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Temporary license


Guest Daniel Black

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I think practically speaking, no - there's no such thing as a temporary registration (that I'm aware of anyway).

The most you can do is book it for an IVA and then drive to that IVA without it being registered. That's not really to be used for "road testing" though; just going straight to the test and straight home again. And even then, if it's found to be unroadworthy after the test, you could be in trouble getting it back home legally as they'd demand it was trailered.

I think, assuming you just want to safety-check that the car is functioning ok, there are two practical suggestions.

One is to find some private road/land on which you can drive it; friendly business park or your mate the Earl of West Bottomsby's main drive, or hire somewhere like Curborough if you wanted to do something extensive.

The other depends greatly on where you live and the roads nearby, and would not be legal, but let's be honest - a lot of people would be lying if they said they'd never considered driving it down the cul-de-sac and back again. Now that's totally on your head of course, if the brakes fail and you plough straight through a group of 6-year-olds at the ice cream van and end up in someone's front room, they will lock you up and throw away the key, and rightly so. Some pragmatism is needed :).

Easier to just trailer it to some private facility. A good suggestion is find a local garage that will do an MOT on it for you; trailer it down and get them to check it over. A sort of "pre-IVA" test. Most friendly local garages would do it, I suspect, it wouldn't be a formal MOT but they can certainly test it to the required standards which would give you a good feeling for how the car is.

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In California you get a 3 month temporary permit once you have 'brake & light" inspection and CHP (California Highway Patrol) gives you a VIN # completed. They expect you to get everything else done within the 90 days. DMV gets very uppity if you are not done in 90 days. Ask me how I know. But you do have full driving ability. 

So moving to California is an option, but not a very good one. 😯

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Hi Daniel,

I agree with Brumster in that you'd need to trailer the car to whereve it's going to go. 

Even trade plates don't cover you if the car has no mot. 

I'd think for safety and your own piece of mind that going for the IVA (or indeed an unofficial MOT, but again this would be not binding), would let you just how safe the car is and if your on the right track to building it right.

Although I did leave my car sitting outside in the street for six months without an MOT. Wasn't picked up by the police who pass my street all day, everyday.. 

(I may have used it a couple of times too..)

 

Alan.

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I drove mine up the cul-de-sac just as the Police entered the same cul-de-sac & pulled up, it had no lights, no bonnet etc. I was just testing the brakes, never went above 15 mph. I saw them & thought "Ah Well", so turned around & pulled onto my drive in front of them. After they had gone over to the house to make their enquiries they came over to mine, we had a discussion as to whether it constituted a motor vehicle & whether they could get a conviction. It was all fairly light hearted & nothing was done, but they did leave with the comment "Don't let us catch you again", my response was "I certainly won't" & they never did, but I never went any further than our cul-de-sac well not much further.

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