KEEPING a vehicle on company premises, or if its off the road for a long period of time, you will need a SORN.

A Statutory Off-Road Notification is used to inform the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency that you’re registering a vehicle as off the road – and once done it must not be driven on a public road, at any time.

You can apply for a SORN online via the government’s website, by phone or by post.

Here’s when you need one:

  • Your vehicle isn’t insured, even if only for a short time.
  • Vehicle isn’t taxed, bearing in mind tax can no longer be transferred when vehicles are sold on.
  • If you buy a vehicle you intend to keep off-road. SORN cannot be transferred from the previous owner.
  • If  going abroad for a long period of time.

Once an application is accepted, conformation will come from the DVLA within four weeks. Take a note of the SORN’s expiry date – if not renewed, the vehicle will be treated like any other and will need to be insured and taxed.

Failure to tax a vehicle could result in an automatic £80 fine, while driving without insurance could result in a possible court prosecution and a maximum fine of £1000.

However, there’s no need to tax and insure a vehicle kept on private land and never driven on public roads. Simply notify the DVLA that it is kept off public roads by declaring a SORN.