Driving with a damaged car: what is and is not legal
Some damage is a minor cosmetic issue; some makes your car illegal and dangerous to drive. The test is whether the defect affects your view, your lights, or the safe condition of the vehicle. Driving a car in a dangerous condition can mean a £2,500 fine and points for each defect.
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Is it illegal to drive with a broken wing mirror?
It can be. The law requires you to have a clear and full view of the road behind you. In practice that usually means at least two working mirrors: the interior mirror and the offside (driver's side) door mirror.
If your interior mirror gives a clear view to the rear, a broken nearside mirror may not make the car illegal, but a missing or broken offside mirror very likely does. The safe rule is that if you cannot see clearly behind you, the car should not be driven until the mirror is repaired.
Can you drive with a cracked windscreen?
It depends where the crack is and how big it is. Damage in the area swept by the wipers directly in front of the driver fails the MOT if it is larger than 10mm, while elsewhere in the swept area the limit is 40mm.
Beyond the MOT standard, driving with a crack that obstructs your view of the road is an offence in its own right. A small chip out of your line of sight may be legal to drive on for now, but get it dealt with before it spreads, because it usually does.
Is it illegal to drive with a broken headlight?
Your vehicle must have working lights when they are needed. Driving at night or in poor visibility with a failed headlight is an offence, because you cannot see properly and other road users cannot judge your position.
Even by day, a defective light makes the car non-compliant. A blown bulb is cheap and quick to replace, and it is not worth the risk of being stopped or, worse, being harder to see. Check both headlights, brake lights and indicators regularly.
Can you drive with a bumper hanging off?
No. A bumper hanging loose is a classic example of using a vehicle in a dangerous condition. It can detach at speed, become a hazard to others, or injure a pedestrian, so it is treated seriously.
Driving in this state can bring a fine of up to £2,500 and 3 penalty points, with the possibility of disqualification, and the penalty can apply per dangerous defect. Secure or remove a hanging bumper before driving, and arrange a proper repair.
Is it illegal to drive with a broken number plate light?
When lights are required, your rear number plate must be illuminated so it can be read. A failed number plate light at night is therefore an offence, as well as an MOT failure, because an unreadable plate also breaches number plate rules.
It is an easy fault to overlook because you rarely see the back of your own car at night. It is worth checking, since it is exactly the kind of minor defect that gives the police a reason to stop you, and a quick walk around the car with the lights on will reveal it.
What makes a car unroadworthy?
A car is unroadworthy when a defect makes it unsafe to drive. The main areas are brakes, tyres, steering, lights, and anything affecting your control or view. Bald or damaged tyres, failing brakes, and defects that obscure your vision are the most common.
Tyres are a frequent and costly example: each tyre below the legal tread depth or with serious damage is a separate offence, so four bad tyres can mean four sets of points. The legal minimum tread depth for a car tyre is 1.6mm across the central three-quarters of the tread, around the whole tyre, and a tyre below that, or with a cut or bulge, makes the car unroadworthy on its own. A car does not need to have failed an MOT to be unroadworthy; it can become so the day after passing.
What happens if you drive an unroadworthy vehicle?
Driving a vehicle in a dangerous condition is a serious offence. It can carry a fine of up to £2,500, 3 penalty points per defect, and a discretionary disqualification, with a mandatory ban for repeat offences within three years.
Because the penalty applies per defect, the points can mount quickly. Beyond the legal penalty, you are also driving something that is statistically more likely to be involved in a collision, which is the real reason the rules are strict.
How does driving a damaged car affect your insurance?
If you knowingly drive a car you know to be unroadworthy and have an accident, your insurer may reduce or refuse the claim, on the basis that the dangerous condition contributed to it. Pre-existing damage you failed to repair can also complicate a claim.
If a damaged car is uninsured or you need to get it to a garage for repair, temporary car insurance can cover you for that specific journey. Note that cover does not make an unroadworthy car legal to drive, and a car without a valid MOT has its own rules, explained in our guide on insuring a car without an MOT.
Frequently asked questions
Is it illegal to drive with only one wing mirror?
It depends which mirror and what view you have. The law requires a clear view to the rear, usually meaning at least an interior mirror and the offside door mirror. A missing or broken offside mirror very likely makes the car illegal to drive.
What size windscreen crack makes a car illegal to drive?
In the area swept by the wipers in front of the driver, damage larger than 10mm fails the MOT; elsewhere in the swept area the limit is 40mm. Separately, any crack that obstructs your view of the road is an offence to drive with.
Is a bumper hanging off an MOT failure?
A loose or hanging bumper can make the car unroadworthy and amounts to using a vehicle in a dangerous condition, which carries a fine of up to £2,500 and points. It should be secured or removed and properly repaired before the car is driven.
What is the fine for driving an unroadworthy vehicle?
Driving a vehicle in a dangerous condition can bring a fine of up to £2,500 and 3 penalty points per defect, plus a possible disqualification. Because the penalty applies per defect, faults such as multiple bald tyres can add up quickly.
Can you get temporary insurance on a car that has visible damage?
Temporary cover can insure a journey, for example taking a car to a garage for repair, but it does not make an unroadworthy car legal to drive. The car must still be in a roadworthy and lawful condition, and MOT rules apply separately.
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