Insurance Required Even If Not Driving

forgotmyname

Not read anything where it says you need to return the tax disc to SORN the vehicle, Possibly worthwhile
if taking the car off the road for a couple of months.

Currently you need to sorn if not taxed but i dont see why you cannot leave the tax to run and SORN for no insurance?

Think of several reasons for not returning the tax disc. Only taking the car off the road for a week or two, Awaiting a garage or
the insurance to repair the car which is not currently in your possession. Not financially worth sending it back.

Kilty_2

If a car is SORNed it is not taxed - whether you return the tax disc for a refund or not surely it is invalid since the only way to un-SORN a vehicle is to tax it

mikey72

forgotmyname wrote: »

Not read anything where it says you need to return the tax disc to SORN the vehicle, Possibly worthwhile
if taking the car off the road for a couple of months.

Currently you need to sorn if not taxed but i dont see why you cannot leave the tax to run and SORN for no insurance?

Think of several reasons for not returning the tax disc. Only taking the car off the road for a week or two, Awaiting a garage or
the insurance to repair the car which is not currently in your possession. Not financially worth sending it back.

You either declare sorn, or apply for a new licence with the V11 renewal, or you declare sorn midway through a year when you surrender the licence with form V14, or declare the disc lost with form V33.

Any way you do it, you end up with no tax disc.

And to un-sorn it

"When SORN has been declared for a vehicle the registered keeper must ensure that it will not be used or kept on a public road until a new licence has been taken out. The declaration will be valid for 12 months unless the vehicle is re-licensed, sold, permanently exported or scrapped"

Kilty_2

mikey72 wrote: »

to un-sorn it

:T wasn't sure about my use of the term un-sorn :rotfl:

B00st

Wig wrote: »

My issue with it, is because of all the mistakes the DVLA make, you may think you are SORN but the DVLA still hit you with fines.

The other issue with this is that. You now HAVE to SORN and return the disc where as before that was optional. Meaning now you cannot allow test drives in a car you are trying to sell, after buying a new car. And you cannot casually take your car off the road after insurance ends and simply put it back on the road just by opening your insurance policy again, now you'll have to wait until you receive your insurance cert before you can tax it again. Meaning you could be insured for a number of days when you cannot legally drive the car anywhere.

My insurance DOC cover is only valid if the car I am driving has an insurance policy in place. So, even with a taxed and MOT'd car I wouldn't be able to drive it anyway.

paddedjohn wrote:

yes you do, or you will if the new law comes in. any vehicle that is not insured must be sorned, to sorn a car you must return any unused tax for a refund.

You don't have to return the tax disc if you SORN a car, only if you want to claim the unused tax. There is no requirement to claim the tax back if you don't want to.

mikey72

B00st wrote: »

You don't have to return the tax disc if you SORN a car, only if you want to claim the unused tax. There is no requirement to claim the tax back if you don't want to.

The car must be either taxed or sorned, it can't be both, but I agree, you could keep the disk, but you would have to declare it lost, and so it would be cancelled anyway.
To put it back on the road you need to re-tax it.

Have at look at the forms in my post above.

Wig

B00st wrote: »

My insurance DOC cover is only valid if the car I am driving has an insurance policy in place. So, even with a taxed and MOT'd car I wouldn't be able to drive it anyway.

Simple, assuming you are wanting to buy my car. I tell you that as you are not insured to drive it you can't, simple as, but other people with better insurance polices could have test driven the car.

You don't have to return the tax disc if you SORN a car, only if you want to claim the unused tax. There is no requirement to claim the tax back if you don't want to.

You do have to return the disc. it is black or white either SORN or taxed you can't be both, the act of SORN cancels the validity of the tax disc, it says in the relevant legislation that the VED must be returned when you SORN.
I don't know what would happen if you refused, for one thing you'd be stupid not to because you would be losing out on a refund. They would either

• refuse your SORN application
• send you a letter to tell you your current tax disc is no longer valid, and to return it for a refund, or if lost to tell them and they would refund you minus the £7 replacement fee
• Refund you anyway minus the £7 replacement fee telling you your current disc is now void

I don't know which one they would do. But the law is clear that the VED must be returned/cancelled

Wig

cjdavies wrote: »

If done online, you have the email confirmation to prove it.

And what if you've lost it, or you don't have internet?

cjdavies wrote: »

where does it state it?

...............
vera 1994....<<<

That would be in all caps but the forum format won't allow it

B00st

Wig wrote: »

Simple, assuming you are wanting to buy my car. I tell you that as you are not insured to drive it you can't, simple as, but other people with better insurance polices could have test driven the car.

Over the last 12-18 months a large number of insurance policies (not just my, obviously rubbish, one) have added the requirement that DOC is only valid if the car already has insurance in place, so the list of people who could drive your car would be small and getting smaller. Worryingly some of them don't list the requirement on the certificate but leave it buried in the small print, making it easy to drive someones car and not be aware that it isn't insured.

2sides2everystory

Right ... this year my renewal occurred whilst my car was sitting in an airport car park over a long weekend. The renewal had been too expensive and I decided to shop around on the internet while I was away. I let it expire by a couple of days before commencing the new one a day before I returned.

That was 20th February. May I expect a penalty notice from DVLA?

I am heartily sick of these new wheezes :mad: