Does having an out of date MOT invalidate insurance when making a claim?

Question

I had an accident in my car in January and wrote it off, I am in the middle of claiming through my insurance company and have got to the stage where i have to send off all my documents. Ive just realised that my MOT expired in October 2006!
Does anyone know where i stand with the insurance company ? I dont know if this will invalidate my insurance totally or if they may give me a lower settlement, or if I will be liable for the cost of the car and the damage the car caused in the accident. I dont think this can be that uncommon, but i do advise anyone to check there MOT is in date because worst case this could cost me thousands !!!!

Answer 1

an out of date mot voids your insurance. you should have checked your mot to see when it was out of date.

insurance companies will find the smallest detail to avoid a payment so basically you are fcuked.

Answer 2

2

Answer 3

Unfortunately the insurance is only in force if the vehicle is road legal at the time of the accident. No MOT will invalidate the claim and the policy may be declared null and void.

Answer 4

I cannot believe the wrong answers that this question has received. As long as your vehicle was roadworthy and you may need to prove this to the insurance company, this will definitely not invalidate your insurance claim. My vehicle was stolen from my driveway. I reported the theft to the police and informed my insurance company. I duly filled out the insurance claims form and realised my m.o.t. was out of date by 2 months. I informed the insurance company of this fact. They advised me to go to the garage I use for repairs, m.o.t., servicing etc. and to get an estimate from them as to how much (in their opinion) the car would be worth along with any supporting documentation of repair bills, servicing, photographs of the car etc. (I had a Ford Escort RS Turbo which, luckily I made sure was kept in tip top condition by local garage). Because I could supply the last m.o.t. and all the supporting documentation they requested, they agreed to pay the full market value of the vehicle at that time. They paid me in full after about a month. They waited this amount of time, just in case the vehicle was found. Sadly to say it was not and I never ever saw it again. For your information any m.o.t.'s that are carried out states that the vehicle is roadworthy on that day. For example, it may well not be roadworthy in 6 months time if you have a bold tyre for instance, but the m.o.t. is still valid. WORD OF WARNING : Do not under any circumstances try and buy a backdated dodgy m.o.t. this is, as you know, illegal and if you are caught you could and more than likely would be prosecuted. Just not worth it. If the police were called to the accident and you were given a HO/RT1 for production of documents, the fact that you would be unable to produce a valid m.o.t. could incur a summons which would be dealt with by way of a fine at worst, or a caution. You do not need to call the police to any road traffic accident unless you suspect the driver has been drinking or there is injury to any party.

Answer 5

Hopefully I can try to clear up the two sides of this argument. I was a Motor Claims Handler for a large multinational car insurance company.

In the UK the Road Traffic Act requires that you have a minimum level of insurance cover to be able to legally drive you motor vehicle on a road. This is commonly known as Third Party Cover. (In the event of an accident any damage you a liable for to another’s property will be paid for by your insurance, you will have to cover your own). Many of us chose to have fully comprehensive insurance to cover our own property as well.

In the event that you are involved in a collision in your car, with an expired MoT, during which another persons car or property is damaged, and you are responsible, at least in part for the cost of the repair the chances are that your insurance company will cover you for Road Traffic Act cover. I.E they will not act as though you were driving uninsured, adding to your woes as this is a further offence. As long as you have been paying your premiums it is reasonable that they should cover the third parties damage, they are unlikely however, to cover the cost of repairs to your property.

In the situation described by the lady who had her car stolen from her driveway, the lack of an MoT did not invalidate her insurance as her car did not require an MoT to be sat on her driveway. Its lack of an MoT cannot be said to contribute in any way to the fact that it was stolen, as such the Insurance cover remains intact. The value paid out by her insurance company, as in every other similar circumstance, would then depend on the proof which she could provide to them of the value of her stolen car.

Answer 6

Sorry to have to tell you you're up thingy creek without a paddle. Without a valid MOT certificate your car should never have been on the road in the first place. Your insurance company will not honour this claim.

Answer 7

Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings but jill is wrong and your insurance likely is void.

It will tell you in your insurance small print your car musy have an up to date MOT and tax disc. I'm not sure the situation regarding the other party, however looking at it from your insurers point of view, you didn't hold up your end of the agreement so they will likely not hold up theres.
Its not just a couple of weeks we are talking about here, it is four months.

Answer 8

1

Answer 9

Sorry to hear of your problems. I'm afraid the lack of a valid MoT is very likely to invalidate your insurance.

(A "dodgy" MoT isn't going to help, it's all been on VOSA's computer since last March!)

Thanks for reminding us all - I wonder where mine is . . .

Answer 10

Yes