Can I ride to the MOT garage?

A couple of days ago I realised that my MOT certificate is a few weeks out of date and would like to know whether this affects the validity of my insurance when I am riding to the garage for a new MOT? There are differing views between my friends with some saying that I would not be insured to ride to the garage because its expired and some saying that I can and would be insured. What is the correct position as I don’t want to run the risk of riding uninsured?

Roger Jones, by e-mail

Answer

As long as you have a valid insurance certificate you are allowed to ride your motorcycle to a pre-arranged MOT test. You can also ride your bike without road tax in these circumstances if you can prove you are on the way to a MOT test, but having valid insurance is compulsory.

There is no specific guidance on the location or proximity of the MOT inspection, but it would be a good idea to find a local garage and to take a direct and uninterrupted journey there. For example, don’t stop anywhere on the way.  If your motorcycle fails the MOT, then you should contact your insurer to discuss whether your policy permits you to travel from the garage. For additional peace of mind you can call your insurer before leaving for the test centre to get confirmation from them that you are indeed insured for the trip, ideally confirmed in writing.