a SORN vehicle using a tow bar instead of a rope, the rules for towing might be slightly different in the United Kingdom, for example.

Can you tow a car on the motorway?

In short, you cannot, unless such a vehicle breaks down on the motorway. The most important reason for this prohibition is that the speeds of other vehicles on the motorway makes it a very risky and dangerous enterprise for you, other drivers on the road and in fact, all other people around.

Does a car being towed need an MOT?

Yes, it certainly does. In general, the law is that every vehicle on the road must have an MOT clearance, except only in situations where you are driving the vehicle either to or from an arranged MOT test. Otherwise, you will certainly need an MOT clearance for everything that relates to driving on the road.

What happens if you forget to MOT your car?

If you are caught driving without an MOT certificate and asked for a copy, which you don’t have,  for whatever reason(s),  you are likely to come away with just a warning in very favourable situations. On the other hand, if you are not so lucky, you could get landed with a hefty fine for violation in the region of one thousand pounds or even more.

How do you tow a car with another car?

A very popular method of doing this is by using a tow dolly, which is basically a smaller trailer. The use of a tow dolly will keep the towed vehicle’s front tires off the ground, which usually helps in reducing premature wears to both the tires and driveline of the car being towed.

Can police detect no tax?

In other words, can ANPR detect no tax? Well, to put it simply, yes, they can. This uncanny ability is acquired mainly through the years or time spent by their personnel in seeing other criminal activities on the road. In addition, they can also check to see whether your vehicle has a valid road tax if it is insured and hence, has a valid MOT certificate too.

What is the penalty for having no road tax?

 If you are caught driving without a road tax clearance, it can result in several penalties handed to you. First, it may lead to a DVLA imposed fine of at least eighty pounds, which can be reduced by half, if you pay before the end of twenty-eight days after the date of issuing. On the other hand, you may be fined up to one thousand dollars or even five times the annual road tax fee, if the case goes to court.

What documents do I need for an MOT test?

Preparatory to attending any MOT test, it would greatly help if you have both your current MOT certificate and the VC5 Vehicle Registration Document with you. In the event that you can’t find any of these, the test centre should be able to find your details on their computers or any other record they may keep.

how long can you drive without mot, if your MOT has expired?

A six month MOT exemption has just been introduced recently, and for this reason, drivers are not going to be charged for driving after the expiration of their MOT certificates with effect from  March 30, 2020, which is the deadline. This does not however mean that you can drive without exception though.

Can you sell a car without MOT?

Even though its MOTcertificate has expired, it is still possible for you to sell the car, but not to drive it on public highways, which is not safe in the least, except where the distance is short and only to or from an MOT testing centre. In such a situation, it is also allowed to drive the car without any tax, but it must be taxed once it has passed the test.

What happens if the police seize your vehicle?

Well, for what it is worth, the police are likely to take it to an onsite impound after the seizure, which is generally at the nearest local police station. Even in situations where the owner may not want to reclaim the car, it does not mean that they can consider the matter closed. No, they wouldn’t.

What happens if you get pulled with no MOT?

The penalty for not having MOT clearance varies from place to place. However, in the United Kingdom, you can be fined up to one thousand pounds.

In addition, Automatic Number Plate Recognition(ANPR) systems, which are now common and are able to identify all vehicles without MOT, will make it almost impossible to evade any punishment for the offence. In the UK alone, there are over 11 000 ANPR cameras on the roads, which amounts to over 50 million records every day.

What is the penalty for no MOT in the UK?

The penalty for driving with no MOT in the UK is a fine of at least one thousand pounds. If the vehicle you drive is deemed unsafe to the public, you may be fined as much as two thousand five hundred pounds or more for that, or you can even receive a penalty of three points on your license.

Does towing affect insurance?

Usually, the insurance of your vehicle is not likely to be affected by your tow, unless it is a repetition of the same offence or you happen to have multiple moving or parking tickets.

Do you check the tire pressure in MOT?

It is in common for tire pressure to be checked in MOT, but the legislation introduced in 2015 stipulates that every car with either a faulty or a failed tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) will definitely fail its MOT test.

Can You Tow A Car Without MOT – Conclusion

The MOT test may not go down well with most people judging from its strict and very narrow requirements, but it should be remembered that it is meant to ensure your safety and also the safety of all other road users.

What cars you can drive with or without MOT have all been discussed, and you are therefore not in the dark regarding what should or shouldn’t be done.

Finally, all the penalties that may befall any flagrant refusal to get an MOT certificate have been fully analyzed. I believe the primary concern here should be your safety and the safety of other road users rather than that of any punishment for the offence committed. Safety must have the right of way in this case, don’t you think?