MOT question

[Polar Bear]

Your current MOT is valid until the day it runs out. A new failure MOT cannot make the old one invalid.

 

[Okta]

Your current MOT is valid until the day it runs out. A new failure MOT cannot make the old one invalid.

It might not make the old MOT invalid but a failure for something that is considered dangerous does make it illegal to drive the vehicle away from the test centre. You could be prosecuted for dangerous driving which covers knowing the vehicle has a dangerous fault. You would have no defence because you will have been handed a piece of paper telling you it is dangerous. Also worth remembering that it will already have been logged on the DVLA computer because the tester has to log the vehicle in at the start of the MOT and off at the end. Whether or not you have a valid MOT might be the least of your problems if caught.

 

[wildebus]

It might not make the old MOT invalid but a failure for something that is considered dangerous does make it illegal to drive the vehicle away from the test centre. You could be prosecuted for dangerous driving which covers knowing the vehicle has a dangerous fault. You would have no defence because you will have been handed a piece of paper telling you it is dangerous. Also worth remembering that it will already have been logged on the DVLA computer because the tester has to log the vehicle in at the start of the MOT and off at the end. Whether or not you have a valid MOT might be the least of your problems if caught.

And if you fixed the dangerous fault prior to driving away? what is the situation there?
An MOT tester is not allowed to touch anything to rectify what they consider to be a fault so you could have say two faults - one that is minor that needs say a part to rectify (for example a brake pad that has caused a pad warning light despite having many many months (or even years in a low use motorhome) of use left in it, and a 'dangerous' fault that could be resolved in 2 minutes.

PS. the Above is not hypothetical. I had that on my Motor Caravan a few years ago. Had a 'Dangerous' Fault logged. Asked the tester to show me and I fixed in literally a minute. Dangerous fault logged but no longer present when I drove away, to present van back later for a repair and retest.

 

[Okta]

And if you fixed the dangerous fault prior to driving away? what is the situation there?
An MOT tester is not allowed to touch anything to rectify what they consider to be a fault so you could have say two faults - one that is minor that needs say a part to rectify (for example a brake pad that has caused a pad warning light despite having many many months (or even years in a low use motorhome) of use left in it, and a 'dangerous' fault that could be resolved in 2 minutes.

PS. the Above is not hypothetical. I had that on my Motor Caravan a few years ago. Had a 'Dangerous' Fault logged. Asked the tester to show me and I fixed in literally a minute. Dangerous fault logged but no longer present when I drove away, to present van back later for a repair and retest.

I guess getting it re-tested is the safest thing to do but if it has been made roadworthy and has a valid old MOT you would seem to be legal. The modern MOT makes a distinction between “major defects” and “dangerous defects”. The following was copied from a .gov website and is advice given to testers in 2018 when the new definitions were introduced.

“Moving to pre-defined dangerous defects will bring consistency to what is recorded as dangerous. So, we’ve taken the opportunity to make the wording on the MOT failure documents clear in reminding motorists that driving a dangerous vehicle is illegal.

While the majority of your customers would never drive a dangerous vehicle until it’s made safe, we know not everyone will behave responsibly. And, while it isn’t your responsibility to try and physically stop them from driving the vehicle, it’s important you provide them with clear advice that they do have dangerous defects.

This all applies whether the vehicle has a current MOT or not. A dangerous vehicle should never be driven on the road.”

 

[trevskoda]

Mot here states that the test pass is only valid as it leaves the station that day, the rest of the year its up to you to keep it right, this law keeps their ass clean.

 

[Geek]

This thread is conflating a few separate things.
An MOT test looks at specific things. It does not involve any dismantling at all, so it can easily miss things that are failing or failed, possibly dangerously.
If a vehicle passes its MOT that doesn't mean it is roadworthy, just that the tester didn't find any fail items.
A vehicle can fail its MOT and be safe to drive, even if not legal to drive. One of the number plate lamps or an intermittent rear fog light woul be examples.
You can take it in for test up to a month early. (I think that's actually 30 days, but I'm not sure). The unexpired period of the old certificate is added to the new one. Take it for test any earlier than that, and the unexpired period is not appended.
A failed MOT does NOT in validate the previous one, even if "fix before driving" faults are found.
Of course that doesn't mean it is safe or legal to drive, but it does still have a valid MOT

 

[Geek]

You can take your vehicle away if:
• your current MOT certificate is still valid
• no 'dangerous' problems were listed in the
MOT

I read that as you need to comply with both, it is not an either or.

I don't know what the law is, but the reality is that you can drive away after a dangerous fail. A year or two ago my motorhome failed on brake efficiency. I fixed it by taking it to a testing station that knew how to operate their brake tester. Suddenly it went from a "dangerous" fail to a pass. No other changes to the brakes.

 

[Okta]

The Government advice to testers is that they can not physically stop you from driving away but it also makes it clear that a dangerous vehicle should never be driven on the road. If the braking efficiency is less than the minimum requirement but over 50% of the required level it is recorded as a major fault. It is only recorded as a dangerous fault if it falls below 50%.