When I apply for Historic vehicle registration next May do I have to get a new mot if there is a current one on the car?

 

rgp,

No, the MoT system doesn't care about the Historic status. It only cares about the age of the car, in relation to emission levels etc. Your existing MoT stays in place. And remember because the vehicle will then have Historic status, it then doesn't have to have an MoT anyway.

Paul

 

Hi, the dvla 40 year ruling is a little confusing as I found out recently! They take the 40 year period from the 1st Jan each year and any car built before then can apply for historic status that following April , so currently any car built before Jan 83 can be eligible from April 2023 .
Build date is key so if an 1984 registered car can be shown via a heritage certificate to have been built before 31 Dec 83 then you can apply next April , otherwise a 1984 car will not be eligible until April 2025.
On a positive note once the car is eligible it is a fairly straightforward process and then tax the car every year on line but at no cost!

 

If your historic car fails a voluntary MOT, can you still drive it even though it doesn't need one?

 

Steve,

From ChatGPT:

If your historic vehicle is exempt from the MOT test and you voluntarily decide to take it for an MOT test anyway, and it fails the test, it does not mean you can no longer drive it legally on the road, provided it still meets the requirements for an exempted vehicle. However, you should address the issues that caused the failure to ensure the vehicle remains safe and roadworthy.

Maybe it's best to ask the tester to do an informal test first and then, if it "passes", to formally put it through the system?

Paul

 

With a small brown envelope?