UK MOT - Page 2

When we first arrived in Spain with our car, we changed insurance companies to one that would insure us for longer than the standard 90 days.  We went through Britiania Legals who arranged cover with Liberty seguros. After that we re-registered the car here.

The 90 days applies to people not cars

Buy a bike here, they're around the same price as the UK & it saves a lot of hassle, unless it's a special or sentimental bike of course.

At the moment the EU rules say that any car insured in a member state must be covered for use in any other member state for the duration of the policy, UK insurers just ignore that as far as I'm aware...….. but that's all about to change.

Hi

After reading your reply does this mean you can bring your car/motorhome etc to Spain and leave it here for the life of the insurance policy although officially you cant stay that long, the reason i ask is the insurance companies seem to say 90 days or 6 months max

Thanks

The rules are clear.

If you are a Spanish resident you must obtain a Spanish driving licence and therefore cannot drive a British registered car in Spain. so your only alternative is to re-register it in Spain or get it transported back to the UK.

If you are not a Spanish resident and are in receipt of a British driving licence then you British registered car can stay in Spain for 6 months as long as its MOT, taxed and insured (for overseas use).

If you are a non resident after 90 days you need to apply for residency and if you are here over 183 you are automatically a tax resident and have to pay your tax in Spain.

There may be some flexibility due to the current crisis for people who for no fault of their own are outstaying the legal requirements. There is no flexibility that covers uninsured drivers.

Regards

Vivienne

You are correct, if the vehicle is en route to a U.K. MOT testing station, the UK police won't do you for not having a current test certificate, unless you were caught speeding or breaking some other driving regulation.However,,remember that the vehicle has to have a current MOT pass to have valid insurance, so it could be risky if you were unlucky enough to have a bump,while uninsured because of not having a live MOT, and beyond thinking about if third party injuries were added to the list.

Not advisable especially if chancing your luck in 3 different jurisdictions.

Bon voyage!

Ray

If you have no MOT your car is still insured, although YOUR OWN insurance company may not pay YOU if you're involved in an accident or they may pay a reduced rate, they will pay any 3rd parties & you will be insured for the purposes of the law.

There are a few insurance companies who stipulate the car must be MOT'd, but for the main part they say the car has to be roadworthy. A car can pass it's MOT on one day & be un roadworthy the next day, so an MOT just says it was OK at the time of testing.

I've just spoken to an ex colleague who has told me the MOT stations in the UK are staying open as it's deemed an essential service. What a load of rubbish, the sensible option would have been to follow Spain's example and suspend them for the time being.

To be honest I don't know what the rules are regarding how long a car can stay in the country so I wouldn't know. 

The UK insurers largely ignore the EU rule about car insurance, I'm not aware of anyone challenging it so it could go either way. Once Brexit happens it's a moot point anyway.

It looks as if the UK is now giving a six month extension to MOT's that run out after March 30th. So you could be in luck, or not depends on how you look at it :)

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-52036333

This whole thread concerns me.

If any of my loved ones were in an accident or heaven forbid injured or killed with some fool who was illegally driving a vehicle by having the wrong driving licence, no valid insurance, a car unfit to be on the road and the only excuse they could come up with is that they wanted to stay in Spain and thought it would be OK because MOT were extended in the UK.

This is selfish and downright dangerous and should not be encouraged.

Please don't encourage or make excuses "The law is clear"