Getting a UK car MOT'd in Spain

I have a UK registered car that is insured but the tax and MOT has expired and so it is currently off road being stored in a garage.  I know you can drive to a prebooked MOT appointment without an MOT but I doubt it would apply if the journey to the UK MOT station was from Spain!  Also I can't renew the UK road tax without a valid MOT so I imagine it would be illegal to drive it on European roads too, even if I managed to get a Spanish ITV.  I thought my only option was to either transport it or relicense it onto Spanish plates, both of which are very expensive and then I came across this website which appears to be able to conduct a UK MOT test on UK cars in Spain.  Has anyone used them or know any more about them? http://promo.motcarcenter.com

 .................   a UK MOT test on UK cars in Spain

You can certainly drive a UK Reg vehicle in the UK from anywhere to anywhere if you have an MOT appointment   (Dover to Manchester say).

In your situation I would make an appointment in UK and drive it back.  I know this will be like entering a hornets nest (I am off now to my bomb shelter) but I believe it is debatable whether you need an MOT / Vehicle Excise License to use your car in Spain.  The vehicle however must always be roadworthy.

If you want to avoid the automatic penalty payments for not having paid a current road fund license the keeper of a vehicle registered in the UK must complete a SORN declaration. Does this mean a vehicle must not be used on public roads only in the UK or would it apply elsewhere too. If you take a UK registered vehicle out of the UK for a period of more than 3 months the notification of export portion of the registration document should be completed and returned to DVLA. This means before you can apply for a new road fund license the vehicle would need to be re-imported into the UK. I guess which ever way you look at it, the vehicle in question can only be transported back to UK and re-imported or put onto Spanish plates.

Technically this driving of a UK registered car in the UK with no UK MOT any distance you like to a "Pre-arranged" MOT station of your choice is still valid, it's a very grey area, in as much as it's not been tested in court so far that I am aware of, say with no MOT from Cornwall to home in Scotland to get a fresh MOT.

If you were to get stopped the police have every right to say, and ask you why you didn't get a MOT locally, if the police suspected the car looked like it was unroadworthy, like a couple of bald tyres etc, they could stop you from driving the car anymore and make you take it to the nearest local MOT station, or even to a VOSA centre by recovery lorry at your cost, and /or impound the car.  

It's also supposed to be a fully unbroken journey. Remember now in the UK it's not so much the cops stopping you anymore but the cameras, which then report the number plate and nick you at the nearest junction, hence why we soon lose the windscreen displayed tax disc.

This is the rule for the UK....To drive through Spain with no current UK MOT -  or Spanish ITV haven't a clue.

If you SORN a car in the UK it is totally 1000 per cent illegal to drive this SORNED car anywhere, on any road,  other then to a prearranged MOT station, the cops don't like this one at all.

I looked at the website you mentioned, is the front number plate thats showing the £ sign the cost..(From)... of bringing your car back to the UK to get the MOT? Could be cheap as opposed to the trouble and aggravation you could have, I know of an Arab who has just had his top notch Lambo taken of him and sold by auction due to no insurance / road tax. 

baz1946 Yes the £ on the number plate is the cost of getting it MOT'd and it would certainly solve my problem as I could then tax it online and it would be legal to drive again.  I know it's illegal at the moment which is why it's off road.  I just can't work out how they can do it and whether it will be money ill spent if it's not a valid MOT that's in the system as then I couldn't tax it online.  

If I had to take it to the UK to get it MOT'd I would drive it to Santander and get on the ferry.  I'm not so concerned about the UK end as I would prebook an MOT appointment in Portsmouth and go directly there from the ferry, it's the driving through Spain that I'm worried about.  As I understand it even though it's not on UK roads it has to be fully legal in it's home country, (insured, taxed and MOT'd) to be legal on any EU roads.  I could take it for a voluntary ITV in Spain to prove it's road worthiness but I'm not sure if that would be enough if I had an accident. It's insured with Liberty Seguros.  It's a shame there aren't any motorails in Spain as that would be another option.

If it's been here that long (more than six months) then it should have been re-registered long ago - that is a legal requirement.

The quickest, easiest and I would say, cheapest (having done it myself) way of being 100%  legal, is:

1. go to a scrapyard (autodesguaces) and get a pair of LHD headlamps

2. change the rear fog lamp and reversing light over

3. get a perito's report

4. go to ITV station and get a test certificate

5. go to Traffico and re-register it

6. fit your new plates and drive away

Dead easy with a bit of patience and the ONLY way to guarantee 100% legality!

Steve

A few weeks ago a chap who lived not to far from me (In the UK) was getting UK registered cars in Spain,  a new UK MOT,  so the car could be driven about and if stopped everything appeared legal, he was advertising this service in the Costa Blanca news South edition, he even managed to get the cars logged into the UK DVLA computer system so the barcode showed up when scanned, and if stopped by the cops also showed up as correct. He got caught.

It's not to believe that this company would be doing this,  but we all know just what can, and is being done these days, internet / computers / etc are a wonderful thing to use... and even better when your crooked.

This company wants £395 a car, probably priced from as well, a good modern car transporter carries 14 cars  x £395 each  = £5530.00 per load, they then send them for the test at £10.00 each = £140.00 cost, no telling if it fails, you are not with the car, less any company ex's...Still not a bad return for a business, could be a very legal company.

As you know it's supposed to be true that if you were stopped going through Spain or France it's said the cops can enter the UK DVLA site to check on the legality of the car, I have no idea if this is true or not. I do know that even though many security checks have been put into place it's still more then abused.

Baz  Technically this driving of a UK registered car in the UK with no UK MOT any distance you like to a "Pre-arranged" MOT station of your choice is still valid, it's a very grey area, in as much as it's not been tested in court so far that I am aware of, say with no MOT from Cornwall to home in Scotland to get a fresh MOT.

If you were to get stopped the police have every right to say, and ask you why you didn't get a MOT locally, if the police suspected the car looked like it was unroadworthy, like a couple of bald tyres etc, they could stop you from driving the car anymore and make you take it to the nearest local MOT station, or even to a VOSA centre by recovery lorry at your cost, and /or impound the car.  

Sorry Baz,  you are wrong. It is legal under UK law to drive a vehicle without an MOT to a pre-arranged appointment. Distance is not an obstacle but it must be by the shortest route  (https://www.askthe.police.uk/content/Q600.htm)

As I said, the vehicle must be roadworthy to use it on a road, whether or not one has a valid MOT.  So driving with bald tyres etc.,  even with an MOT  /  ITV,  is illegal. 

The cops would like you to go the theSorry Baz,  you are wrong. It is legal under UK law to drive a vehicle without an MOT to a pre-arranged appointment. Distance is not an obstacle but it must be by the shortest route  (https://www.askthe.police.uk/content/Q600.htm)

Thats why I said it's a very grey area,  anyway how can you say in one breath...…"Distance is not an obstacle but it must be by the shortest route" in the next breath.

The cops would like you to go to the MOT station next door to your house but as the law stands today, they might not like it, they might give you the run-a-round, but sorry John they are stuffed on this one, hence no court cases involved with motorists taking cars long distance to have a...Also as I said Pre-arranged MOT.

Just looked at the website you spoke of...Where does it say "Shortest route"...It only says "Direct route". Big difference between direct,  and shortest....Now I did say "Unbroken journey"....Which is the direct route.

OK Baz, as a person with no legal knowledge on this subject,  I will nevertheless, accept you must be right,  and I mujst be wrong, and that my 30 years of actual experience, prosecuting law breakers in UK,  should be ignored !!!.

Ok Baz, as a persom wothy not lrgal knowledge on this subject I will accept that I am wriong and that my 30 years of actaul expereince is wrong.

So answer me this then, in your 30 years of actaul expereince as a police officer how many did you nick for the offence of not taking the shortest / direct / or whatever route to a MOT station and get a successful conviction for?

Mind you John if your above spelling is anything to go by it's a wonder your crime sheets made any sense at all...…Only joking John.

Baz   So answer me this then, in your 30 years of actaul expereince    (spelling !!!)  ………

Yes Baz,  thanks for the lesson on typing errors  (mujst )    !!!!

You wont get a lesson from me on spelling, mine can be worse then yours.....But...

So how many did you nick for this offence then?....I need to know.

So their you go John you didn't nick anyone for this offence because it's not an offence, or one that will stand up in a court of law anyway.

And to think you actually told the original poster to drive the car back to the UK with no MOT albeit a pre-arranged one... knowing full well its illegal to drive a UK car in Spain with no current UK MOT.

Thumbs down coming very soon.

Baz   ops!   

                            So their THERE you go John you didn't nick anyone for this offence because it's not an offence, or one that will stand up in a court of law anyway.

That is what I said, it is not an offence (to drive to an appointment in UK)

Baz:-  And to think you actually told the original poster to drive the car back to the UK with no MOT albeit a pre-arranged one... knowing full well its IT’S illegal to drive a UK car in Spain with no current UK MOT. 

No Baz,  that is what you are saying.

 I said, “In your situation I would make an appointment in UK and drive it back.  I know this will be like entering a hornets nest (I am off now to my bomb shelter) but I believe it is debatable whether you need an MOT / Vehicle Excise License to use your car in Spain.  The vehicle, however,  must always be roadworthy.

PS Sorry about pointing out your 'typing errors'  but you started it. 

Boys!

I have no problem with you pointing out my "Spelling errors" at all,  but you have pointed out my bad grammar, in red, which as I have told you before is down to my lack of education.

In your situation I would make an appointment in UK and drive it back.

Yes, John the above words are your words in answer to the original posters question and we both know the poster is in Spain with this car that has no UK MOT, no UK ROAD TAX on it, we both know its illegal to drive any UK registered car on the road in Spain without these two items, so now tell me you didn't suggest they drive it through Spain to the UK.

John these below also are your words. And I am not being right I am being correct to how the law stands on this situation, I didn't make these rules, I did not question your 30 years actual experience in the police force it was yourself that suggested it should be ignored.

In this situation as no law is broken when driving a car with no MOT or TAX to the MOT station...Talking UK here now.... Your police 30 years don't count for prosecuting this law breaker, because no law has been broken.

OK Baz, as a person with no legal knowledge on this subject,  I will nevertheless, accept you must be right,  and I mujst be wrong, and that my 30 years of actual experience, prosecuting law breakers in UK,  should be ignored !!!. 

So - to save any arguement, why not just do as I suggested above? After all, it's the only 100% LEGAL thing to do!

Steve

Where does it say that a UK qualified MOT tester has to be in the UK to carry out the test?  Is it possible that the company metioned above is based in Gibralter?