Yes – it’s illegal to drive a car on UK roads without insurance. Once you have decided to drive your statutory off-road notification – or SORN – vehicle, you must get it taxed and insured. You will then be able to drive it to a pre-booked MOT appointment. Although insurers will likely insist you have a valid MOT to get insurance, they will normally agree to cover you for the drive to the test centre.
If you aren’t sure how long you will keep the car or whether it will pass its MOT, you can consider temporary car insurance instead of committing to a full year.
While your car is off the road (and you have a SORN in place), you will not need an MOT certificate.