MOT/Tax Historic Exemption / legal

ONCB

RMS Member
Messages
13
I have a car that in GB would qualify for historic MOT and tax exemption next year (40 years old) if it were on the mainland. I believe we still haven't implemented this in NI for various reasons (please let me know if I'm wrong!).

Somewhat hypothetically - If I had such a car and lived in England, thus it was exempt, I could bring it over here for a week and drive it say, and surely this wouldn't be 'illegal'. With this in mind, if I was to give the car to a relative in England and change the registered keeper and they were to declare it tax and MOT exempt and get a new V5 back, and then they gave the car back to me over here - where does that leave me legally speaking?

Any thoughts appreciated!
 

stevieturbo

RMS Regular
Messages
21,096
Location
Antrim
Drives
Old Ford
Strictly speaking.....how can you explain the car being here, driving it and insuring it with either the V5 or your license with different addresses ?

It's going to be a bit sketchy no matter how.

Surely it'd be easier just to MOT it ? It's not that difficult. And pretty sure to be MOT exempt, the car must be totally standard.
 

andy9eleven

RMS Regular
Messages
8,352
Location
Bangor, sort of Ards
Drives
All broken
Nothing sketchy at all about the v5 being at a different address. Every single lease car or company car in the country has an address on the v5 that differs to where it’s used and insured.

V5 it in mainland address and work away never worrying about MoT again.
 

stevieturbo

RMS Regular
Messages
21,096
Location
Antrim
Drives
Old Ford
Nothing sketchy at all about the v5 being at a different address. Every single lease car or company car in the country has an address on the v5 that differs to where it’s used and insured.

V5 it in mainland address and work away never worrying about MoT again.

So he will have it insured at the address in England ? Yet all evidence will show it's living here as is he...yes it is sketchy.

And if you need to worry about MOT....the car should not be on the road.
 

carmad.

RMS Regular
Messages
3,473
Location
belfast
Drives
good old bird
yeah that’s it

it limits your mileage and you cannot use it everyday ( it says show use only )

also if you are involved in an accident be prepaired to be bent over as you are responsible for its road worthy condition
 

ONCB

RMS Member
OP
O
Messages
13
Not trying to be sketchy, car is currently MOT'd and perfectly capable of getting another one. It's more about being frustrated that the same legislation doesn't apply here and then wondering how it actually IS applied - don't know if it is a case of once the vehicle is (fully above board) declared exempt in GB, would it still be exempt here despite not being able to apply for the same exemption here.

I had thought of both options of having the V5 at a different address (and thought it was a bit dodgy, then considered that this is how it would work for many businesses) and also just changing it back to my NI name and address after exemption was obtained.

I'm not trying to purposefully abuse the system to run a car that shouldn't run - more just wondering if there was a legal way of using the exemption over here.
 

andy9eleven

RMS Regular
Messages
8,352
Location
Bangor, sort of Ards
Drives
All broken
So he will have it insured at the address in England ? Yet all evidence will show it's living here as is he...yes it is sketchy.

And if you need to worry about MOT....the car should not be on the road.

No. He can insure it at his home address here in NI. Like I said the first time, every lease car in the country has a v5 address that differs to the address on the insurance policy. It’s a registered keeper address. Doesn’t have to have any bearing on the insurance.
 

ONCB

RMS Member
OP
O
Messages
13
Is the V5 and insurance itself not really a bit of a non-issue? Any insurance I have ever bought asks me if I am the owner and registered keeper of the car, so I could put down whoever the registered keeper was there anyway so insurance would still be valid in that sense
 

stevieturbo

RMS Regular
Messages
21,096
Location
Antrim
Drives
Old Ford
Well as long as your license is here, and the car is insured at your home address for correct usage etc....then that should be fine. But then why wouldnt the V5 also be registered here ?
 

111gsi

RMS Regular
Messages
253
For the record, the difference only applies to MoT exemption - tax exempt status is the same in NI and GB. Probably because it started in 1995 with 25 year exemption, before we got our devolved institutions.

All UK registered cars, including us, get free tax after their 40th birthday.
 

NI_Volvo_Nut

RMS Regular
Messages
4,846
Location
Ballynahinch
Drives
Volvo's!
Not trying to be sketchy, car is currently MOT'd and perfectly capable of getting another one. It's more about being frustrated that the same legislation doesn't apply here and then wondering how it actually IS applied - don't know if it is a case of once the vehicle is (fully above board) declared exempt in GB, would it still be exempt here despite not being able to apply for the same exemption here.

I had thought of both options of having the V5 at a different address (and thought it was a bit dodgy, then considered that this is how it would work for many businesses) and also just changing it back to my NI name and address after exemption was obtained.

I'm not trying to purposefully abuse the system to run a car that shouldn't run - more just wondering if there was a legal way of using the exemption over here.
Why pick on this legislation? It's only the last 5 years or so the cherished transfer rules came into force here. Not to mention numerous other pieces of legislation that only apply, MOT for example
 

ONCB

RMS Member
OP
O
Messages
13
Because I believe the general idea was that the same rule would apply here but that we can't implement it without a working executive, it would also just be useful to not have to try and get an MOT booked and then get time off work (as is normally the case) to actually do it.

I wasn't aware that the tax rule already applied here - thought it was in the same situation, so thanks!
 

NI_Volvo_Nut

RMS Regular
Messages
4,846
Location
Ballynahinch
Drives
Volvo's!
Tax here is Pre '73, MOT exemption is Pre '60 (or '63 can't remember) MOT is open 8am to 8.30pm Mon to Saturday, fin dit hard to believe you couldn't get an appointment that wouldn't mean you would have to take time off work. If the car will MOT easily why are you giving yourself the hassle of avoiding it? Furthermore the onus is on you to keep it roadworthy, is it not easier to put the onus on someone else to say its roadworthy? Personally don't see the point of an MOT exemption on something which is a usable classic, I do agree however the tax exception should be extended to classic insurance status, £250/yr to tax a car which does 1500 miles a year is plan stoopid!
 

Coog

Admin
Messages
47,515
Drives
GTI
Is this now applicable in NI? Just noticing a few cars over 40 now seem to be exempt here.
 

carmad.

RMS Regular
Messages
3,473
Location
belfast
Drives
good old bird
Is this now applicable in NI? Just noticing a few cars over 40 now seem to be exempt here.

i recently got the tax book for my 1975 viva and it won’t let me sorn it when you check on line it looks like this tho

462843E3-D59B-4A21-B456-A7A998B87DE6.jpeg
 

carmad.

RMS Regular
Messages
3,473
Location
belfast
Drives
good old bird
it’s tax exempt so assuming it’s the fill in form at post office job same with mot exemption


also this car wasn’t tax exempt last time i owned it and i got a fine for not sorning it
 

Lexx

RMS Regular
Messages
1,122
Location
Co. Down
Drives
German Scrap
it’s tax exempt so assuming it’s the fill in form at post office job same with mot exemption


also this car wasn’t tax exempt last time i owned it and i got a fine for not sorning it
Had to SORN my tax exempt Landy, tho if she was MOT exempt, like she was in England I probably wouldnt have bothered
 

svensktoppen

RMS Regular
Messages
32,751
Drives
FK2 CTR
Every car in NI is MoT exempt now anyway, automatic extensions and all that :innocent: Just had to get one done in England, impossible here.
 
Top