SORN, or Statutory Off Road Notification, is a legal way of taking your car off the road. It’s a way of pausing your legal obligations for insurance, MOT and road tax for a set period while you have the car garaged for the winter, or are repairing or doing it up. If you need to get a SORN on your vehicle then we can help you. Here’s our ultimate guide to the SORN system and process.

What is SORN?

A Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN) is an official legal declaration made to the government’s Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). It says that you won’t be using your vehicle on public roads. Once you register a SORN on a vehicle, it cannot not be driven or parked on a public road. It must be kept on private property like a driveway, garage, or private land. You might think about declaring SORN on your car when:

• You can’t get insurance for your vehicle, or can’t afford insurance temporarily
• A recently purchased car needs work before you want to drive it on the road
• Your car has been in an accident and needs work before it is fit to drive again
• You have a very old car which you are not thinking about driving, only using for spare parts.

SORN can also be useful for people who have classic cars which they only use in the summer, and keep garaged over winter, or for students who have a car at home but don’t intend taking it to university with them.

Driving a SORN-Declared Car:

The only circumstance in which you can operate a vehicle declared as SORN on public roads is when you're taking it to and from a pre-booked MOT. Any other use on public roads can lead to court prosecution and fines of up to £2,500. A SORN car will be indicated on the police’s number plate recognition system, and if you’re stopped, they’ll ask for proof of the MOT appointment.

Similarly, the law is clear that your car must only be parked on private land. This means driveways, garages, gardens, or privately-owned plots. Parking it on a public road, even if there are plenty of spaces and no parking restrictions, is illegal.

Getting a SORN for Your Vehicle

The DVLA is the government department which deals with SORN and you can register a SORN on your vehicle online, over the phone, or by filling in a V890 form and sending it to them in the post. You will need the reference number from the V5 form, also known as the log book.

When your SORN application is received, the DVLA will cancel your car and send a refund cheque covering any full months of remaining tax. Paying insurance is not legally required for a SORN vehicle as it is off the road. Drivers may choose to maintain insurance for a SORN-declared vehicle to cover accidental damage like fire or theft.

You have the flexibility to choose when your SORN takes effect. Most drivers choose to start it immediately, but you also have the option to start a SORN from the first day of the following month.

Renewing and Cancelling a SORN

A SORN declaration remains in place until you either tax your vehicle, have it scrapped, or permanently export it from the UK. There is no need to renew it after a set period. If you want to start using a car which has a SORN, then all you need to do is pay for new car tax, and make sure your car has a MOT and insurance before starting using it on the road again.