# Illegal UK plated cars



## AmyHarper1 (Jan 16, 2012)

Ok so we all know its illegal to drive a uk plated car if you are a resident in Spain but what are the repercussions? The reason I ask is that there are at least 2 illegal cars in my urbanizacion and I wonder how they manage to escape the Guardia. What would they be looking at if they were caught?


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## donz (May 5, 2010)

I have heard of them being seized completely (which ultimately can mean them being crushed).

They have been sitting outside the local school waiting for the parents to come and drop their kids off = they intend on staying here longer than the 'tourist' excuse.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

donz said:


> I have heard of them being seized completely (which ultimately can mean them being crushed).
> 
> They have been sitting outside the local school waiting for the parents to come and drop their kids off = they intend on staying here longer than the 'tourist' excuse.


yes, they do that around here too :clap2:

somehow or other one family (now returned to the UK after being here 5 years) managed to get away with it though - I could never understand how - their car wasn't the usual run of the mill car & it had very memorable numberplates :confused2:


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Yes, they do the school thing around here too. Its also worth noting that if the car is here illegally then inspite of what the insurance companies tell you. If you need to make a claim, then the vehicle is illegal and they wont pay up - so therefore its uninsured, unless you can prove its only here temporarily

Jo xxx


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## youngagepensioner (May 18, 2009)

There was a lady in my village (left now), who, despite having an illegal car, stood as a councillor for the mayor's political party. No-one cared about the car.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

jojo said:


> Yes, they do the school thing around here too. Its also worth noting that if the car is here illegally then inspite of what the insurance companies tell you. If you need to make a claim, then the vehicle is illegal and they wont pay up - so therefore its uninsured, unless you can prove its only here temporarily
> 
> Jo xxx


We've been through this before, Jo. It is the driver that is illegal. When I had a (legal) UK -plated car -it was nearly new and therefore in no need of MOT but was taxed - I worried about what would happen were I to keep it here until the tax ran out. I discussed this with the insurance company and received confirmation in writing that I would be insured even if any MOT and tax ran out. As it happened my son drove it back to the UK and sold it. I sold another UK plated car to an Anglo-Spanish couple who swore they would put it on Spanish plates. That was two years ago and it is still being driven round here on UK plates with presumably no tax or MOT.

There are in the UK very few instances where your vehicle will be without insurance. You can drive without MOT, tax and still have valid insurance.

The Road Traffic Act 1988 clearly states when an insurance company has no legal obligation to pay up. Lack of vehicle licensing tax and /or MOT are not listed conditions. Driving whilst disqualified is, though...hence the levy on insurance companies to cover payouts for those involved in accidents with non-insured disqualified drivers.

Whilst it is true that in Spain it is illegal to drive a UK plated car after a certain period and if you are resident, that fact in itself is a good reason for not doing so. 

An insurance company may fail to pay up after an accident for a variety of reasons: failing to have the required medical check-up after a certain age, perhaps?

If non-possession of an ITV or proof of tax paid were sufficient cause to render the insurance on a Spanish-plated vehicle invalid, I fear an alarmingly high number of vehicles would be uninsured.

I often wonder why the police don't focus on LHD cars with UK plates....they are obvious candidates for non-compliance. Loads of them round here, mainly high-end vehicles...


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## zilly (Mar 9, 2010)

The Guardia threatened to crush my car when they pulled me for driving on UK plates--- luckily I was in the process and had a letter from my lawyer to show the Guardia if I did get stopped-so I was ok.
Apparently UK plated cars around here are being stopped-- but there still seem to be lots of them around..........................


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

mrypg9 said:


> We've been through this before, Jo. It is the driver that is illegal. When I had a (legal) UK -plated car -it was nearly new and therefore in no need of MOT but was taxed - I worried about what would happen were I to keep it here until the tax ran out. I discussed this with the insurance company and received confirmation in writing that I would be insured even if any MOT and tax ran out. As it happened my son drove it back to the UK and sold it. I sold another UK plated car to an Anglo-Spanish couple who swore they would put it on Spanish plates. That was two years ago and it is still being driven round here on UK plates with presumably no tax or MOT.
> 
> There are in the UK very few instances where your vehicle will be without insurance. You can drive without MOT, tax and still have valid insurance.
> 
> ...


 Yeah, yeah, yeah  and you know I know someone who's car was stolen and the insurance company wouldnt pay out cos it was on UK plates

Jo xxx


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

The reason that I was given by Trafico (not the Guardia actually, but a different dept.), is that it would cost too much to store them prior to them being matriculated or crushed.


The reason that the local and national police do nothing about it is that it was not in their jurisdiction - I am told that it is now part of the National Police's remit.


Does seem strange though as I'm sure it could be a money spinner - but only if people came forward to pay the fines!


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

jojo said:


> Yeah, yeah, yeah  and you know I know someone who's car was stolen and the insurance company wouldnt pay out cos it was on UK plates
> 
> Jo xxx


You have to know ALL the circumstances surrounding insurance claims before deciding why a company won't pay out.

In the CR, for instance, I didn't bother to insure my car against theft. I just had the basic third-party cover.

We dealt with a lot of insurance jobs in our UK business and the facts of a claim can often not coincide with the insured party's perception!

Does everyone have the required medical certificate to accompany their UK licence if using it in Spain as required by a 2009 law? If not, surely there's ample ground for an insurance company refusing a claim...More so than not having a Road Tax I would have thought.
Just asking...


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## Abyss-Rover (Mar 17, 2012)

mrypg9 said:


> Does everyone have the required medical certificate to accompany their UK licence if using it in Spain as required by a 2009 law?


You have my attention..... Can you give a link to information about this, please.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Abyss-Rover said:


> You have my attention..... Can you give a link to information about this, please.


Google' requirements for driving on UK licence when resident in Spain'?


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

mrypg9 said:


> Google' requirements for driving on UK licence when resident in Spain'?


or look at the first link on the 4th post on the 'useful links' sticky


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## Abyss-Rover (Mar 17, 2012)

It might be me but I can't find any reference in any official sites, regarding a "medical certificate to accompany their UK licence if using it in Spain as required by a 2009 law"


Just found this.... But it doesn't come from an official UK government website. In fact, their terms of use state:

_This Helpsheet Website is not affiliated to any government or official organisation. It is intended to be used as a source of informal help and advice. However, the authors are not legal specialists and are providing their interpretation of Spanish legal issues and laws. Before acting on any of the advice and/or content within this website, you should contact a legal specialist for expert legal advice._

http://www.drivermedicaltest.es/


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

jojo said:


> Yeah, yeah, yeah  and you know I know someone who's car was stolen and the insurance company wouldnt pay out cos it was on UK plates
> 
> Jo xxx


An insurance company accepted a premium for theft on a British plated car and then didn't pay out because it was British plated? 

I call bull.


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## Abyss-Rover (Mar 17, 2012)

jimenato said:


> An insurance company accepted a premium for theft on a British plated car and then didn't pay out because it was British plated?
> 
> I call bull.


I do believe that some expat insurance specialists make serious mistakes. I had a policy for a power boat, with Knights Insurance Brokers (Mallorca). After getting the policy details wrong, many times, it eventually turned out that the trailer was not insured and could not be insure with the boat unless I took out a different insurance policy. Even though Knights insisted that I was fully covered.

I'm glad I didn't find this out, after an accident or a problem with the police. I'm sure that anything carried on the "Uninsured" trailer, would also be uninsured.

So I was paying to insure something that wasn't insured. Even after this was confirmed, by the insurance company, They refused to refund the policy fee, even though I could not use the boat, without the correct insurance, for almost a complete year.

I can't say about other expat insurance specialists but I would be very weary now!


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

The rules are that up to the age of 45 you have to have one every 10 years, and 45 -70 every 5 years, over 70 every year. these certificates can only be obtained from specified doctors.

I'm about to swap my licence and undergo the medical which includes a test of your reflexes and co-ordination and an eye test.


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## overeasy (Apr 22, 2012)

Depends on the mood of the Guardia civil. There are many of them who do not like to trouble expats, there are others who really love to turn the screws. Mostly they turn a blind eye showing good will.
The rules are simple but also contradictory...welcome to Spain. 
On the one hand under Spanish traffic laws you can only keep a Uk registered vehicle on the Spanish road for 6 months. but because there is no way of knowing how long the vehicle has actually been in Spain this law is rarely enforced.
Conversely, under EU law any EU vehicle may be in Any EU country for any length of time, withou sanction so long as it is legally on the road, taxed insured, etc.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

jimenato said:


> An insurance company accepted a premium for theft on a British plated car and then didn't pay out because it was British plated?
> 
> I call bull.


As I said, many people don't seem to understand precisely why their claims fail...We dealt with many damaged vehicles which were subject to insurance claims and some people seemed to expect insurance would cover everything, no questions asked.


When I first bought a UK-plated car in Prague I was told I wouldn't be able to insure it as I was non-UK resident and that UK insurers would only issue policies for limited periods of time.
Pure bullexcremento!! There are a couple of UK companies that will do this via reputable insurers. The only drawback is that such policies are fairly expensive.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

overeasy said:


> Conversely, under EU law any EU vehicle may be in Any EU country for any length of time, withou sanction so long as it is legally on the road, taxed insured, etc.


Can you cite the source for this within the relevant EU law??

There are variations relating to such issues ...no uniform policy common to all EU member states.

It is a mistake to assume that all laws are the same across all EU member states.
Some are, some aren't. Most EU Directives allow latitude for national sensibilities.


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

mrypg9 said:


> Can you cite the source for this within the relevant EU law??
> 
> There are variations relating to such issues ...no uniform policy common to all EU member states.
> 
> ...


Yes that is the EU line but there's a kicker.'Subject to the laws in the relevant country' !

So you can drive it according to the eu but in spain after 90 days you become a resident & now can't drive the foreign plated vehicle as it's illegal & if it's a uk vehicle it can be taken out of the uk temporarily for up to 12 months ( providing it is fully legal with regards to uk law ) but if you know in advance you are not coming back then it has to be exported before you go ! Then again if you are a student , studying in another eu country none of the above applies as you have entitlement to drive the vehicle on its own country plates & subject to being fully legal in its own country, for a maximum period of two years ! 
& the eu/people in general expect the traffic police in all the different eu states to know all this ?


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

gus-lopez said:


> Yes that is the EU line but there's a kicker.'Subject to the laws in the relevant country' !
> 
> So you can drive it according to the eu but in spain after 90 days you become a resident & now can't drive the foreign plated vehicle as it's illegal & if it's a uk vehicle it can be taken out of the uk temporarily for up to 12 months ( providing it is fully legal with regards to uk law ) but if you know in advance you are not coming back then it has to be exported before you go ! Then again if you are a student , studying in another eu country none of the above applies as you have entitlement to drive the vehicle on its own country plates & subject to being fully legal in its own country, for a maximum period of two years !
> & the eu/people in general expect the traffic police in all the different eu states to know all this ?


Surely they should be aware of and able to enforce the laws which it is their job to uphold???
A Spanish traffic cop needs to know what is applicable to Spain not to the other 26 EU states...


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

mrypg9 said:


> Surely they should be aware of and able to enforce the laws which it is their job to uphold???
> A Spanish traffic cop needs to know what is applicable to Spain not to the other 26 EU states...


Ah but, for a foreign registered vehicle to be legally used outside its country of domicile, it has to comply with the law of its own country (for UK vehicles = Taxed, tested and insured) and if the vehicle is not thus legal in in its domiciled country, then it's not legal here so they DO need to know the laws of the other states. I, personally, would have about half a dozen removed and scrapped within an approximate 20km radius of here.


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## Abyss-Rover (Mar 17, 2012)

I think that there are many who want to do this right but it's hard to get all the correct information.

There are many who flout the laws and take a chance.

Regrettably some who have tried to do the right thing or even were not sure what to do (no excuse, I know), get caught by a guadia who knows what he's doing and maybe even is fed up with the ones who flout the laws.

I bought new when I arrived in Mallorca and to be honest, It annoys me when I see the same foreign cars (not only English) here, through the winters and the summers, for many years.

Maybe it could be a case of, stop taking the mickey, we are not as stupid and layed back as the foreigners think?


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

baldilocks said:


> Ah but, for a foreign registered vehicle to be legally used outside its country of domicile, it has to comply with the law of its own country (for UK vehicles = Taxed, tested and insured) and if the vehicle is not thus legal in in its domiciled country, then it's not legal here so they DO need to know the laws of the other states. I, personally, would have about half a dozen removed and scrapped within an approximate 20km radius of here.


An untaxed vehicle without MOT is not illegal in the UK. Your vehicle will not be taken away and scrapped. It is illegal to drive without insurance.
In the UK drivers are insured although age, record and power of car is taken into account when calculating the premium. 
In Spain the vehicle is insured not the driver.

The fact is that it is primarily the status of the person driving and not the state of the vehicle driven which is the cause of the offence in Spain and there is no need for any superfluous embellishing of the offence by roping in what is and isn't legal in the UK......


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

mrypg9 said:


> An untaxed vehicle without MOT is not illegal in the UK. Your vehicle will not be taken away and scrapped. It is illegal to drive without insurance.
> In the UK drivers are insured although age, record and power of car is taken into account when calculating the premium.
> In Spain the vehicle is insured not the driver.
> 
> The fact is that it is primarily the status of the person driving and not the state of the vehicle driven which is the cause of the offence in Spain and there is no need for any superfluous embellishing of the offence by roping in what is and isn't legal in the UK......


I think you are wrong there, Mary. It is illegal in the UK to keep or use a vehicle on the public highway in the UK without having and displaying a valid VEL (tax disc) and also a valid MOT EXCEPT if it is enroute to a DoT testing station for a pre-arranged test. The insurance is related to the driver (who may not necessarily be the owner) - the tax disc and MoT belong to the car which is why you can't transfer the former with the car when you sell it but you can the latter two.


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## fergie (Oct 4, 2010)

All things related to a particular UK reg. car ie Insurance, current MOT, are kept on a central DVLA computer, and a car cannot be taxed without these. Police have access to this computer and can check up when one of the above is missing, and can haul people in for not being legal on the roads.Car tax can be done online, we often do this for our son to help him out.


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## Calas felices (Nov 29, 2007)

*Cars abroad*

From the Government website:
If a UK registered vehicle is taken abroad temporarily, it remains subject to UK law. This means that you as the keeper, must by law make sure that the vehicle stays taxed while it’s overseas. Providing the vehicle has a current MOT certificate and insurance, you’ll be able to tax the vehicle.


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## fergie (Oct 4, 2010)

Calas felices said:


> From the Government website:
> If a UK registered vehicle is taken abroad temporarily, it remains subject to UK law. This means that you as the keeper, must by law make sure that the vehicle stays taxed while it’s overseas. Providing the vehicle has a current MOT certificate and insurance, you’ll be able to tax the vehicle.


Yes you can re tax abroad, using the online website, I did it from HK for my son. However it is best to have all the other relevant details, when you do this ie, Car Reg Papers, Mot certificate and number, Insurance co details, most of these are already recorded on the DVLA website, but I have sometimes had to refer to them whilst completing the online details, then when complete they send the new tax disc to a UK home address within 10 days normally, in my case my sons-where his car is registered, within 10 days normally, I am not sure If you could have the Tax disc sent to Spain though.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

fergie said:


> Yes you can re tax abroad, using the online website, I did it from HK for my son. However it is best to have all the other relevant details, when you do this ie, Car Reg Papers, Mot certificate and number, Insurance co details, most of these are already recorded on the DVLA website, but I have sometimes had to refer to them whilst completing the online details, then when complete they send the new tax disc to a UK home address within 10 days normally, in my case my sons-where his car is registered, within 10 days normally, I am not sure If you could have the Tax disc sent to Spain though.


You couldn't have the UK MOT done here either! Which is a pity since the Spanish ITV is far better, more thorough and (because they don't do repairs) independent, unless, of course you have a dodgy car and might want it "got" through (nudge, nudge, know what I mean, guv.)


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

mrypg9 said:


> An untaxed vehicle without MOT is not illegal in the UK. Your vehicle will not be taken away and scrapped. It is illegal to drive without insurance.
> ..


Not any more. Under the new 'contiuous insurance ' system ( which is what the system in Spain is ) whereby a vehicle has to be insured continuously or be SORNed & off of the public highway it can be taken & scrapped if not claimed.

Public highway includes any private land where the public have access. 

If the vehicle has no tax it has to be sorned, & kept off the public highway.

If the vehicle has no insurance it has to be sorned , & kept off the public highway.

If the vehicle is taxed but not insured it has to be sorned & kept off the public highway & in addition the tax disc has to be returned for a refund using form V14, as you cannot have a taxed vehicle with no insurance.

This last requirement means , by general concensus of opinion on all car/bike enthusiasts sites & has been brought up on police sites , is that you now cannot legally sell a vehicle with tax. 
By selling your taxed , mot'd & insured for you vehicle, you have no way of knowing if the person buying has insurance & even if you are shown a certificate, no way of knowing that the certificate is not a fake one. 

This appears to be an accident of the new law rather than a direct intention. 

On the government site it also states that a vehicle being used outside of the UK can be taxed providing it has mot & insurance but if it doesn't one or either ,then the only method of returning the vehicle to the UK is by transportation & upon arriving in the UK it must be immediately sorned before anything else can be done. This means you can't use the ' driving to an appointed mot test ' excuse as the vehicle legally requires a sorn beforehand.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

baldilocks said:


> You couldn't have the UK MOT done here either! Which is a pity since the Spanish ITV is far better, more thorough and (because they don't do repairs) independent, unless, of course you have a dodgy car and might want it "got" through (nudge, nudge, know what I mean, guv.)



I hear whatb you say about the 'illegality' of an untaxed car i9n the UK but the fact is that you are extremely unlikely to be fined for lack of MOT or tax unless there are other factors which make the police more disposed to actually do something about it.

And my main point still stands: a car may lack MOT and/or Road Tax but will still be insured unless you the driver have been disqualified.

And it is in no way related to the fact that Spanish law requires residents to comply with certain rules within a certain time frame.

I'm surprised you find the ITV more thorough than the MOT, though. For one thing, the ITV is biennial whereas an MOT must be done annually. THe MOT test if done properly must take a specified amount of time -I think it was 45 minutes - and from what I remember of the forms that had to be completed the MOT was more thorough and detailed than the ITV.
The value of either though depends on the skill and conscientiousness of the tester. We were an MOT testing station and we certainly had more than enough work without inventing things to ensure the vehicle tested would fail. 
I had my LandRover ITV'd last year and it passed without any problem. But the handbrake was dodgy and seemingly this wasn't considered important enough to fail it....
No doubt the ITV like the MOT is valid only for the time of testing.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

gus-lopez said:


> Not any more. Under the new 'contiuous insurance ' system ( which is what the system in Spain is ) whereby a vehicle has to be insured continuously or be SORNed & off of the public highway it can be taken & scrapped if not claimed.
> 
> Public highway includes any private land where the public have access.
> 
> ...


That must be a law brought in before 2007?
But if you have to SORN your non-MOT'd vehicle....how can you get it to the MOT testing station as you must show a current MOT certificate to get insurance??
Presumably this new law overrides the 1988 Road Traffic Act...


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

mrypg9 said:


> For one thing, the ITV is biennial


But only until the vehicle is 5 years old then it becomes annual until at the age of 10 it becomes every six months.

As for thoroughness, I went with SWMBO last time and found it very thorough complete with full rolling road tests and torsion tests. The former - some MOT testers in Uk have them, but as for the latter not seen one done in UK. The other good thing in Spain is that you are with the vehicle all the time unless it is unsafe for you to be so - in UK you either have to pre-arrange watching the test and/or watch from a safety window which often hides half of what is going on.


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

baldilocks said:


> But only until the vehicle is 5 years old then it becomes annual until at the age of 10 it becomes every six months.
> 
> As for thoroughness, I went with SWMBO last time and found it very thorough complete with full rolling road tests and torsion tests. The former - some MOT testers in Uk have them, but as for the latter not seen one done in UK. The other good thing in Spain is that you are with the vehicle all the time unless it is unsafe for you to be so - in UK you either have to pre-arrange watching the test and/or watch from a safety window which often hides half of what is going on.




I'm sorry but you are wrong on this point. Our car is now 9 years old yet still only has to have an ITV every other year!


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

baldilocks said:


> But only until the vehicle is 5 years old then it becomes annual until at the age of 10 it becomes every six months.
> 
> As for thoroughness, I went with SWMBO last time and found it very thorough complete with full rolling road tests and torsion tests. The former - some MOT testers in Uk have them, but as for the latter not seen one done in UK. The other good thing in Spain is that you are with the vehicle all the time unless it is unsafe for you to be so - in UK you either have to pre-arrange watching the test and/or watch from a safety window which often hides half of what is going on.



We had those tests - I assumed they were standard. Our window was almost on top of the testing site and was wide enough for those interested to be able to have a good view.
We also experienced Inspectors 'diisguised' as ordinary punters who would book MOTs incognito and then report on whether the test was done correctly.
We once had an Inspector do just that and the tester completed the test in under the required time and without doing everything by the book. The Inspector 'revealed' himself and announced: 'That was a crap test...'.
We sacked the tester on the spot - he had been warned for previous misconduct -but had to fight to keep our testing licence.


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## country boy (Mar 10, 2010)

*Inaccurate info on this posting here! * ITV not required until new vehicle is 4 years old then bi-annual until ten years old.Then, from 20 years old every six months. Different regs for hire cars and vans.


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

Yup - only vans need 6 monthly tests not cars.


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

mrypg9 said:


> That must be a law brought in before 2007?
> But if you have to SORN your non-MOT'd vehicle....how can you get it to the MOT testing station as you must show a current MOT certificate to get insurance??
> Presumably this new law overrides the 1988 Road Traffic Act...


Came in on 23rd May 2011.
You don't need to sorn it for no mot , only tax & insurance.



Here in Spain it used to be that any vehicle that in the UK we'd call a 'car derived van ' was registered as a commercial vehicle. If it was based on a van , as far as the spanish were concerned it still was. So all the berlingos, partners, tourneo connects ,doblos, etc were registered as 'mixto adaptable'.This meant that it required an itv after 2 years & then every year until 10 years old & then everey 6 months. 
According to my recent conversation with our local Ford dealer the Tourneo can now be registered as 'turismo' if you are a private buyer. If you are a private buyer & work self-employed , autonomo ,or have a sl company you can't. 
This does not apply to the 7 seater version which still can only be registered as mixto adaptable. :confused2:

I don't know what the situation is with other manufacturers cd van models but would think it's the same situation. It was always possible to change from mixto adaptable to turismo as a private owner ,but only with some difficulty . Hepa did it if I recall.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

gus-lopez said:


> Here in Spain it used to be that any vehicle that in the UK we'd call a 'car derived van ' was registered as a commercial vehicle. If it was based on a van , as far as the spanish were concerned it still was. So all the berlingos, partners, tourneo connects ,doblos, etc were registered as 'mixto adaptable'.This meant that it required an itv after 2 years & then every year until 10 years old & then everey 6 months.
> According to my recent conversation with our local Ford dealer the Tourneo can now be registered as 'turismo' if you are a private buyer. If you are a private buyer & work self-employed , autonomo ,or have a sl company you can't.
> This does not apply to the 7 seater version which still can only be registered as mixto adaptable. :confused2:
> 
> I don't know what the situation is with other manufacturers cd van models but would think it's the same situation. It was always possible to change from mixto adaptable to turismo as a private owner ,but only with some difficulty . Hepa did it if I recall.


Originally Posted by baldilocks 
But only until the vehicle is 5 years old then it becomes annual until at the age of 10 it becomes every six months.


OOOOpppppssss humble apologies and all that
We were misled by the ITV station who gave us the information, obviously in relation to* our *car, and we mistakenly assumed that it was the same for all.

We have one of the aforementioned Citroen Berlingos as a private owner and is, invariably, in car format. What is annoying is that our car is in much better state than some of the mobile scrap yards that are used for going up the mountainsides to attend to the olives.

Isn't the forum a wonderful place? We may not know the answer, but the chances are that someone one here does! Thanks to all those who contributed to this bit of the thread it has been most helpful. :clap2: :focus:

Perhaps we can add something onto a thread of basic info for those moving to Spain and as a reference for those of us already here.


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## Abyss-Rover (Mar 17, 2012)

baldilocks said:


> Perhaps we can add something onto a thread of basic info for those moving to Spain and as a reference for those of us already here.


 :clap2:


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## Calas felices (Nov 29, 2007)

*Illegal UK Plated cars*

Great idea - it would stop people posting rubbish as if they knew what they were talking about.


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## donz (May 5, 2010)

jimenato said:


> Yup - only vans need 6 monthly tests not cars.


and then only if registered as commercial....if they are not (i.e. vans that have windows and are still registered for private use) then same as car


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## country boy (Mar 10, 2010)

donz said:


> and then only if registered as commercial....if they are not (i.e. vans that have windows and are still registered for private use) then same as car


That isn't necessarily the case..it depends on how it was matriculated in the first place...check the description!


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## Abyss-Rover (Mar 17, 2012)

country boy said:


> That isn't necessarily the case..it depends on how it was matriculated in the first place...check the description!


Hi country boy,

On this point, I bought my car / van about 3 years ago. It was registered before I bought it because of something to do with being classed as a van. It has 9 seats and full windows and is registered as a van. Would I be able to change this to a car registration, as it is solely used for private use?


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## donz (May 5, 2010)

you can re-register from commercial for private use and you can re-register from private to commercial - no doubt there are some exceptions (a panel van with no windows in the rear for example would be difficult to get registered as private)

There are exceptions with most things in Spain because nothing is ever easy lol, but as a general rule these are the guidelines.

Don't people get snotty? :boxing:


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

Abyss-Rover said:


> Hi country boy,
> 
> On this point, I bought my car / van about 3 years ago. It was registered before I bought it because of something to do with being classed as a van. It has 9 seats and full windows and is registered as a van. Would I be able to change this to a car registration, as it is solely used for private use?


Possibly not due to the amount of seats. You cannot purchase a new tourneo connect registered as turismo , only as mixto adaptable.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

baldilocks said:


> Originally Posted by baldilocks
> But only until the vehicle is 5 years old then it becomes annual until at the age of 10 it becomes every six months.
> 
> 
> ...


have you looked at the 'stickies' recently??

I'll add a link to this thread to the 'driving' bit of the 'useful link's one - but I bet the info is already there.....................


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

xabiachica said:


> have you looked at the 'stickies' recently??
> 
> I'll add a link to this thread to the 'driving' bit of the 'useful link's one - but I bet the info is already there.....................


There's a wealth of info there that is invariably passed by. 

Perhaps if the title were to include a few more pointers like *

INFO - driving, forms, schools, health, renting ETC*

??????????????????????????


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Pesky Wesky said:


> There's a wealth of info there that is invariably passed by.
> 
> Perhaps if the title were to include a few more pointers like *
> 
> ...


not a bad idea - it's a work in progress


I'll have a look tomorrow


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