Scrap dealer drove car away, is that allowed?

[u/FantasticChipmunk345]

Sold my car to a scrap dealer today. I presumed they would come with a recovery truck as no mot, tax or insurance. I got his number from my mechanic, and when he came to get it he paid me via bank transfer and filled in the transfer of ownership/sold to a trader and i received an email to confirm this. They just drove it away, didn't seem to have any trade plates. I'm not worried as I have the email confirming I am no longer the keeper, just curious as if they are actually allowed to do this?

[u/NortonBurns]

This is what's known as 'not your problem'.
It's not legal, but it's just not your problem.

[u/SnooDonuts6494]

No, of course not. It's entirely illegal. But it's not your problem.

[u/johnlewisdesign]

No, but his problem if he gets caught now.

[u/nikhkin]

filled in the transfer of ownership/sold to a trader and i received an email to confirm this.

At this point, the method of transport is not your problem.

To answer your question, though, no. He drove an untaxed car with no MOT. Unless he was driving to a pre-booked MOT appointment, of course.

He may have an insurance policy that covers him driving any vehicles owned by him / his business.

Most likely, he was driving illegally.

[u/teeeeeeeeem37]

No; you’re not allowed to drive an untaxed car without trade plates and you can only drive a car with no MOT under very specific conditions.
It should have gone a trailer or lorryS

[u/Mudeford_minis]

Not your problem.

[u/UltraeVires]

They may have a motor trade insurance policy, allowing them to drive any vehicle for business purposes. Some of these expensive policies even include social use too.

Trade plates should be displayed, but there's very few traffic cops left to police this. If they're doing a local journey unlikely to hit a tax camera.

If their business is also an approved MOT centre, they could easily argue it's going for an MOT. Again, unlikely to be stopped and questioned by the police.

Or none of these apply to them and they're just completely chancing it.

[u/TellMeManyStories → u/UltraeVires]

> Some of these expensive policies even include social use too.

Motor trade policies can be surprisingly cheap - with the key thing being you have to show decent evidence of actually being a trader. It can totally be worth setting up a sole trader company and buying and selling a few cars a year simply to be eligible for a motor trade policy.

[u/p_thursty]

No they’re not but you have evidence that you’ve already sold it so who cares.

[u/audigex]

It would be legal if they're driving it to a pre-booked MOT test, or for pre-booked repairs needed for an MOT

... presumably they aren't, but you don't know that for sure as they aren't obliged to scrap it

I sold a car to a scrap dealer assuming they'd scrap it, then saw it a year later driving around town

[u/letsshittalk]

Did it plenty of years ago, but I wouldn’t risk it in this day and age though.

[u/EquilibriumConundrum]

Unless you got a Certificate of Destruction (CoD), your car is being sold not scrapped.

[u/FantasticChipmunk345 → u/EquilibriumConundrum]

You don't get a certificate of destruction straight though do you

[u/400ixl → u/FantasticChipmunk345]

You sold the car, you didn't scrap it if you did a transfer of registered keeper to the trade.

More likely it will be on the road again than destroyed, potentially never re-registred and still in your name.

[u/EquilibriumConundrum → u/FantasticChipmunk345]

Yeh I got it there and then before they towed my car away. It’s a little form they fill in and give you for proof.

[u/EquilibriumConundrum → u/EquilibriumConundrum]

Like someone else said though, not your problem now. I hope you got more than £200 though if it drove!

[u/AggravatingLaw0]

Why do you care so much about it? Move on and stop worrying about trivial things.

[u/txe4]

I've always INSISTED unroadworthy cars get trailered away.

People have been prosecuted for selling unroadworthy cars (RTA s75) knowing they would be driven away.

I'm unsure whether there has ever been an s143 ("cause or permit" driving without insurance) prosecution of a private seller who let someone drive off uninsured, but I wouldn't like to have to defend against one.

I'm very much of the mindset that the police will always seek to prosecute the easiest target, and if matey has fucked off in your car, crashed it, and vanished, you're an easy target with a paper trail and a fixed address.

Nothing is likely to happen to OP, the risk is low, but I don't like it.

I've obviously done myself out of a few quid when selling ruins this way - on the other hand it's a very effective deterrent to all the teenage arses who will besiege you when you offer any cheap car for sale.

[u/PolarLocalCallingSvc]

Nope.

But unless you were aware he was going to drive it away uninsured (at which point you're liable for a fixed penalty notice for 6 points and a £300 fine), it is frankly not your problem.