Can you insure a car without an MOT?

Get the details on insuring your car without an MOT

By Tia Harrison-North

Last updated: 20 October 2025

Car ownership comes with lots of hoops to jump through, and one of those is making sure you’re following the correct MOT and insurance guidelines.

One question you might be asking is ‘can I insure my car without an MOT?’ - especially if you’re MOT is about to expire.

There are a few things to bear in mind with this – we explain below.

So, can you insure a car without an MOT?

You can insure a car that doesn’t have a valid MOT, but not all providers will allow you to do this.

You might need to explain that you’re going to be driving to a pre-booked MOT appointment. In this case, they might ask you to take out short-term insurance for that drive.

Classic cars over 40 years old and new cars under three years old are usually exempt from MOTs, so you can go ahead and sort out insurance.

Lots of insurance policies require you to have a valid MOT to get covered, so they might not let you start a policy if you don’t have an MOT. It’s best to check the policy details and speak to the provider if you have any questions.

If your MOT expires and you continue to drive, your policy will likely be void, and you won’t be able to claim for any accidents. Plus, it’s illegal to drive without an MOT to begin with (unless you fit the above criteria).

Does no MOT invalidate insurance?

Whether or not your insurance is still valid without an MOT depends on the terms and conditions of your policy.

Lots of providers state that you must have a valid MOT to be covered, so the insurance will be void if the MOT expires and you continue to drive.

Always check with your insurer and never drive a car without an MOT unless it’s exempt or you’re on your way to a pre-booked MOT appointment.

Can I get insurance without an MOT?

You might be able to get insurance without an MOT if you’ve agreed with the provider to MOT your car as soon as possible.

You can only drive a car without an MOT if you’re travelling to a pre-booked MOT test. Make sure you have proof of booking on hand in case you’re stopped by police.

MOT, tax and insurance: what you can (and can’t) do

You can’t tax a car in the UK unless it has a valid MOT. So, you’ll need to wait until you’ve got a fresh MOT certificate to tax your car.

You also can’t insure a car if it isn’t taxed and most policies will have a clause that says your car needs to be taxed for the insurance to be valid.

You can buy insurance for your car if it doesn't have an MOT, but you can only drive to a pre-booked MOT appointment.

That might sound confusing, but the general idea is:

No MOT – can't tax your car, can MOT
No insurance – can't tax your car, can drive to an MOT
No tax – can’t MOT, insurance might be void

You shouldn’t drive on UK roads unless you have an MOT, tax and insurance in place. The only exception is for cars that are exempt from road tax or MOTs, or if you’re driving to a pre-booked MOT appointment.

Can you insure a car without MOT and tax?

If you’ve got a car with no MOT, tax or insurance, you might be able to arrange for temporary insurance to cover the drive to a pre-booked MOT appointment. This insurance will also allow you to tax the car.

Alternatively, you could register your car as ‘SORN’ and have it towed to the garage for an MOT. Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN) is a declaration to the DVLA that the car is being stored off-road and means it can’t be driven or parked on public roads. Once you’ve got your fresh MOT, you can get the car taxed and insured and drive it home.

Driving to an MOT test: special cases

Can I take my car for MOT without tax?

You can drive your car to a pre-booked MOT test without having tax. Keep your booking documents handy in case you’re stopped by police, and you must drive straight to the appointment without any other stops.

Can you MOT a car without insurance?

No, you can’t get an MOT for a car without insurance because you’ll need to be insured to drive it to the appointment.

You’ll need to arrange day coverage for your car if you can’t start a new policy, or have your car towed to the garage.

What happens if you have an accident without an MOT?

We know we keep saying it, but the only time you should be driving on UK roads without an MOT is if you’re exempt from MOT’ing or if you are driving to a pre-booked MOT appointment.

If you’re driving at any other point without a valid MOT, your insurance might be void and your provider may not pay out if you were to be in an accident.

You’ll need to prove you were driving to an MOT appointment if something happens during your trip to the garage, so keep hold of any booking documents.

How to get back on the road legally

You can still insure your car if it doesn’t have an MOT, but you might need to speak with your policy provider about the terms and conditions.

You can’t drive your car to an MOT appointment without insurance, even if you have a pre-booked test.

The best thing to do would be to speak to your insurance company about insuring your car without an MOT, and then book your test and keep all your booking documents handy in case you’re pulled over by the police.

Book an MOT at cinch

You can book an MOT test with cinch, even if your current MOT has expired. We also offer servicing for petrol, diesel, electric and hybrid vehicles.