SORN Declare your vehicle as off the road
If you own a vehicle that you no longer want to drive on a public road, you can complete a SORN form from the DVLA and avoid paying car tax.
SORN stands for Statutory Off Road Notification and it’s used to inform the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) that you are registering a vehicle as ‘off the road’, meaning that the vehicle cannot or will not be driven on a public road.
Do I need to declare SORN?
If you have a vehicle and no intention of driving it on the road, you must inform the DVLA by officially registering the vehicle as being off the road if you wish to avoid paying vehicle tax.
You cannot just stop paying tax, if you do you can be fined £80 for failing to tax a car (if it hasn't been registered with a SORN). While this fine can be reduced on appeal, it can also increase up to £1,000 in a court settlement if left unpaid. Once you have successfully registered for a SORN, you will receive a refund for any full months of tax remaining on the vehicle.
You can declare a SORN if …
- you intend to keep the vehicle in question on a driveway, in a garage, or on private land for a period of time. It cannot be parked on any kind of public road.
- the vehicle is uninsured (even for a short time) because of a delay in renewing a policy.
- you plan to salvage parts from the vehicle before it is scrapped.
- you are buying a car and plan to keep it off the road.
If you buy a car that has a registered SORN it can not transfer to you, you will have to apply for a SORN yourself. If you are the registered keeper you can contact the DVLA by phone or fill in a V890 application form (available from the gov.uk website). You will also need to complete the applicable section in the V5C log book. If you don't have that yet, then you'll need to fill in a V62 to apply for a log book.
