Joined: Aug 2017 Posts: 926 Threads: 74
Reputation:
9
Location: Essex
01-05-2018, 08:22 PM
(This post was last modified: 01-05-2018, 08:23 PM by Nick Lettington.
Edit Reason: Cant spell my own name
)
Looking on the DVLA website it isn't clear if you need to make a SORN declaration if you become the new keeper of a vehicle off the road since before SORN existed. Logically, the text regarding SORN reads when you take a vehicle off the road... So it needs to have been on the road since 1998 to have to do this... But there isn't anything on their website that states this.
Has anyone recently bought a vehicle recorded on DVLA's database, off the road since before SORN? Were there any nasty surprises, or is it still not necessary?
Regards
Nick
Joined: Aug 2017 Posts: 986 Threads: 6
Reputation:
12
Location: Scottish Borders
I bought a Citroen 3 years ago that had been off the road for 12 or 15 years. Seller sent off the V5C. No problems.
Jim
Joined: Mar 2018 Posts: 694 Threads: 33
Reputation:
3
Location: Lot region FRANCE
Seems pretty clear to me:-
You must make a SORN in any of the following situations:
your vehicle isn’t taxed
your vehicle isn’t 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 can’t transfer a SORN from the previous keeper)
You have received a vehicle and want to keep it off the road, so you have to make a SORN declaration. Your problem may be proving that your log book / V5 is acceptable and that you can retain the present registration.
Why wouldn't you want to make SORN declaration as it is a positive way to keep the reg number?
BobH
Joined: Aug 2017 Posts: 866 Threads: 75
Reputation:
10
I inherited a motorbike that had been off the road since 1969. The DVLA didn't know whether SORN was necessary so I just applied for change of ownership. I sold it shortly afterwards (another change of ownership) and neither I nor the new owner have had any comeback.
Peter.
Joined: Aug 2017 Posts: 121 Threads: 6
Reputation:
2
You only need to sorn if a vehicle has been on the road since 1998. And thankfully you now only need to do it once. Not every year as previous. You simply undo the sorn by taxing it.
Ive just successfully recovered a registration number for a 1905 traction engine. Despite the information provided being correct the clowns have put date of first registration as the build date in 1905 ( Registration in the general series having only started in 1921 which is when it was actually first registered). The best thing was that within a week of recievcing the V5 (and having not taxed it promptly) the keeper got a letter essentially wanting back tax. Arse and elbow are clearly still not connected. A snotty letter seems to have solved that problem.
Joined: Aug 2017 Posts: 41 Threads: 1
Reputation:
0
I think it depends on the Tax Status as recorded on theV5C - I think for instance if the car has been on the old style V5 only (I.e. before SORN) and is then transferred to a new owner and put on a V5C the tax status is stated as NOT LICENSED...if this is the case it cannot be SORN’ed one only when it is ready for the road can the status be changed to HISTORIC...then it can either be taxed or SORN’d.
This I believe was the case, though with all of the DVLA goings on and wanting to change things every 5 minutes this may now have changed.
Joined: Aug 2017 Posts: 1,230 Threads: 33
Reputation:
7
Location: Salop
Car type: '28 GE Cup. '28 AD Chummy '30 RL Saloon. '34 RP Saloon. Too Many toys!
Nick, you do not.
My view is that with most of the vehicles we are likely to discuss on here. MOT exempt, VED exempt (or is it nil rate?) that its a pretty simple choice.
If I choose to insure a vehicle, I tax it. On the road or not. And I have one not on the road. (If its on the road, you must of course tax it)
If I choose not to insure a vehicle, clearly I am not going to use it on the road, but if it has been on the road since 1998 I SORN it.
The law required a vehicle (that has been taxed at some point since 1998) to be insured, (regardless of if it is taxed) unless it is SORN.
You have to be carefull of this. The wifes Golf bust its cambelt towards the tail end of one month. I pushed it onto the garden and we bought a new motor PDQ. Transfering our insurance policy onto it. At that point I cancelled the tax (paid monthly) So Golf now untaxed and uninsured and technically illegal. So I SORNed it.
