Free Traffic Legal Advice

No. It's still a car being used on the road.

Thank you for your replies.

If the car has had for instance the engine removed, it cannot be "used" on the road as it cannot be driven under its own power. MoT is irrelevant, certain vehicles such as anything registered before 1st January 1960 are exempt from annual testing. I've towed and had the sometimes dubious pleasure of being the person steering a towed vehicle.

One notable instance was being involved in towing a 1927 Sentinel steam waggon from Derbyshire to south London with a vintage tram body on the back. te towing lorry was a 1948 Scammell tractor unit known as DKY. It was the middle of winter, the original intention was to jut use the Sentinel and drive it, but the coal miners had gone on strike so it hat to be towed along the M1 at 33 mp, top speed of the Scammell. Sentinel lighting was a couple of those old red oil lamps that used to be scattered around road works. On the way back the Met's finest stopped us just before Scratchwood Services and suggested we didn't use the motorway. the driver of the Scammell invited them to escort us to our destination in Leicestershire but they declined and let us go on our way at 33 mph! Maybe the law has changed since then on towing disabled vehicles. Most insurance policies seem to cover the towing of one disable motor vehicle on a rope or bar. the use of a towbar would depend on the brake force of the vehicle doing the towing. On a bit of rope hopefully the towed vehicle would have working brakes.

If it were towed with an A-frame (with linked brakes) then according to dot Gov the A-frame and vehicle combination is treated in legislation as a trailer. A trailer doesn't require MOT or tax, but has to be roadworthy.


https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-frames-and-dollies/a-frames-and-dollies


I suspect it would be easier to put it on a trailer than fit an A-frame though.

(And if it were any distance, something would need to be done to prevent gearbox damage, like removing the prop shaft.)

But that linked guidance goes on to say "The information in this guidance relates solely to the construction requirements for vehicles. Readers should ensure that they are aware of, and comply with, all relevant requirements on other aspects of vehicle use (driver licensing, vehicle excise duty, insurance etc)."

It does, but it is dot Gov, and frequently successive paragraphs appear to contradict each other.


I interpret "other aspects of vehicle use" to mean other than use as a trailer, but I am not a legal expert, and I don't know of any case law.

....

It seems to mean specifically other than the construction requirements.

To an MOT is fine, gov.uk say to a garage for repair is,  many say to a place of repair is. But  none seems to fit.

If you were doing one of the above check the insurance you purchase. Many policies require an MoT anyway. Some only require roadworthy.

The obvious answer seems to be to book an MOT near where you are, drive to and have MOT and then return to yours, nothing says it has to return to whence it started from AFAIK.

You then have the benefit of knowing what needs doing if you can sell it as is.