My Striker is W reg so just coming up 40 years old. it’s correctly registered with Sylva Striker on the log book, date of first registration
01/04/1981.
Can a kit car be transferred to a historic tax class?
Many thanks in advance to anyone that can advise, I’m sure this has already come up here but the search page doesn’t seem to be working.
Cheers Tim
yes a kit car can be 'historic' if its reg is over 40 years old.
for mot 'exempt' it must not have had any major changes in the last 30 years.
Some say yes it can be transferred to 'historic' class and some say no! Both sides argue endlessly on some forums (not this one) and both
quote various bits of gov.uk information that often contradicts itself.
Having just gone straight to gov.uk and searched for historic vehicles this link came up. Nothing in this one that says you won't be able to do
it https://www.gov.uk/historic-vehicles
I think the only way to find out is to try and do it and see if you get given historic status. At the end of the day the amount you would save is a
relatively small percentage of the running cost of a 40+ year old kit car anyway.
It's quite a saving of the fixed costs if it's over 1.5litres. road tax on that could be twice what the insurance costs.
You can apply for historic status based on the original registration date of the donor vehicle if that's shown on the V5 and you don't have
a Q plate. That gives you free road tax, which as pointed out in an earlier post can be a nice saving. I've done it :-)
However, my understanding is that a kit car can NEVER be MOT exempt because it constitutes a significant change since production of the original
(donor) vehicle. All those Mk1 and Mk2 Escorts with engine swaps, big gearbox tunnels, and 5-link axles shouldn't be advertised as MOT exempt
either!
quote:
Originally posted by Russell
my understanding is that a kit car can NEVER be MOT exempt because ...
searching through the requirements for historic VED (ie zero tax) then the vehicle need only to be correctly registered, not on a Q plate and 40+
years old.
For MOT exempt must additionally not substantially modified in the last 30 years though it is unclear what constitutes substantially modified.
For a kit car if registered new in 1980 as whatever the kit car is (correctly registered) then it would now be eligible for zero VED and if unchanged
since then it should also be eligible for MOT exempt. As for a modified production car then while it may be zero VED after 40 years it won't be
MOT exempt until 30 years after the mods and it would require proof of when the mods were carried out, as this is often difficult to do MOT exemption
may well be rejected.
In my view MOT exemption is allowing the oldest and possibly the most at risk vehicles a free ticket to avoid the very test deigned to ensure they
remain safe on the roads, just relying on the 'its the owners obligation to ensure the vehicle is roadworthy at all times' is just a
cop out.
quote:
Originally posted by gremlin1234
quote:
Originally posted by Russell
my understanding is that a kit car can NEVER be MOT exempt because ...
its not never, but the changes must have been made over 30 years ago
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/670431/vehicles-of-historical-interest-substantial-cha nge-guidance.pdf
link
edit make link work
[Edited on 30/3/21 by gremlin1234]
quote:
Originally posted by t3nay
My Striker is W reg so just coming up 40 years old. it’s correctly registered with Sylva Striker on the log book, date of first registration 01/04/1981.
Can a kit car be transferred to a historic tax class?
Many thanks in advance to anyone that can advise, I’m sure this has already come up here but the search page doesn’t seem to be working.
Cheers Tim
Thanks guys for all the info.
I did suss out after posting last night I wouldn’t be able to apply until next year anyway, so it’s in for mot tomorrow and will be taxed on the
1st.
I think I’ll keep it mot’d anyway no matter what, just be nice not to have to pay road tax, especially when I average less than 500 road miles a year
in it.