Driving a car in Britain. What you need and what is the most important to have.

In Britain the used cars are dirt cheap and many many times is cheaper to buy another used one than to repair the one you have. The cars have to go through an inspection test every year. Have to have annual tax paid with the tax sticker displayed in the front window and have to have insurance. (it’s a rip off if you ask)

You wouldn’t believe, but to the British the most important is not the car’s safety, but the Insurance. If you have no insurance and the cop stops you, they’ll tow the car right away and you’ll get six points on your driver license, pay at least a £200 pounds fine. The towing charge is an average of £150 and the storage fee is £25 per day until you take the car out of there.

The second most important is the annual car tax. (or as they call it “road tax”, and no, not the car’s safety) If you have no car tax and the cop stops you, that’s a £60 pounds fine plus you’ll be taken to the court and the court will issue another fine which is tied to your income. (could be as low as £100 pounds and as high as £2,500 pounds.

The third and least important is the car’s safety (vehicle inspection). If you drive a car without an inspection (MOT they call it in Britain) you get a £60 pounds fine and that’s all. You can go on your merry way until you get stopped again and pay it again.

Most people think MOT (car inspection certificate) is the most important, but it’s not. So in effect it’s cheaper to drive a car without the inspection because if a cop pulls you over you just pay the £60 pounds fine. Unlike in the USA where there are cops all over the place (like 3 in every street) in Britain you can barely see one. So your chances of getting pulled over is very little. Of course you can’t get a tax sticker unless you have  MOT (valid and successful car inspection certificate).

Now say you were driving without MOT but you still had valid tax sticker on the car. The tax is valid for either 6 months or 1 year, Depends which one you buy. Say you had your car’s inspection expired, but still have valid tax sticker on the car and you drive it like that.

Now your tax expires and you can’t get another tax sticker because you have no MOT. You can drive the car and chance the higher fines, or else get the car inspected and if pass get it taxed. If the car does not pass inspection, you have a choice of deciding if you want it to get fixed, drive it the way it is, or else sell it and get another one with tax and inspection on it. Adding up the cost of the repair versus the cost of the fine.

If you don’t have tax and inspection you can still have insurance on it and drive it insured. If the cop stops you, They’ll just issue the fines for the rest and let you drive away.

To hell with road safety and car safety they say. Give us the tax money and insurance money. the rest’ll be sorted out. Typical!

Well, Ain’t the Britts are bright as a light bulb!?