When you need to make a SORN
Overview
You need to make a SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification) when you take a vehicle ‘off the road’ and you want to stop taxing and insuring it.
This guide is also available in Welsh (Cymraeg).
Your vehicle is off the road if you do not keep or use it on a public road, for example if it’s in a garage, on a drive or on private land.
You must make a SORN in any of the following situations:
- your vehicle is not taxed
- your vehicle is not insured (even for a short time, for example because there’s a delay renewing your policy)
- you want to break a vehicle down for parts before you scrap it
- you buy or receive a vehicle and want to keep it off the road (you cannot transfer a SORN from the previous keeper)
If you’ve been sent a vehicle tax reminder for a vehicle you’ve already sold, you do not need to make a SORN.
After you tell DVLA you’ve sold your vehicle, you’ll receive confirmation that you no longer have it.
You must insure and tax your vehicle if you do not have a SORN. If you do not, you’ll automatically be fined £80 for not having a SORN. There’s also a fine for having an uninsured vehicle.
Check a vehicle’s SORN status
You can check a vehicle’s SORN status online.
Making a SORN
You can make a SORN online, by phone or by post.
When a SORN starts and ends
Your SORN will start immediately if either:
- your vehicle tax has expired
- you’re not applying in the month your vehicle tax is due to expire
Your SORN will start on the first day of the next month if you apply in the month your vehicle tax is due to expire.
You cannot backdate your SORN.
Your SORN is automatically cancelled when you tax your vehicle again or if you sell, permanently export or scrap your vehicle.
You do not need to renew a SORN.
Your vehicle must stay in the UK for your SORN to be valid. Find out what you need to do if you’re taking a vehicle out of the UK.
After you make a SORN
You’ll automatically get a vehicle tax refund for any full remaining months.
When you can drive your vehicle
You can only drive a vehicle with a SORN on a public road to go to or from a pre-booked MOT or other testing appointment.
You could face court prosecution and a fine of up to £2,500 if you use it on the road for any other reason.