The old girl's MOT

My old BMW is finally going in for an MOT in two days time. She rolled off the production line in 1983, and I have been hanging on as I thought I could get her registered as a Classic after 1st April 2024 as she is over 40.

 

But I thought wrong:-

From the gov.uk site:-

Vehicles that do not need an MOT

You do not need to get an MOT if:

• the vehicle was built or first registered more than 40 years ago
• no ‘substantial changes’ have been made to the vehicle in the last 30 years, for example replacing the chassis, body, axles or engine to change the way the vehicle works

If you’re not sure if there have been any substantial changes you can:

• read the full guidance on MOT exemptions for historic vehicles
• speak to a historic vehicle expert

And again from the same site:-

Eligibility

You do not need to get an MOT if the vehicle was first registered more than 40 years ago and no ‘substantial changes’ have been made to the vehicle in the last 30 years.

So, built or registered?

From the historical vehicle expert:-

Please note: While the DVLA notes say that a vehicle is eligible to tax as a historic vehicle if it was "built or first registered more than 40 years ago", this  statement can cause confusion. The two instances are NOT interchangeable. For vehicles sold new in the UK and first registered in the UK it is the 'first registration' date that is used to determine eligibility. The phrase "built more than 40 years ago" refers only to vehicles that were sold new and first registered in another country (and therefore have been imported secondhand into the UK). In this case, the front of your V5C will say 'Declared manufactured in 19xx', while the '1st registration' date on page 2 will show the date when it was registered in the UK.

Currently, a vehicle "first registered" on/prior to 7 January 1983, will be classed by the DVLA as having been built in 1982, therefore it is tax exempt from 1 April 2023.

If your vehicle was 'first registered' after this date, up to 31 December 1983, you will need to wait until 1 April 2024.

So she was built in 1983 in December, but she was first registered on 1st Feb 1986. So I will need to wait until 1st April 2027 to get Classic status. 

So I have to tax and MOT her for another three years.

She has been off the road for well over a year and all I have ridden in that time is the Address. It will take me a little time to get used again to using the clutch, and using my feet for changing gear and braking. If she passes I will get her taxed again from 1st April (Hmm all fool's day). Then I intend to get a few more rides in this year, while I still can.