Must a car have a reverse gear?

[User]

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

Yep your right. My grandad had a reliant with the reverse gear disengaged so he was legally allowed to drive it on his motor bike licence.

 

[Mile195]

I don't think there's any law about it. In fact I seem to remember a rather infamous car featured on Top Gear that had a handle on the back to lift it and turn it round by.

What with the average car weighing in at at least a tonne though, I think I'd be reluctant to buy a car without one!!

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

As I was riding home today an approaching car suddenly pulled across a left turning I was about to take and stopped right in my path. As it happens I was going quite slowly (uphill), so I just stopped and gave him an 'exasperated' look. He responded with an equally exasperated look.

I said, 'I want to go down there,' pointing down the turning.

He tried to engage reverse and there was a horrible grating grinding of gears. He said, 'I don't have reverse.'

I said, 'FOR FECKS SAKE! That's not even legal,' and hopped onto the pavement to get round him. My parting shot was, 'Fecking motorists.'

Who was right? (OK, I might have been a bit angry and unreasonable but that's not what I mean.)

I don't know the ruling but I do know that the car's not roadworthy.

 

[IanG1]

AFAIK there is no legal requirement to have a reverse gear. My other interest is kit cars and some of them that are powered by bike engines do not have a reverse gear unless a separate reverse gearbox is fitted or a starter motor is used to provide an electric reverse

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

Yes there is for cars over 400 kg iirc

 

[compo]

Up until 1963 only people with a full car licence could have a reverse gear on a 3-wheeler. Motor cyclist licence holders with no car licence had to have the reverse gear blanked off if it was fitted. The change of law in 1963 means that anyone can now have a reverse gear on a 3-wheeler.

 

[Tcr4x4]

Its not tested on the MOT so how would anyone know?

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

Up until 1963 only people with a full car licence could have a reverse gear on a 3-wheeler. Motor cyclist licence holders with no car licence had to have the reverse gear blanked off if it was fitted. The change of law in 1963 means that anyone can now have a reverse gear on a 3-wheeler.

Hehe...proves I'm old with a good memory.

 

[compo]

many people are unaware of the changes to the licence groups introduced this year. Passing a motorcycle test no longer gives automatic rights to drive a three wheeler.
"There is still a belief that if you pass a motorcycle test that you can drive a 3-wheeler like a Reliant Robin, this is no longer the case. For those who took a motorcycle test and gained Group A on their license before February 2001, this gave them the full Group B1 entitlement. However, passing your motorcycle test after February 2001 does not give you full Group B1 entitlement. For those who passed a car test (Group B), although the driving license may not be explicitly marked with Group B1, it is included because Group B is the main category and also covers the sub-category B1".

This of course has implications for firms like Morgan and other tricycle makers.

 

[srw]

Its not tested on the MOT so how would anyone know?

When the mechanic tries to reverse out of the inspection bay it might cause one or two issues...

 

[Born2die]

There was the peel as well top gear had one on no reverse on that either

 

[simon the viking]

I had an M.G.B where the reverse gear had packed in, it made parking interesting I had to find spaces in car parks where I could drive through and long spaces in streets. If I needed to reverse it the then girlfriend had to push it (Don't worry she was a strong girl) I straight swapped it for a Ford Orion in the end......

 

[doug]

A few years ago I was driving down a single track lane and met a Morgan 3-Wheeler coming in the other direction, since there was a passing place just a few metres behind it and my last passing place involved reversing round a blind bend, I asked he driver to reverse, but he replied he didn't have a reverse !
I googled it later and reverse gear was only fitted to some of those old Morgans.

 

[Tcr4x4]

Sti

When the mechanic tries to reverse out of the inspection bay it might cause one or two issues...

l wouldn't necessarily fail the mot though.

Mots are pointless really anyway.. They are only valid for the moment of test. 30 secs out of the test area and anything could happen which would cause a fail.

A guy I know had a wheel come off on he road out of the garage after an MOT.