MOT exemption from May 2018

[Delbert]

Hi All

Ive just found out that as from May 2018 vehicles that are 40 years and over are now to be exempt from the yearly MOT test,  yes i know that probably everyone else on here knows already about this,  ( but im one that always gets to know about these things last )

my Question which i cant seem to find an answer to on the web about this,  is the MOT exemption from 40 years of the first registration date, or is it from the actual build date of the vehicle,

and is this to become on a yearly rolling basis      ie from May 2018 all vehicles built/registered up to may 1978     and from May 2019 all vehicles Built/registered up to May 1979 

and so on in 2020 2021 etc  etc.

also what are your thoughts on not having to have a MOT for 40 year and over vehicles   Good or Bad ? ?

[Kenbex522]

Bad idea and its date of registration. It is only exempt if it is not substantially changed in the following departments:

Unmodified chassis /bodyshell

Axles and running gear: Alteration of the TYPE or METHOD of suspension or method of steering.   ie  replacing leaf springs with 4 link, or a box type steering to rack.

Engine: Alternative cubic capacity of the same basic engine or alternative original equipment to that model of car are NOT considered substantial changes.  Everything else is! ie Zetec's, V6 or V8's, diesels in an Escort etc etc.

[NudgerSS]

Any modifications must have been carried out at least 30 years ago to qualify for MOT exemption. Any serious mods to engine, bodywork, chassis etc mean it must be tested. 

[Fozzy48]

So does my 1976 RS2000 with 2.1 pinto, capri axle and disc conversion mean I have to still MOT it. 

I'm not bothered if I have to personally.

Cheers.

Fozzy

[eeb43]

5 hours ago, NudgerSS said:

Any modifications must have been carried out at least 30 years ago to qualify for MOT exemption. Any serious mods to engine, bodywork, chassis etc mean it must be tested. 

any serious mods to the body or chassis mean it will need to be iva tested and probably get a q reg

[Xp197777]

Personally I would always MOT  mine not  necessarily for safety because I know it’s fine being a mechanic but more for  prosperity reasons and resale one day

[Monza]

Same here. Bad idea. I will always mot mine if only for piece of mind. I know the car will be right but good to get it independantly checked.

Sure the insurance industry will have something to say about insuring cars without some form of test...imo

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

[Xp197777]

Yeah that’s a good point m8

[Fozzy48]

2 hours ago, eeb43 said:

any serious mods to the body or chassis mean it will need to be iva tested and probably get a q reg

Balls to that game, I don't want it on Q plate, it's not a kit car lol.

As others have said, I would MOT it anyway regardless of whether I didn't need to or not.

Cheers.

Fozzy

[Vista]

Those of you who are exempt may all find that you can get a "safety check" done for less money. Peace of mind without the cost of the government red tape. 

[katana]

Across the whole of the Classic car world there is a lot of speculation as to what is going to happen. This change is Euro law and the civil servants have tied this into the 40 year tax rules for 'historics'. To claim exemption you have to confirm there are no substantial modifications - if you don't claim exemption you have to MOT but i'm guessing you'll also lose the tax benefit as well BUT as tax is Customs and Excise and MOT is DVLA they are entirely unrelated so anything is possible! Also if you claim exemption 'falsely' it potentially lays you open to a snap inspection by DVLA just to check - you can imagine the aggro you'd get if you'd been naughty - not talking naughty step for an hour either!

[Ray]

29 minutes ago, Vista said:

Those of you who are exempt may all find that you can get a "safety check" done for less money. Peace of mind without the cost of the government red tape. 

at the hourly rates of garages and mechanics these days, local garages are starting at £60 an hour, and dealers way over the £100 an hour, the MOT is probably the cheapest safety check youll get, certainly in Sarfend anyway, as the very same garages and dealers are doing an MOT for £30

[RWL81P]

5 minutes ago, Ray said:

at the hourly rates of garages and mechanics these days, local garages are starting at £60 an hour, and dealers way over the £100 an hour, the MOT is probably the cheapest safety check youll get, certainly in Sarfend anyway, as the very same garages and dealers are doing an MOT for £30

thats why cols got so many toys!

[RWL81P]

55 minutes ago, Fozzy48 said:

Balls to that game, I don't want it on Q plate, it's not a kit car lol.

As others have said, I would MOT it anyway regardless of whether I didn't need to or not.

Cheers.

Fozzy

had the choice i wouldnt bother with the MOT i know what my cars and bikes need before they get an mot so they always pass. but i dont wont a Q reg so i'll just keep mot ing them.

[Xp197777]

Very true Ray

[Vista]

45 minutes ago, Ray said:

at the hourly rates of garages and mechanics these days, local garages are starting at £60 an hour, and dealers way over the £100 an hour, the MOT is probably the cheapest safety check youll get, certainly in Sarfend anyway, as the very same garages and dealers are doing an MOT for £30

Maybe in the Ivory towers of Londinium and Home Counties independent local garages get away with £60 an hour labour rates but I'm pretty sure that's not the case down here.

[Ray]

the ind est I'm on, has 7 garage/mech services, cheapest starts at £60 per hour, but only 3 have MOT capability, and MOTs are just £30, dealers we have at least 7 within less than 1/2 mile, all way over £125an hour, but again, they do an mot for £30

must be an area cost of living thing, renting ind units is expensive here, but mot price must just be down to sheer competition

[Xp197777]

You can get an MOT in Devon for £35 /40 Ray so your right it’s the cheapest safety  inspection and you get a mot certificate for your cars file as well , I will definitely still be MOT Ing mine 

[Vista]

Labour rate at my local garage is £42 an hour. Think about it, how much of the MOT test can you do yourself? Lights, horn, tyres, indicators, brake lights, wipers, washers. Which leaves what, 30 minutes for a poke around on the ramp, check all the bushes and inaccessible bits underneath and do a brake test?

[Fozzy48]

1 hour ago, Vista said:

Labour rate at my local garage is £42 an hour. Think about it, how much of the MOT test can you do yourself? Lights, horn, tyres, indicators, brake lights, wipers, washers. Which leaves what, 30 minutes for a poke around on the ramp, check all the bushes and inaccessible bits underneath and do a brake test?

I thought a car had to have at least 1 hour spent on it for an MOT.

Mine cost £40 to get through last week. I can live with that and as explained, myself do the majority of its checks needed before taking it.

Fozzy

[katana]

When the 'booked in' MOT started a few years back the 'men in black' mandated a set inspection time - once started the tested couldn't register another test on the system until the time was up - if you wanted more throughput, you needed more testers. I think the time was 45 minutes and bikes 25 or 30 minutes. When you work it back against labour rates they are loss leaders - a service that hopefully is tacked onto a workshop service or repair that does make some money - they hate thing that pass 1st off!

[Kenbex522]

14 hours ago, katana said:

Across the whole of the Classic car world there is a lot of speculation as to what is going to happen. This change is Euro law and the civil servants have tied this into the 40 year tax rules for 'historics'. To claim exemption you have to confirm there are no substantial modifications - if you don't claim exemption you have to MOT but i'm guessing you'll also lose the tax benefit as well BUT as tax is Customs and Excise and MOT is DVLA they are entirely unrelated so anything is possible! Also if you claim exemption 'falsely' it potentially lays you open to a snap inspection by DVLA just to check - you can imagine the aggro you'd get if you'd been naughty - not talking naughty step for an hour either!

Its got nothing to do with car tax. Substantially modifieds will still get free tax if the vehicle is 40 years old. The only time this changes is when the vehicle requires a BIVA test.

http://www.fbhvc.co.uk/about-us/news/_article/123/taxation-of-historic-vehicles-which-dont-meet-the-vehicles-of-historic-interest-vhi-criteria/

[Yellow Perril 2]

Quote

I must be on another planet ...this is all news to me.  I'm not having a q plate though and keeping some form of annual registration must be worth something in future value.  Definitely worth the MOT.

 

[katana]

8 hours ago, Kenbex522 said:

Its got nothing to do with car tax. Substantially modifieds will still get free tax if the vehicle is 40 years old. The only time this changes is when the vehicle requires a BIVA test.

http://www.fbhvc.co.uk/about-us/news/_article/123/taxation-of-historic-vehicles-which-dont-meet-the-vehicles-of-historic-interest-vhi-criteria/

If it ain't why did they pick the 40 year cut off when the Euro requirement was 30 years ? What the betting the info will be shared as effectively the substantially modified phrase will be used across both  for tax and MOT reasons - call me cynical - ABSOLUTELY!