Will a car without a spare tyre fail an MOT?

[Calumcco]

I ask simply because I have had to take my spare out and replace my front left tyre which was punctured on Sunday which now leaves me without a spare which I cannot afford until I am paid on the 28th.

 

[ashford charlie]

Hi,
A spare wheel is not actually a requirement for the MOT test. But iff there is a spare wheel in the vehicle it will be checked to ensure it conforms to the law (tread depth, etc).

 

[V6Matty]

as long as there is not a spare wheel at all there then your fine, it's only if one is present they have to check it

 

[ansta1]

I could be wrong or out of date, but AFAIU if the tyre is in the car it has to meet legal requirements for MOT, but if it's not there then they can't inspect it so no failure can be logged.

 

[Naraic]

I have never had my spare checked...nor the cover on my wife's Rav4 removed to inspect the tyre.

 

[ansta1]

I have never had my spare checked...nor the cover on my wife's Rav4 removed to inspect the tyre.

I don't think the tester is allowed to remove anything, as an example I got an advisory on my wife's care a few years ago as there was a childs car seat in the rear advisory said something like "Advisory - unable to check rear passenger set belt function'

They probably don't check the spare anymore as a failure on tyre is a free retest and the fix would be owner remove spare wheel/tyre then retest.

from the MOT testers manual...

"This inspection applies to tyres fitted to the road wheels only. The vehicle presenter should be informed when it is noticed that there is a defective tyre on a spare wheel"

 

[Naraic]

So, the answer to the OP's question is, no, it will not fail on a defective or absent spare.

 

[television]

That is correct in that you cannot maintain something that you have not got, and many cars come these days with no spare wheel.

 

[SL63 Mark]

How true, I forgot I don't have a spare wheel in the Merc ! Just a tube of goo to squirt in the flat one. I think I'll be calling Merc assist if I ever do have a flat.

 

[television]

How true, I forgot I don't have a spare wheel in the Merc ! Just a tube of goo to squirt in the flat one. I think I'll be calling Merc assist if I ever do have a flat.

Running the car that you do, it would not look right for you to be seen performing such a task by the side of the road.

 

[stumpy]

That is correct in that you cannot maintain something that you have not got, and many cars come these days with no spare wheel.

If you have a Land Rover Discovery some scumbag will pinch it for you as happened to me last week.

 

[turbopete]

spare wheel doesnt come into the MOT anyhow, for the very reason that a large number of cars dont have one (or the one there is wouldnt pass the MOT sue to size if it were fitted!)
also, a point that was made earlier, a tester cannot remove a child safety seat as it may not be refitted by the tester correctly and would leave the tester liable for any injuries that may arise due to incorrect refitting. as for spare wheel covers etc, they CAN remove them for test, and any other covers, if deemed necessary, as long as NO TOOLS are required. so a clip on/off engine cover can be removed, but a bolted on 1 cannot

 

[Ricardo_e220]

Yep I think I've had all of these one time or another

Cars without spare wheels
Cars with advisories due to child car seats fitted
Cars with advisories due to under trays fitted

The inspector chappie or chapess of course cannot remove or undo anything... I suspect They 'could' refuse to test something if they suspected something hidden away (brake pipes etc if the rest of the car was borderline...