Car · UK

SORN: what it means, and how to SORN a car

A SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification) tells DVLA your car is off the road, in a garage, on a drive or on private land, so you can stop taxing and insuring it. Make one online, by phone or by post. Full months of tax left are refunded. You cannot use the car on the road until you tax it again.

Last updated 16 Oct 2026 · Joel Lister, founder of Radar

Who this is for: the keeper of a car registered with DVLA who wants to take it off the road, or has bought one to keep off the road.

Who it is not for: motor traders, who have an exception of their own, or a car that is being sold, scrapped or taken out of the UK, which is told to DVLA another way.

QuestionThe answerSource
What SORN meansStatutory Off Road Notification: telling DVLA the vehicle is not kept or used on a public road, for example because it is in a garage, on a drive or on private land.GOV.UK, GOV.UK
When you need oneWhen you take a vehicle off the road and want to stop taxing and insuring it: if it is not taxed, not insured (even for a short time), being broken for parts before scrapping, or bought and kept off the road.GOV.UK
How to make oneOnline with the 11-digit number from the log book (V5C) or the 16-digit reference on a tax reminder; by phone on 0300 123 4321, a 24-hour service; or by post with form V890.GOV.UK
When it startsAt once, unless you apply in the month your tax is due to expire: then on the first day of the next month. It cannot be backdated and does not need renewing.GOV.UK
Tax refundAutomatic, for any full months of tax left, by cheque to the name and address on the log book. A Direct Debit is cancelled automatically.GOV.UK
Driving itOnly to or from a pre-booked MOT or other testing appointment. Using it on the road for anything else can mean prosecution and a fine of up to £2,500.GOV.UK
Ending itTax the vehicle. The SORN is cancelled automatically, and also ends if you sell, permanently export or scrap it.GOV.UK
No tax and no SORNAn automatic £80 fine. Uninsured and not declared off the road: a £100 fine, up to £1,000 in court, and the car can be clamped, impounded or destroyed.GOV.UK, GOV.UK

What does SORN mean?

SORN stands for Statutory Off Road Notification. Making one tells DVLA that a vehicle is off the road, for example because it is kept in a garage (GOV.UK). Off the road means you do not keep or use it on a public road: it is in a garage, on a drive or on private land (GOV.UK).

When you need to make a SORN

When you take a vehicle off the road and want to stop taxing and insuring it. GOV.UK says you must make one if (GOV.UK):

  • the vehicle is not taxed;
  • it is not insured, even for a short time, for example because a renewal is delayed;
  • you want to break it down for parts before you scrap it;
  • you buy or receive a vehicle and want to keep it off the road.

You must insure and tax a vehicle that does not have a SORN (GOV.UK). You do not need a SORN for a vehicle you have sold: tell DVLA about the sale instead, and if a tax reminder still arrives for it, you do not need to make one (GOV.UK, GOV.UK). Motor traders have their own exception for vehicles they hold until they sell them (GOV.UK).

How to SORN a car

  • Online. If the vehicle is registered in your name, use DVLA’s SORN service with the 11-digit number in your log book (V5C) or the 16-digit reference on your vehicle tax reminder (GOV.UK).
  • By phone. 0300 123 4321, a 24-hour service (GOV.UK).
  • By post. Send form V890 to DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1AR. You can apply for this month, or for next month or the month after with a letter saying why you cannot send it nearer the time (GOV.UK). If you are not yet registered as the vehicle’s keeper, post is the only way (GOV.UK).

Before you start, check the address on the log book: DVLA uses it to refund any payments once you declare SORN (DVLA). If it is wrong, change it online first. If the vehicle is not registered in your name, fill in the right part of the log book and send it with a V890. If you have no log book, send form V62 with the V890; a new log book costs £25 (GOV.UK).

What a SORN costs

GOV.UK lists no charge for making a SORN online, by phone or by post. The only fee on its SORN page is the £25 for a new log book, if you need one (GOV.UK).

When a SORN starts and ends

It starts immediately if your tax has expired, or if you are not applying in the month your tax is due to expire. If you apply in the month your tax is due to expire, it starts on the first day of the next month. You cannot backdate a SORN, and you do not need to renew one. The vehicle must stay in the UK for the SORN to be valid (GOV.UK).

It is cancelled automatically when you tax the vehicle again, or if you sell, permanently export or scrap it (GOV.UK).

The tax refund when you SORN

Making a SORN cancels your vehicle tax. It is one of the ways GOV.UK lists, with selling, scrapping or exporting the car among the others (GOV.UK). You then get a refund cheque, automatically, for any full months left. It is worked out from the date DVLA gets your information and sent to the name and address on the log book. If you pay by Direct Debit, it is cancelled automatically. Credit card fees and the surcharges on some Direct Debit and single six-month payments are not refunded. If the cheque has not come after 8 weeks, contact DVLA (GOV.UK).

What you can and cannot do with a SORN car

  • Keep it off the public road. In a garage, on a drive or on private land. Parked on a public road, it is not off the road (GOV.UK).
  • No insurance needed while it is off the road. You do not need to insure a vehicle kept off the road and declared as off the road (GOV.UK).
  • Drive it only to an MOT. On a public road, only to or from a pre-booked MOT or other testing appointment. For any other reason you could face prosecution and a fine of up to £2,500 (GOV.UK). You must have motor insurance for a vehicle you use on roads and in public places, so insure it for that journey (GOV.UK).

Putting the car back on the road

Tax it, and the SORN ends by itself (GOV.UK). To tax it you need a reference from a recent tax reminder or “last chance” letter, the log book (V5C) in your name, or the green new keeper slip if you have just bought it. You might also need an MOT that is valid when the tax starts, and it can take up to 2 days for MOT information to be updated (GOV.UK). Insure it before you drive it (GOV.UK). Our MOT reminder and car insurance renewal pages cover both dates.

SORN when you buy or sell a car

  • Selling. You do not need a SORN. Tell DVLA you have sold it: the tax is then cancelled, and you get a refund for any full months left (GOV.UK).
  • Buying. The tax is not transferred to you. You must tax a vehicle you have bought before you drive it, or declare it off the road (GOV.UK). A SORN cannot be transferred from the previous keeper either, so if you want to keep it off the road you make your own (GOV.UK). If you are not yet registered as its keeper, make it by post with a V890 (GOV.UK).

Penalties

  • Neither taxed nor SORN. You are automatically fined £80 for not having a SORN (GOV.UK).
  • Uninsured and not declared off the road. You could be fined £100, taken to court with a maximum fine of £1,000, and have the vehicle wheel-clamped, impounded or destroyed. You still have to pay for insurance on top of any fine (GOV.UK).
  • Using a SORN car on the road for anything but a pre-booked MOT or test: prosecution and a fine of up to £2,500 (GOV.UK).

Check whether a car has a SORN

GOV.UK’s vehicle checker shows whether a vehicle is taxed or registered as off the road, from its number plate. It can take up to 2 working days for the record to update once an application is approved (GOV.UK).

For the rest of the car’s year, see the car maintenance checklist and driving licence renewal.

What Radar does with this

  • Life setup asks: “When is your car tax due?” It only renews itself if you pay by direct debit. Radar reminds you 14 days ahead.
  • Life setup asks: “When is your car’s next MOT due?” It’s on your last MOT certificate, or on gov.uk’s MOT checker by registration. Radar reminds you a month ahead so there’s time to book. Radar reminds you 30 days ahead.
  • Life setup asks: “When does your car insurance renew?” Four weeks’ notice leaves time to compare other insurers and check the cover still fits. Radar reminds you 30 days ahead.
  • Life setup asks when the car’s tax, MOT and insurance are due, puts each on your Radar ahead of time, and moves it on a year when you mark it done. A SORN does not need renewing, so it has no date of its own: when you tax the car again, give Life setup the new tax date.

Radar reads the calendars, task lists and CRM you connect, and the dates you give it. It writes back only when you press a button, and it never sends anything by itself.

Limitations and status

  • Radar does not make a SORN, tax the car or contact DVLA: you do those on GOV.UK or with DVLA.
  • This page is about a private keeper’s car. Motor traders have an exception of their own (GOV.UK).
Put the car’s dates in your calendar — free, no accountLook at a sample radar — no login

Also free: Radar Lite, the habit tracker on its own, for you and anyone 13 or over in the family.

Questions

What does SORN mean?

Statutory Off Road Notification. It tells DVLA a vehicle is off the road: not kept or used on a public road, for example in a garage, on a drive or on private land. (GOV.UK)

How do I SORN my car?

Online with the 11-digit log book (V5C) number or the 16-digit reference on your tax reminder, by phone on 0300 123 4321 at any hour, or by post with form V890. (GOV.UK)

Can I park a SORN car on the road?

No. A SORN vehicle must not be kept or used on a public road. You can only drive it on one to or from a pre-booked MOT or other testing appointment. (GOV.UK)

Do I get a tax refund when I SORN my car?

Yes, automatically, for any full months of tax left, worked out from the date DVLA gets your information. A Direct Debit is cancelled automatically. (GOV.UK)

Does a SORN need renewing, and how do I end one?

It does not need renewing. It ends automatically when you tax the vehicle again, or if you sell, permanently export or scrap it. (GOV.UK)

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Sources

Written by Joel Lister, founder of Radar · first published 16 Oct 2026. Radar is made by Neos Technologies Ltd.