Morris Minor Owners Club

I have not seen any conversations about cars that were registered shortly after 1960, if I remember rightly when the tax exemption came in there were lots of people out to prove that even though the car was registered post 1973 it was made pre 73 and therfore was exempt. Does this apply to the MOT rules or is it specifically about when first registered?

If you can prove it was built pre 1960 then you will get MOT exemption.
Also, cars registered before 7th January are exempt, as it is assumed all these were built pre 1960.
I believe there was a piece in Minor Matters about this.

Well, road tax is more expensive and little obvious benefit, whereas the MOT is a safety check that you pay (less) for.

rayofleamington wrote:Well, road tax is more expensive and little obvious benefit, whereas the MOT is a safety check that you pay (less) for.

i trust myself to check my car. if there is anything wrong, i'll fix it myself.

i dont need a garage to tell me this.

mot exemption is a fantastic idea. it makes my classic motoring even cheaper now.

I think that MOT exemption is going to be a very dangerous idea.
Yes, we all try to maintain our vehicles to a high standard but we can all miss something. I trust the garage I use completely and will still be taking both my MOT exempt cars in for their test just for my peace of mind.

We must also remember that not everyone maintains their vehicles to the same standard that we do.

Mixed feelings me, if given the choice I would opt for not having to go through the annual ritual of getting the car to the garage and spending fifty quid for the privilege of them telling me that all is well when I have spent several hours prior to the test making sure that it is. An mot is only valid for that moment in time anyway so ongoing checks are a must. On the other hand I worry that mot exempt motors will at some point in the future be subject to different rules, possibly restricted use or enhanced insurance premiums. I do also think that it is just a matter of time before a mot exempt motor is involved in a serious accident and the current blame culture that now exists slips into overdrive.

I personally will still be taking mine for its MOT, mainly for piece of mind on what i cannot measure i.e. braking force plus the headlight brightness/beam pattern. If you ever are in an accident then the insurance companies will go over the car with a fine tooth comb to find something that not in regulation plus the police will do there own checks. Also if you get pulled over and you do have a valid MOT im guessing that the plod will be less likely to do anything more than visual checks.

one third of a pint of beer per week for a basic safety check ,is cheap