{"id":3284,"date":"2020-10-26T14:39:26","date_gmt":"2020-10-26T14:39:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scrapcarnetwork.org\/news\/?p=3284"},"modified":"2025-02-26T07:15:21","modified_gmt":"2025-02-26T07:15:21","slug":"can-you-drive-a-sorn-car-to-a-scrap-car-breaker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scrapcarnetwork.org\/news\/can-you-drive-a-sorn-car-to-a-scrap-car-breaker\/","title":{"rendered":"Can you drive a SORN car to a scrap car breaker?"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is quite a common question we get asked at Scrap Car Network, and you may well be wondering it yourself if you\u2019re looking to scrap your car<\/a> for the very first time. The answer is basically no. The law is very firm on this, and you can be opening yourself up to serious legal repercussions if you decide to risk it. But you\u2019ll be glad to hear that most of the time, that shouldn\u2019t be a problem for you anyway. Below we\u2019ve explained a little more about why, but first things first\u2026<\/p>\n

What is a SORN?<\/h2>\n

SORN stands for Statutory Off Road Notification, and it acts as a formal declaration to the DVLA that you\u2019re keeping your car off the road. (Off the road, by the way, literally means off the road – it\u2019s got to be kept in a garage or driveway, and not parked on the street.) Since by definition that means you\u2019re not going to be driving it, this also spares you from having to pay any tax and insurance on it.<\/p>\n

So why would you get a SORN? What\u2019s the point of a car if you\u2019re not going to be driving it? Well, there are all sorts of specific reasons. You might get your car SORNed if, for example, the car is unfit to drive but you can\u2019t scrap it yet, or if you\u2019ve made a verbal agreement to sell it to a friend or family member, but they\u2019re not ready to pick it up just yet. Some people also take their vehicles off the road so that they\u2019ve got time to remove some parts before they scrap their car – but we\u2019ve explained elsewhere why removing parts isn\u2019t always a good idea.<\/p>\n

(If you need a bit more detail on any of the points above, we\u2019ve already written an entire post on everything you need to know about a SORN<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Can you drive a SORN to scrap?<\/h3>\n

The answer to this question is simple – no, you can\u2019t drive a SORN to scrap. By definition, you can\u2019t legally drive a SORN anywhere. There\u2019s only one exception, and that\u2019s when you\u2019re driving the car to a pre-booked MOT test. (And even then, you still need insurance for that – most insurers provide special one-day cover just for that purpose.)<\/p>\n

To explain in a little more detail, the main reason why you can\u2019t drive a SORN to scrap is that once it\u2019s been declared off the roads, it no longer has any valid tax or insurance, and that makes it illegal to drive. And yes, that applies even when you\u2019re driving it to be scrapped at an Authorised Treatment Facility. You can\u2019t have it both ways – either it\u2019s off the road, or it\u2019s not. Besides that MOT exception we covered above, if you\u2019re caught driving a car that\u2019s been declared off the roads, then you\u2019re facing the business end of a fine that can be as much as \u00a32500.<\/p>\n

\"Driving-in-the-city\"<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s where we should clear up another common misconception – you don\u2019t necessarily have to get a SORN before you scrap your car. Some people choose to do get one if they can\u2019t get their car scrapped right away (for example, if they\u2019re going away on a holiday or business trip), as it saves them from having to pay unnecessary tax and insurance in the meantime. But it\u2019s not a mandatory prerequisite. This is because when you scrap your car, it\u2019s automatically declared as off the roads through your Certificate of Destruction<\/a>. Just like many things to do with scrapping your car, it\u2019s all a lot simpler than it might seem at first!<\/p>\n

So how can you scrap your car without driving it anywhere?<\/h3>\n

Easy – here at Scrap Car Network, we arrange hassle-free scrap car collection<\/a> as part of our service, all completely free of charge. That way, it doesn\u2019t matter whether your car has been declared off the road or not, as we\u2019ll be able to scrap it either way. When you get an instant online quote through our website, we\u2019ll be in touch in short order to find out exactly where and when you want your car collected. Then, we\u2019ll swing by with one of our dedicated collection vehicles, and that\u2019s the job done!<\/p>\n

(As a side note, getting your car collected is actually your only option if you\u2019ve removed any parts from your car, as this generally makes it automatically unsafe to take out on the roads.)
\nIt\u2019s never been easier to get your very own free, no obligation quote – all you need to do is enter your car reg and postcode<\/a> onto our homepage, and we\u2019ll have yours to you before you can say scrap my car! Curious to find out how much yours is worth?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is quite a common question we get asked at Scrap Car Network, and you may well be wondering it yourself if you\u2019re looking to scrap your car for the very first time. The answer is basically no. The law is very firm on this, and you can be opening yourself up to serious legal […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":113,"featured_media":3089,"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