What SORN is
SORN stands for Statutory Off Road Notification. It tells DVLA that a vehicle is off the road. According to GOV.UK's SORN guidance, you need one when you take a vehicle off the road and want to stop taxing and insuring it.
"Off the road" has a specific meaning. GOV.UK says a vehicle is off the road if you don't keep or use it on a public road, for example when it is in a garage, on a drive or on private land. A van kept in your yard or a locked compound qualifies. A van parked on the street outside your premises is being kept on a public road, so it does not.
You can check whether any vehicle is taxed or has a SORN with GOV.UK's vehicle tax check. You only need the registration. A recent SORN can take up to 2 working days to show.
When a business should make a SORN
GOV.UK lists the situations where you must make a SORN:
- the vehicle is not taxed
- the vehicle is not insured, even for a short time, such as a gap while a policy is renewed
- you want to break the vehicle down for parts before scrapping it
- you have bought or been given a vehicle and want to keep it off the road
A SORN can't be passed from the previous keeper, so a vehicle you buy needs its own. If DVLA sends a tax reminder for a vehicle you have already sold, you don't need a SORN. Tell DVLA about the sale instead.
For a fleet, the common cases are a van parked up while it waits for a major repair, a vehicle waiting to be sold, a spare vehicle you don't expect to use for months, and a write-off kept for parts.
What you can't do with a SORN vehicle
GOV.UK says you can only drive a vehicle with a SORN on a public road to or from a pre-booked MOT or other testing appointment. Any other use on the road can lead to prosecution and a fine of up to £2,500.
That rules out the quick run to a customer, moving it to another depot by road, or leaving it parked on the street. If the vehicle needs to go somewhere other than a booked test, it needs to be taxed and insured first.
Even on the way to a booked MOT, the vehicle needs insurance. GOV.UK's vehicle insurance page says you must have motor insurance to drive a vehicle on UK roads.
A SORN also only stays valid while the vehicle remains in the UK.
SORN and insurance
Under the rule GOV.UK calls continuous insurance enforcement, a vehicle needs motor insurance unless it is kept off the road and declared off the road with a SORN.
GOV.UK's page on uninsured vehicles says the keeper of an uninsured vehicle without a SORN can be fined £100, can have the vehicle clamped, impounded or destroyed, and can be prosecuted with a fine of up to £1,000. Vehicles moving between keepers, or registered "in trade" with DVLA, are excluded. Vehicles you keep for your own use are not. Northern Ireland has different rules.
So a business has two choices for every registered vehicle: keep it taxed and insured, or make a SORN.
How to make a SORN
GOV.UK's make a SORN service lets you do it online or by phone if the vehicle is registered in your name. You need either the 11-digit reference number from the V5C log book or the 16-digit reference on a vehicle tax reminder.
You have to apply by post using form V890 if:
- the vehicle is not yet registered in your name
- the address on the log book is wrong, unless you change it online first
- you don't have the log book, in which case you also apply for a replacement
For company vehicles, check whose name and which address are on each V5C. If the address is out of date, change it before you try to make a SORN online.
When a SORN starts and ends
A SORN starts straight away if the vehicle's tax has already run out, or if you are not applying in the month the tax is due to expire. If you apply in the month the tax expires, the SORN starts on the first day of the following month. You can't backdate a SORN.
You get a refund automatically for any full months of tax left. You don't need to renew a SORN.
A SORN is cancelled automatically when you tax the vehicle again, or when you sell, permanently export or scrap it. Taxing the vehicle is how you bring it back on the road. Once the SORN is cancelled, the vehicle must be taxed and insured, so arrange the insurance before you tax it.
Check the MOT too. GOV.UK's vehicle tax page says that if you tax at a Post Office you might need to show evidence of an MOT that is valid when the tax starts. A vehicle that has been off the road for a while may need a test first, and a SORN vehicle can be driven to a pre-booked MOT.
Penalties
| Situation | Penalty (from GOV.UK) |
|---|---|
| No SORN, and the vehicle is not taxed and insured | Automatic £80 fine for not having a SORN |
| SORN vehicle used on a public road, other than to or from a pre-booked test | Possible prosecution and a fine of up to £2,500 |
| Keeper of an uninsured vehicle with no SORN | £100 fine, possible clamping, impounding or destruction of the vehicle, possible prosecution with a fine of up to £1,000 |
Driving without insurance carries its own separate penalties on top of these.
Practical tips for fleets
- Spare vans. A spare you might need at short notice is usually better left taxed and insured. Bringing a SORN vehicle back means taxing it, insuring it and possibly an MOT. A SORN suits vehicles you know will be off the road for months.
- Vehicles awaiting repair. If a van will be in the workshop or the yard for a long time, and you plan to let its tax or insurance lapse, make the SORN before the cover ends. A gap in insurance on a vehicle without a SORN is exactly what the rules catch.
- Vehicles awaiting sale. The SORN ends when you sell, and the buyer can't take it over. Tell DVLA about the sale so its records show you no longer have the vehicle.
- Keep it physically off the road. Park SORN vehicles on private land and keep the keys away from the daily pool. Label them so a driver doesn't take one out by mistake.
- Record it. Note the date of each SORN, who made it and why. Check the status on GOV.UK a couple of working days later.
- Plan the return. Before a vehicle comes back, check its MOT, arrange insurance, then tax it. Add it back to your walkaround checks before its first journey.
For keeping track of MOT and tax dates across a fleet, see our guide to tracking fleet MOT and tax dates.
How VCT treats SORN vehicles
VCT checks every vehicle's road tax with DVLA and its MOT with DVSA every night. SORN vehicles count as off the road. They don't count against you and they don't get MOT or tax reminders, so a van parked up for sale doesn't clutter the list of things to chase. See fleet MOT and tax reminders for how the rest works.
Sources
- GOV.UK: SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification)
- GOV.UK: Make a SORN
- GOV.UK: Check if a vehicle is taxed
- GOV.UK: Vehicle insurance
- GOV.UK: Vehicle insurance: uninsured vehicles
- GOV.UK: Tax your vehicle
Checked on 14 October 2026. This guide is general information, not legal advice.