How to SORN a car

Leaving an old car by the wayside and don’t want to pay car tax? If you’ve got a vehicle that won’t be driving on the road, you had better apply for a SORN.

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Esther Wolffowitz

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If you’ve taken your car off the road and are keeping it without ever planning on driving it on the road, then you’ll need to get it a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN) for it. This is because the DVLA needs to know that you won’t be on the road and so won’t need to pay car tax. Once you have your SORN, you will automatically get any unused months of road tax refunded to you in the post within six weeks.

How to SORN your car (A step by step guide)

  1. Tick the SORN box on your V11 (if your tax is already running out). If your road tax is running out, the DVLA will send you a V11 with your vehicles registration number on it. The V11 gives you the various options for renewing your car tax as well as a check box if would like to apply for a SORN. Simply tick this box and send it back to the DVLA to apply for a SORN.
  2. Choose when to take your car off the road (if you have full months remaining on your road tax). You can choose to take your car off the road either immediately or on the first day of the next month. You will need different information depending on which you choose: If you choose to take it off immediately, you will need the eleven digit number on your vehicle log book (V5C); if you choose to wait until the first of the next month, you’ll need the 16 digit number on your most recent tax reminder letter (V11).
  3. Tell the DVLA that you want to SORN your car. You can do this in a number of different ways. If you are not the registered owner of the car, you must get your SORN by post.
    • Online. Fortunately, the government have a handy page (https://sorn.service.gov.uk/) where you can enter either your V5C, V5C/2 or V11 and follow their simple steps to apply for your SORN. For this option you have to be the vehicles registered owner.
    • By phone. You can apply for a SORN by calling the DVLA at 0300 123 4321. This is a 24 hour phone service, so you can call anytime, and they will take you through all you need to do to get a SORN.
    • By post. You can also apply for a SORN by post by completing the application form V890 (available here – https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/v890-statutory-off-road-notification-sorn) and send it to:
      DVLA
      Swansea
      SA99 1AR.
      When you apply by post, you can choose any day in the current or previous month as the day you take your car off the road. You can also choose a day in the next month or the month after that, but if you do this you’ll have to include a letter explaining why you can’t apply for your SORN closer to the time.
  4. Once you have your SORN, you will automatically get a refund on any unused tax months. This should happen within 6 weeks, and if it hasn’t, or if the information on your rebate cheque is wrong, contact the DVLA.

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Esther Wolffowitz was a publisher at finder.com specialising in insurance. Esther holds an MSc in Media and Communication Governance from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). See full bio

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14 Responses

    Default Gravatar
    karenSeptember 7, 2018

    Do I need to apply for SORN if I have pre-booked mot and service but the date it goes in is after my tax runs out by 9 days. There was no earlier time they could take the car in. I will not use the car from the time the tax runs out to the time it is taken to be MOT. It will be kept in my garage.

      AvatarFinder
      CharisseSeptember 7, 2018Finder

      Hi Karen,

      Yes, you need to apply for a SORN since your vehicle is not taxed and you are keeping it off the road. Once your car is SORNed, you can drive your car in a public road going to or from a pre-booked MOT or other testing appointment. Your SORN will then automatically stop when you tax your vehicle again.

      You can apply for a SORN online and it will start immediately if you apply using your 11-digit number on your vehicle log book (V5C). Other ways to apply is by phone and by post.

      Hope this helps.

      Cheers,
      Charisse

    Default Gravatar
    NinaAugust 30, 2018

    Hello I buy before few days the car and I try to pay online my road tax but mu doc.ref.no show me is invalid, how I can pay and how I need to know the right ref.number of the new documents because I have that for te new keeper.

      AvatarFinder
      CharisseAugust 30, 2018Finder

      Hi Nina,

      You can tax your vehicle using the reference number from:

      -a recent reminder (V11) or ‘last chance’ warning letter from DVLA
      -your vehicle log book (V5C) – it must be in your name
      -the green ‘new keeper’s details’ slip (V5C/2) from a log book if you’ve just bought it

      If the reference number is showing as invalid online, you can still tax at a Post Office that deals with vehicle tax. You can go to this page to see full details like what documents you need to bring with you.

      Hope this helps.

      Cheers,
      Charisse

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