Am I correct in thinking that if my car is insured then I can drive it to a pre booked MOT before it has been to IVA.

No I don't think so as it is not a requirement to have it MOTed before the Iva

Apparently it's not advisable to pre-IVA MOT it because once it's on the system you have to MOT it every year instead of having a 3-year grace for a 'new' car.

Think that's the case anyhow.

[Edited on 23/5/12 by Daddylonglegs]

I doubt you could as you wont have a registration plate yet. Even if if you can book it based on a VIN, that would mean the car is in the MoT stystem and you would loose your 3 years MoT grace given to newly registered cars,

Yes you can (I did). I asked VOSA "Is it legal for me to drive to a pre-booked MOT before IVA/registration?" and their written reply was "Provided the vehicle has insurance then you are able to drive it to a pre-booked MOT test."

You will lose the three years grace as noted. The upside is that it's the only chance you will get to legally road-test the car before IVA, so spending £50 now could save you an IVA fail.

You can drive to/from a REQUIRED test. The MOT isn't required on your car The only test that it currently requires is an IVA so, no.

Thanks everybody.

I wasn't aware of the three years grace.

The main reason to MOT it was to check the emmisions and bed in the brakes in preparation for the impending IVA.

Thanks again.

Just tow it down there and ask them to mot it 'off the record'?

You cant tow it. It needs to be trailered, if its NOT going for an MoT.

I MoT'd mine before SVA (old IVA), I ended up with MoT'ing it every year.
Still.. I see the MoT as a good check on the car, and it's passed every year so far.
As its a home built car, are you confident that things arent coming loose, etc etc.
ie how much do you trust yourself, (or the builder if you didnt build it)

IMHO a MoT is not a bad thing. The real downside is simply the £53 it costs, and having to go.
I did mine with VERY bad timing. My MoT renewal is usually a few days before Stoneleigh.
Again, that timing is not that bad... ie the vehicle gets a good check over before its first long run of the year.
I just have to remember to do it a couple or three weeks beforehand, and not to leave it to the last minute!

Biggest thing is to find a Kit Car friendly garage, one where they let you be present at the test, and can chat to the Tester. I always ask mine to keep an eye out for any NON MoT related things that might need attention to.
IMHO thats about as good as it gets.

Just my 2d's worth.

Having an mot before iva is just complicating everything.
If you really want to do it, it's up to you
I didn't.
Once my 3 years was up and mot due August 2011I had the car on SORN due to an engine catastrophe so MOT'd first time begining of may 2012
If I'm off the road next year I will SORN and not when I'm ready, you don't need to have continuous concurrent mots
I had 3 free years and passed not first time.
Better than my Mondeo that just failed on 2 tyres, 4 bulbs a track rod end and the exhaust in 2 places

I took a gamble and drove my car to a pre-planned 'MOT'.
What I agreed was that i would pay an MOT rate and they would
go through the motions of testing the car without issuing a
Certificate or entering onto the system.
That way I got an idea of which way the light were pointing
and that the brakes worked. No MOT reqd for 3 years.

Thanks again everyone for the words of wisdom.

I think I will trailer the car to our local garage just to get the headlight alignment checked as well as the emmissions.

I don't want the hassle of a yearly MOT if it can be avoided.

Thanks again everyone for the words of wisdom.

I think I will trailer the car to our local garage just to get the headlight alignment checked as well as the emmissions.

I don't want the hassle of a yearly MOT if it can be avoided.

Get them to check the brakes on the rollers as well, might give you an indication of any potential balance problems