The Magic 40 Years Tax And MOT Exempt

Is it his insurance company being funny or the actual breakdown people I wonder?
I pay for my RAC directly, whether or not that would make a difference??

Although not quite the same scenario, I have just sold a bike to someone living on the Isle of Man.

It was a 1965 model with an interesting registration number so I thought I would transfer the number onto the wifes car as it would have to be re-registered on the isle of Man anyway (buyer was happy with this)

Despite it being 54 years old and not requiring any MOT or tax, the DVLA wouldn’t let me transfer the number without a voluntary MOT test.

I have two bikes that will be ‘historic’ within 2 years and another 2 years after that so I thought that was it, cheap motorcycling, but I would agree with Dusty – it may be prevalent to get a voluntary MOT just in case.

We had a customer earlier in the year that had an accident (his fault) on his Ariel Huntsmaster. The bike was registered as a historic vehicle and mot exempt.
Both insurance companies and the police wanted proof that the bike was roadworthy before the accident.
Luckily 2 weeks previously we had done at the customers request a full service to mot standard and could provide the worksheets, which satisfied all concerned.
Without them I have no doubt his insurance company would have said he wasn't covered, the other parties insurance company would have been trying to take legal action to recoup the costs for their client and that the police would have prosecuted him for riding a vehicle on the road that wasn't roadworthy.
For the cost of an MOT is it worth the hassle it could cause??

For my two tuppence worth.. any vehicle on the road should be up to a certain std. This is done via the MOT test. The fact that this test has been deemed unnecessary for 40yr old vehicles is proof that that the civil servants in charge are absolutely clueless. Who the hell did they consult with? the chimps at Chester zoo? (Sorry chimps, no doubt you would have raised well thought out objections).
A 40yr old vehicle is more likely to be ailing rather than a 3yr old one??... take us aging old farts as an example.
And the knock on effect will be felt in the industry, I take mine to an old fashioned tester (everything done hands on, no rolling road) as do a few old farts with old bikes. I will still be taking it... then I have proof of its condition.. as the law ain't always the law!
And the thinking that 40yr old vehicles are all owned by enthusiasts who are skilled in maintenance.... Well I've seen the bodges some enthusiasts have perpetrated, and if they were electrical engineers I would not let them wire a f**king plug top!


I'm not going to continue to pay the tax though...

I've got a mate with an old VW freedom bus/camper van that's over 40 years old. He is not very mechanically minded and unlikely to get under it to check the condition of brake pipes cables structural integrity etc etc. He doesn't bother with an Mot. If he was to plow into the back of a family car on the way to the coast one day coz his ancient brakes failed, everyone will wish he had got one. And as we all know, an Mot is not a guarantee of a vehicles road worthiness, but I think it the duty of all road users that their vehicle complies with the law. If your insurance company refuses to cover you in the event of an accident citing lack of Mot, its gonna get very expensive🤬

Dusty😉

Theres plenty of old 2 strokes out there that haven't been maintained properly, and in some cases bodged badly for sale. Owning an old vehicle doesn't mean people automatically care for them properly. It applies to lots of things in life I'm afraid☹

Dusty🙂

If an mot doesn’t guarantee the vehicles road worthiness,why are these companies demanding you have one if your vehicle is over 40 yrs old.
Just the usual “any excuse to avoid paying out” and red tape and bureaucratic bullshit.
If the law says you don’t need one,then in my eyes you don’t need one.
The way I see it,it will be them breaking the law not you!
But me and authority never got on😄

Cough.

I do. Mine is my only vehicle and gets me to work and back, the shops etc. It's Japanese so the engine is very reliable and when something does go wrong I fix it. Every day I see new cars everywhere. Do I want one? Do I fu...

Alex

Hi,
As said above, we will just need to find an insurance company that is happy enough with the fact that the law says we don't need an MOT after 40 years, I'm sure we will find one.
Anyway, all these silly types of things don't really matter anymore, lack of police/nhs resources, holes in the road, folk arriving on the South coast daily in rubbery boats from France, etc etc etc,...... the main thing is, we now have a really good bullying policy on Facebook !
Steven.