1. What Is A SORN?<\/h2>\n
A Statutory Off Road Notification essentially acts as a formal declaration to the DVLA that you\u2019re taking your car off the road. Generally, if you want to take your car off the road it means that you\u2019ll want to stop paying car tax and insurance on it as well, and a SORN is the document that lets you do that. If you don\u2019t have one, then as far as the DVLA\u2019s concerned, they\u2019re still due the money – so it\u2019s important not to forget!<\/p>\n
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In case you\u2019re asking \u201ccan I drive a car with a SORN\u201d, the answer is a resounding nope. You can\u2019t have it both ways; while a SORN is active, your car doesn\u2019t technically have tax or insurance, so it\u2019s illegal to drive it on a public road. The only exception is if you\u2019re taking it to the garage for a pre-booked MOT appointment. That way if you\u2019re pulled over, the garage will be able to confirm your appointment to any enquiring law enforcement. Outside those circumstances though, you\u2019re looking at the business end of a \u00a32500 fine.<\/p>\n
2. Why do you need a SORN?<\/h2>\n
Basically, if you want your car off the road, and have no intention to drive it any time in the near future \u2013 say for example, if you\u2019ve decided to get the train to work for a while.<\/p>\n
Other circumstances in which you might need a SORN include (but are not limited to):<\/p>\n
- \n
- Keeping your car in a lockup or garage (but you can\u2019t leave it on any public road)<\/li>\n
- If there\u2019s an unavoidable delay in renewing its insurance policy, it will need to be declared officially off-road with a SORN. Otherwise, you can be fined for your vehicle being uninsured, even if you\u2019re not technically driving it!<\/li>\n
- If you plan on scrapping your car for parts, or restoring it.<\/li>\n
- If you\u2019ve bought your car with the intention of keeping it off road. Classic, collectable, vintage or unique vehicles generally fall into this category.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
3. How much does it cost to get a SORN?<\/h3>\n
The application and receipt of a SORN is absolutely free \u2013 as indeed it should be! \u2013 so don\u2019t worry about having to pinch the pennies get one. Having to save up to ultimately save money would probably would be a bit of a never-ending circle otherwise, financially speaking.<\/p>\n
4. Do I still need to pay tax and insurance if I have a SORN?<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nUltimately, you\u2019ll be pleased to hear, no. However, there\u2019s something really important to bear in mind. While you can cancel or pause your car insurance with your personal provider, just the act of applying for a SORN doesn\u2019t mean you can just immediately stop paying vehicle tax. You have to continue paying it until you\u2019re specifically notified otherwise, or the DVLA will almost certainly view it as an attempt to dodge your legal obligations.<\/p>\n
If you simply stop right away, you risk an \u00a380 fine if you\u2019re caught. That can rise up to \u00a31000 if it\u2019s unpaid. However, when applying for your SORN you can ask the DVLA for your remaining payments to be reduced. Don\u2019t think the DVLA is just pocketing the extra cash for your car, though. Within 6 weeks of getting your SORN, you\u2019ll automatically get a full refund on the vehicle tax you owe for any remaining months, so you\u2019re not losing out.<\/p>\n
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5. What is a V890 form?<\/h2>\n
A V890 form is an official document that you can use to apply for a Statutory Off Road Notification if you\u2019re not the registered keeper of the vehicle. (Don\u2019t forget that the car\u2019s owner is not necessarily the same person<\/span><\/a> as the registered keeper.)<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re being sold (or gifted) the car and the paperwork is not yet final, and you\u2019ve not yet applied to be the registered keeper, then you\u2019ll also need to apply for a vehicle registration certificate (form V62).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
If you\u2019re already the vehicle\u2019s registered keeper, you can simply apply for a SORN online, using the information on your V5C. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
However, if you don\u2019t yet have a V5C then you can get a V890 form from the official DVLA website, or get it from your local Post Office.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
Once you\u2019ve filled it out, you can send the completed V590 SORN form to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) address:<\/p>\n
DVLA
\nSwansea
\nSA99 1ZZ<\/p>\nGet a V980 form here<\/b><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n
6. When does a SORN start?<\/h3>\n
That depends. You can specify the off-road period when you\u2019re applying for a SORN, so if your vehicle tax is expiring this month (or the next one), then you can arrange for the SORN to kick in on the first day of the following month. To do that, you\u2019ll need to make sure you have the 16-digit number on your V11 document (otherwise known as the vehicle tax reminder letter).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
If you\u2019re taking your car off the road because it physically isn\u2019t roadworthy, then you can specify that you want the SORN to begin immediately \u2013 in which case, it\u2019ll be actioned as soon as the DVLA have processed your application.<\/p>\n
7. Can you backdate a SORN?<\/h3>\n
No. A SORN cannot be backdated. The earliest you can get a SORN to begin is shortly after you\u2019ve submitted the application. It\u2019s a lesson that countless people have had to learn the hard way \u2013 if you\u2019re not driving the car but haven\u2019t told the DVLA that it\u2019s off the road, then they\u2019ll tax it regardless, and they won\u2019t give you back that money. So the moment you know that you won\u2019t be using the car for a significant amount of time, it\u2019s important to apply for a SORN as soon as possible!<\/p>\n
8. When does a SORN expire?<\/h3>\n
Basically, it doesn\u2019t. A SORN is indefinite, so you don\u2019t need to worry about the hassle of having to renew one. You may have seen, heard or read elsewhere that a SORN has a twelve-month expiry date. This was indeed once true, but hasn\u2019t been the case for the last few years, so chances are that the other article you\u2019re thinking of is probably out of date.<\/p>\n
9. How long is a SORN valid for?<\/h3>\n
Once a SORN is active on your car, it\u2019s valid for however long you want it to be! Since it lasts indefinitely, you don\u2019t need to renew or update the SORN unless you\u2019re planning to sell the car, scrap it, or start driving it again.<\/p>\n
Ending the SORN is easy – all you have to do is tax your car over the phone, or online, and it\u2019ll end automatically. That means you don\u2019t have to worry about taking care of it as a separate job, or get mired down in extra paperwork or anything like that. Once you\u2019ve received formal confirmation that your car is taxed, you can rest easy in the knowledge that the SORN has been sorted out for you.<\/p>\n
![\"buying](\"https:\/\/www.scrapcarnetwork.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/car-transfer-compressed.png\")
<\/p>\n10. What happens if you buy a car with a SORN?<\/h3>\n
SORNs don\u2019t transfer over between owners, which can be good or bad news depending on what you plan to do with the car. If you\u2019re looking to keep it off the road for a couple more months just while you get everything finalised \u2013 say, crossing the Ts and dotting the Is on the insurance, you\u2019ll need to re-register it with a SORN of your own. Otherwise, as far as the DVLA is concerned, once the car is officially yours then it\u2019s considered back on the road.<\/p>\n
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11. How do I get a SORN for my car?<\/h3>\n
The wise choice is to contact the DVLA directly. You can call their service line on 0300 123 4321 if you\u2019re looking to get it done over the phone, although as is often the way with these things, you should probably be prepared to spend a fair bit of time on hold. Alternatively, you could do it via the Make A SORN<\/a> section on the DVLA website. A further option is to apply by post, by filling out a V890 application form<\/a> and sending it to the DVLA\u2019s physical address in Swansea, SA99 1AR.<\/p>\n
By the way, if you\u2019ve recently bought the car but you\u2019re not yet technically registered as the car\u2019s official keeper, you can only register a SORN by post. If you want, you can specify exactly when you want the SORN to start \u2013 you can do this by signifying it with the 16-digit number displayed on your V11 document (otherwise known as your vehicle tax reminder letter.)<\/p>\n
12. How long does it take to get a SORN?<\/h3>\n
Once you\u2019ve made your application, you\u2019ll generally receive your SORN within 4 weeks. If not, it\u2019s wise to give the DVLA a ring, just in case. For this reason alone, if you\u2019ve recently had a reminder letter about taxing your vehicle but you\u2019ve decided to keep it off the road, it\u2019s best to arrange a SORN sooner rather than later.<\/p>\n
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13. Can I sell a car with a SORN?<\/h3>\n
You can indeed sell a car with a SORN, but since you\u2019re prohibited from taking it out onto public roads, you\u2019re probably going to find it quite difficult. Don\u2019t forget that the vast majority of buyers are also going to want to have a test drive before they agree to buy your car, and if they\u2019re prevented from doing so by an active SORN then it\u2019s likely going to be an extremely difficult sell for you. Plus, if you want to sell your vehicle privately, you\u2019ll usually also need to ensure that it has a valid MOT, tax and insurance – whether you have an active SORN in place or not.<\/p>\n
However, if you\u2019re not able to secure all of these, you still have a couple of options. For example, you may be able to sell your car to a registered car buyer. Vehicles in the possession of trade buyers will generally be given trade number plates, which means they\u2019re not subject to exactly the same tax legislation as the rest of us.<\/p>\n
Alternatively, if you\u2019re selling your SORNed vehicle to a car scrapping service like us. Our hassle-free collection service means that we\u2019ll collect your car right from your driveway, so there\u2019s no need to worry about how you\u2019re going to get the car to us.<\/p>\n
14. Do I need a SORN to scrap my car?<\/h3>\n
Nope! You can legally scrap your scrap your car without a SORN. If it\u2019s in good enough repair, traditionally car owners would drive it to an Authorised Treatment Facility, but as we\u2019ve touched upon above, our hassle free scrap car collection<\/a> service means that we can handle all the transportation stuff for you. We won\u2019t hang around in getting you that all-important Certificate of Destruction either. From your side, the main thing is to ensure that you\u2019re able to supply the main sections of the V5C logbook, and it\u2019s always a good plan to let the DVLA know yourself that you\u2019ve scrapped your car. Just in case!<\/span><\/p>\n
15. How can you get a SORN car back on the road?<\/h3>\n
It\u2019s not tricky! Mainly, you just need to arrange for it to be taxed again, which you can do via the Vehicle Tax section of the DVLA website<\/a>. The next step is to check that your insurance is active, and that it\u2019s valid and in-date before you hop into the driver\u2019s seat. The other thing to check is whether it has a valid MOT. If it doesn\u2019t, you should definitely arrange one before the vehicle is declared back on the road. As we mentioned above, taking it to its MOT is one of the few instances that you\u2019re legally permitted to drive it while a SORN is still active.<\/p>\n
Of course, there may be points when it fails its MOT. Hopefully you\u2019ll have plenty of time to see that sort of eventuality coming, and when you do, don\u2019t forget that you can scrap your car for cash right here at Scrap Car Network. All you need to do is enter in your car reg and postcode<\/a> onto our homepage, and in no time at all you\u2019ll be looking at your very own instant online quote. What\u2019s not to like?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
SORN stands for Statutory Off Road Notification, and you need it if \u2013 you guessed it \u2013 you\u2019re taking your vehicle off the road. Crucially, it\u2019s the document that allows you to stop making further tax and insurance payments. It\u2019s obviously all a bit more complex than that, but that\u2019s the bare bones of it. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":113,"featured_media":1194,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[16,1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n