The Triumph 2000/2500/2.5 Register Forum

As from May next year all cars that are 40years old will become MOT exempt, with the exception of heavily modified cars. I think most sensible owners will still go to a garage and ask for an inspection of items such as steering and brakes etc, but this will cause an increase of "barn finds" in my opinion, and a sharp rise in values of all cars old enough to qualify. Interesting though!

Not quite correct unfortunately you have to wade through the 12 Pages of the Government to find out.

https://www.gov.uk/government/.....m-roadworthiness.pdf

Just being 40 years old is not enough, it has to be a VHI (Vehicle of Historic Interest) to qualify and that means more or less as manufactured. And contrary to what at least one person thought the Eight Point Pule does not apply in this case which is for eligibility to retain a vehicle's original identity, and totally different from VHI and the lack of need for an MOT.

You can have an original car into which you have put a higher power engine giving over 15% increase in power to weight ratio and it is no longer classes as a VHI.

For example a PI engine into a 2000 or 2500 carb engine makes it ineligible for VHI status, and even a 2500 carb engine into a 2000 is very marginal.

Crazy really as apart from engine the cars are to all intents and purposes mechanically the same! If you disagree don't shout at me ......... I am only the messenger

MUT

I have copied and pasted this article from Auoexpress.
Nearly 300k classic car drivers will no longer need to MoT test their vehicle with pre-1977 cars MoT exempt from May 2018

Vehicles first registered over 40 years ago will be exempt from MoT testing in the future, the Government has announced.

Currently, vehicles built or first registered before 1960 are already exempt from MoT testing. However, the Department for Transport has now agreed that any vehicle constructed or first registered over 40 years ago will now be exempt from an MoT on a rolling basis, following a successful consultation into reforming the roadworthiness test. The changes will come into effect from 20 May 2018.

At the moment there are 197,000 vehicles registered that are exempt from MoT testing annually, and the Government predicts the changes will mean an additional 293,000 vehicles will no now longer require an MoT. The DfT argued that cars aged 40 or older are often kept in good condition by owners, and not used regularly enough to warrant an MoT. Furthermore, it concluded that the modern MoT is not relevant enough to cars 40 years old and that some garages will struggle to fully validate them.

• MoT test: top tips to help your car pass first time

Spoke to my pal tonight about the very subject.He is an MOT tester, and I'm afraid, it sounds as if Ted is bang on.The other point he brought up about the "Modified" vehicles is that they may be liable to pay road tax, even if as now, tax exempt!!...Re my mini.Then again, show me a Mini which isn't modified
Hopefully that is not true.......
I do think I will still be MOT'ing at any case.
We wait with baited breath.....................

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s ... ssment.pdf

Hope you can read this attachment. Unfortunately for some reason my version of the Forum will not read them.

MUT

It does say that changes to a vehicle completed prior to 1986 will be deemed as being original, so providing you can proves the changes were made early on it then becomes a VHI and qualifies.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I think you will find it is 1988 Alan.

MUT

From what I can see some of the detail has yet to be confirmed.

Next Steps
32.
We will introduce secondary legislation to enact these changes as soon as possible.
The changes will come into effect from 20 May 2018. We will discuss with stakeholders
the precise formulation of the guidance on substantial change and this will be published
once the legislative phase is completed.

And from the DVLA website

The outcome from the ‘Roadworthiness testing for vehicles of historic interest’ consultation was released on 14 September 2017.

We have decided that most vehicles over 40 years old (on a rolling basis) will be exempt from MOT testing from 20 May 2018.

Those that have been ‘substantially changed’ will still require yearly testing. We have prepared draft guidance as to what constitutes “substantial change” in the context of old vehicles. We plan to finalise the guidance during November 2017. If you have any questions or feedback about it please contact roadworthinesstesting@dft.gsi.gov.uk.

How will this originality qualification be detemined? Presumably there will have to be some kind of "signing off" inspection? Will ordinary MOT testers be capable of determining the originality of a 40 year old car? It's hardly within their area of training and expertise, and would surely require a rolling road to measure the power output to detemine if the degree of tuning exceeded a 15% increase.

Passed the MOT this morning with no problems, no advisories, no quibbling about front wheel bearings. Which is a nice way to go, as this is apparently the last MOT the car will ever require. Not that the tester knew anything about that - he seemed not to have been told about the impending changes.

So is there any more news? Will cars need to be inspected in order to confirm that they have not been modified beyond the limits? Or will the process be automatic after May 2018, and owners will be on their honour to declare modifications if they don't want MOT exemption?