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Statutory Off-Road Notification (SORN)

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Statutory Off-Road Notification

A SORN (Statutory Off-Road Notification) is used by car owners to tell the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) that the vehicle is registered as being off the road, so it cannot be driven – or even parked – on a public road. When a car has a SORN, no vehicle excise duty or insurance is required.

SORN is used by people who keep a car garaged while it is being fixed or renovated. It’s common for classic cars. A SORN remains in place until an owner decides to tax and insure it again, or scraps or exports the car.

Related Jargon

What is the DVLA?

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is the government agency responsible for maintaining databases of UK drivers and vehicles. It currently holds over 48m driver records and over 40m vehicle records. 

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What is vehicle excise duty (VED)?

Commonly known as road tax or car tax, Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) is the annual tax that the owner of a vehicle has to pay to the government for it to be used (or parked) on public roads.

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