Check if vehicle sorn

deckie27

Is there a way to check if a vehicle in UK is sorn

Do the car tell or UK equivalent tell this?

macplaxton

UK Government's own website:

www.taxdisc.direct.gov.uk

Go to "Vehicle Enquiry" and enter the VRM (Vehicle Registration Mark aka reg no.) and the make of the vehicle. Note that with some stuff it may be registered as something else. e.g. and Austin Maxi might be entered as "AUSTIN", "AUSTIN-MORRIS", "AUSTIN MORRIS" or "LEYLAND CARS".

Against "Vehicle Status" in the left column will be the taxation status of the vehicle. It might be "Unlicenced", but check the "Date of Liability" as if this was many moons ago the car may have been scrapped. Older data entry was a bit flaky.

If it's on SORN it will say "SORN Not Due" in this case the "Date of Liability" is when the SORN ends.

Any vehicle that hasn't been taxed since SORN was introducted (After 31st January 1998) will not be in the SORN system and will appear as "Unlicenced" (but equally they could have been scrapped, see above note)

corktina

the SORN expires on purchase when the new owner must himself either tax the car or do a SORN declaration

macplaxton

corktina wrote: »

the SORN expires when there is a change of registered keeper when the new registered keeper must himself either tax the car or do a SORN declaration

FTFY.

It may appear on the surface pedantic, but the GB government doesn't really give a monkey who legally owns a vehicle, just the person they need to chase for tax/fines/etc which may not be the same person/entity.

For instance a car may be legally owned by a hire purchase company, but the registered keeper is the person who keeps it on the road day-to-day. Same might apply to a company car issued to an individual employee.

Another example is a car on SORN could be purchased on one day, but not show up as un-SORNED immediately as the delay in notification is "in the post", by which time an individual might be on the ferry and out of the country. The DVLA wouldn't concern itself with pursuing those cases. It's more to do with a reconciliation of tax discs / SORNs at the end of a given month.

(I'll have to look up the deposit cost if caught as a non-GB driver, it might be so small as to not really matter)

deckie27

In the UK does a sorn car have to renewed every year

macplaxton

deckie27 wrote: »

In the UK does a sorn car have to renewed every year

Well it just about still does, but a change was announced in the March 2013 UK budget:

"To reduce tax administration costs, the Government will put off-the-road declarations onto an indefinite basis."

This AFAIK this change is not on the statute books yet (Finance Bill gets a second Commons reading on 15 April), requiring an amendment to 1994 VERA. I just re-newed a SORN (due to expire at the end of April) a couple of days ago and it is only down for 12 months.

It will save them a few quid in post/paper/envelopes/admin as I think there are a significant number of serial SORNers for various legitimate reasons. (car under resto, etc.)

deckie27

Thanks a million macplaxton

It makes sense, good ammo to have with me tomorrow incase someone tries to tell me otherwise.

macplaxton

"To reduce tax administration costs, the Government will put off-the-road declarations onto an indefinite basis."

That is of course "indefinite" as in "indefinite until a change of keeper takes place"

The only niggle is where a car is on SORN and/or not on the Motor Insurance Database (MID) and/or has no MOT, is that it's a red-rag to a traffic plod car doing ANPR checks. Under those circumstances it is always best not to fail the attitude test.

corktina

you wont need to wait to meet a police car with anpr...if your car isn't sorned and has no tax/MoT/Insurance, a fine will drop through the letterbox.

macplaxton

It won't drop through a non-resident's letter box...