Enfield MOT status
Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 3:30 pm
The MOT status of Electric Vehicles has been somewhat confused in the past.
Commercial Vehicles of less than 1350Kg unladen have been (are?) exempt from the annual MOT test. Ambulances and Police vehicles are also exempt. I think the idea is that these fleet maintained vehicles are inspected more often than the MOT would provide for.
Passenger EV's have never been exempt, but many Enfields were registered as commercial vehicles, probably because of their use as meter reading vehicles. It may also have been a case of not upsetting the insurance company. The term 'Electric Vehicle' still sends many of them into panic.
When the vehicles passed into private hands they were usually re-registered into the concessionary 'Electric' tax class. Missinformation and the DVLA's own lack of knowledge means that many of these vehicles have never been through an MOT. I used to have arguments with BVS members over MOT status (The industry based 'Electric Vehicle Association' handbook made the legal status clear). The DVLA simply didn't ask you to produce and MOT when taxing a vehicle, despite that fact that one was required. They finally sorted this issue out a few years ago.
My attitude was that the MOT is actually quite a cheap way of having a vehicle inspected and you ought to do it anyway, whatever you thought the legalities were.
Anyway, it should be born in mind that an Enfield DOES legaly need an MOT, but may not have had one for years and could be in quite poor condition.
Commercial Vehicles of less than 1350Kg unladen have been (are?) exempt from the annual MOT test. Ambulances and Police vehicles are also exempt. I think the idea is that these fleet maintained vehicles are inspected more often than the MOT would provide for.
Passenger EV's have never been exempt, but many Enfields were registered as commercial vehicles, probably because of their use as meter reading vehicles. It may also have been a case of not upsetting the insurance company. The term 'Electric Vehicle' still sends many of them into panic.
When the vehicles passed into private hands they were usually re-registered into the concessionary 'Electric' tax class. Missinformation and the DVLA's own lack of knowledge means that many of these vehicles have never been through an MOT. I used to have arguments with BVS members over MOT status (The industry based 'Electric Vehicle Association' handbook made the legal status clear). The DVLA simply didn't ask you to produce and MOT when taxing a vehicle, despite that fact that one was required. They finally sorted this issue out a few years ago.
My attitude was that the MOT is actually quite a cheap way of having a vehicle inspected and you ought to do it anyway, whatever you thought the legalities were.
Anyway, it should be born in mind that an Enfield DOES legaly need an MOT, but may not have had one for years and could be in quite poor condition.