Insurance/tax/MOT Arrrrgghhhhhh!

[Fin]

Hey everybody,

My dad recently passed away in August and I have been sorting through all the stuff you have to when someone dies. I was a named driver on his car, and I rang the insurance to inform them and asked what it would cost to start a policy in my name so that I could drive it if needs be. I told them that I have a car of my own so I wouldn't even do 1000 miles a year in his, yet they still came back with £1500 , so I told them to cancel the policy.

I subsequently declared his car off the road (SORN) and have it insured on my company vehicle insurance policy for fire/theft while it is parked on the driveway. I thought I may be able to get my broker to insure the car through the company for me to drive, but he informs me that the companies that they use don't insure drivers under 25 (ie me) on vehicles of a higher insurance group; hence why he couldn't help me out on my car either.

I won't be 25 until June, and I am going to have to move the car before then. I have since noticed that since I SORN'd the car the MOT has lapsed. My questions are thus:

1. I didn't claim a refund on the tax left (many other things on my mind) so there is still a tax disc on the car until April 2008. If I declare it back on the road is this tax still valid?
2. If no.1 is a yes, can I legally drive it on the basis that the insurance on my GP covers me to drive other cars 3rd Party (and I am the registered keeper of my dad's car now).
3. If no.2 is also a yes, can I legally drive the car without an MOT to the MOT garage? This is the only reason I need to take the car off the drive for the time being.
4. If the tax isn't valid, how will I get tax on it without an MOT?

If my 3rd party cover isn't good enough, do you know of any insurance companies that offer short term fully comp cover at a reasonable price? I know I could ask my insurance provider of my car these questions, but the customer helpline is based in some foreign call centre, and the difficulty in even informing them that I was changing the number plate on my MINI was enough to put me off putting this scenario to them!

I often think of how law abiding people try to make sure they aren't breaking the law, and how others will just drive an uninsured/taxed car without a second thought

Cheers guys

[KillerByte]

Not sure about the Tax/MOT questions but for short term insurance you could use a company like DayInsure.com. We've used them a couple of times and it worked around £12 per day you insure the car.

[Martin F]

I think the RFL is still valid as you still have a valid tax disc.

But you can't drive to the MOT station on your GP insurance as policies that allow you to drive other vehicles almost always restrict the cover to vehicles which are neither owned by you or registered in your name.

You are allowed to drive to a pre-booked MOT when your present MOT has expired but not anywhere else.

So what you need is some insurance cover. I can't help with that.

Otherwise, I hope this helps

[Randall Raines]

Quote: Originally Posted by Fin (original)

I subsequently declared his car off the road (SORN)

1. I didn't claim a refund on the tax left (many other things on my mind) so there is still a tax disc on the car until April 2008. If I declare it back on the road is this tax still valid?
2. If no.1 is a yes, can I legally drive it on the basis that the insurance on my GP covers me to drive other cars 3rd Party (and I am the registered keeper of my dad's car now).
3. If no.2 is also a yes, can I legally drive the car without an MOT to the MOT garage? This is the only reason I need to take the car off the drive for the time being.
4. If the tax isn't valid, how will I get tax on it without an MOT?

Quote: Originally Posted by Martin F (original)

I think the RFL is still valid as you still have a valid tax disc.

But you can't drive to the MOT station on your GP insurance as policies that allow you to drive other vehicles almost always restrict the cover to vehicles which are neither owned by you or registered in your name.

You are allowed to drive to a pre-booked MOT when your present MOT has expired but not anywhere else.

Hi "Fin", I often see you giving out advice and web addresses on this sort of stuff .

#1 : I'm with "Martin F" on that one "I think the RFL is still valid as you still have a valid tax disc.", this is only if it's still a valid TAX disk.

You can check on the DVLA web-site (DVLA's vehicle online services), click on the "Vehicle Enquiry", and follow it through, to see if the Road TAX is still valid as it will show up as not due .

However I would be careful, with you SORNing the vehicle (if your getting to know me by now you should know a short story is on it's way ).

I was told the other day by a trader friend of mine that a customer of his was arrested for fraudulent use of a TAX disk due too an ANPR operation, they scanned his car and it showed up, no TAX, he was stopped, he showed the POLICE the TAX disk in the window (the genuine TAX disk for that car), he was then arrested for "fraudulent use of a TAX disk" because the previous keeper had claimed / cancelled (SORN'd) the TAX for the vehicle after selling it, the customer is a totally innocent party but his vehicle was clamped & towed away & he actually got arrested (as it was him displaying a cancelled TAX disk), from what I can gather he's a couple of hundred pounds out of pocket that he can't get back .

#3 : I'm with "Martin F" on that one "You are allowed to drive to a pre-booked MOT when your present MOT has expired but not anywhere else.", plus the fact that as long as the MOT is pre-booked you can drive a car to and from the MOT test without a valid TAX or a valid MOT, because not everybody has "Trade Plates", or you would be left in a catch 22 situation as you have stated (not unusual for the DVLA, in my opinion ).

This brings us to #2 : again I'm with "Martin F" on that one "But you can't drive to the MOT station on your GP insurance as policies that allow you to drive other vehicles almost always restrict the cover to vehicles which are neither owned by you or registered in your name.", plus the vehicle has also got to be insured by someone else, in some cases .

So you will need insurance to drive the car to & from the MOT, or get someone else who is insured to drive it for you . Ask the MOT station if they can pick it up and drop it off for you, it will be cheaper than getting insured if that's all that you need to do with the insurance .

I had all the under 25 BULL when I was trying to get trade insurance for myself when I was 21 .

This was supposed to be a quick reply Zzz! "I've started so i'll finish!", I'm off to bed now I'm knackered, I actually feel tired for once .