MSE News: Now you must have car insurance

paddedjohn

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

you officially sorn it, i.e take it off the road until such time as you insure it.

I presume if you have no insurance and no sorn it will be on the records.

dont forget you must also return any unused tax to the dvla to obtain a sorn.

Rover_Driver

paddedjohn wrote: »

why is this a problem? If the car is not insured then it must be sorned and stored on private land.

Because private land is not a public road, so it can be correctly declared SORN instead if being licensed, as far as V.E.R.A 1994 is concerned. But if that private land is considered to be a public place, e.g a car park, then it is required to be insured as far as R.T.A 1988 is concerned.

Two different acts with different circumstances in respect of where a SORN declaration is valid.

lilac_rainbow

mikey72 wrote: »

Won't touch her at all. She'll carry on as before.

It'll affect you when you come to change your car though, if you buy or sell privatlely, as when you buy the new one, and change the insurance over, you'll have to sorn the old one, so no one can test drive it, or drive it away after they buy it, without changing their insurance, and waiting to get the tax disk through, after you having to do the same for the one you just bought.

To be honest, I wouldn't let anyone test drive my car without it being insured by me in the first place. I don't know about other people, but I tend to sell my car first and then buy the replacement so the insurance remaining as is for an extra few days is neither here nor there and I always make sure that my own insurance is in place prior to collecting a vehicle.

You're right though, it won't touch her

xianjw

I've got a unusual situation and am trying to figure out the best solution:

I'm only in the UK for a couple of months a year but have a vehicle parked off road in the UK. I insure it in the months when I'm there but when I'm not I usually declare SORN and leave it uninsured. This inevitably creates a headache as an unused car is not a happy one, so this time I've left the country and left a friend keys to use the vehicle once in a while to keep it mechanically sound. My friends insurance covers her to drive it.

But now it seems I need insurance too - so is there a cheap storage insurance I can get or do I need to get a full insurance? If so, any cheap really bare-bones insurance out there?

Alternatively can I declare SORN from abroad and still get any of my road tax back (it still has 10months)?

Can I transfer ownership of the vehicle to my friend or anyone else for that matter without being in the UK or having the forms?

Any other thoughts for a good and inexpensive solution?

Thanks in advance.

paddedjohn

You can sorn your car on the internet but you must post your tax back for a refund, this will be sent to the address of the registered keeper. Your friend wont be able to drive the car on his own policy but he can still pop round to yours and start it up on a regular basis and move up and down your drive to make sure the brakes dont sieze.

fatbaldingoldgit

I have another example where this law is a little simplistic.

My wife is keen to learn to ride a motorcycle. She bought a learner 125 a couple of months ago so she could take her test. It was a good deal at the time. It's stored in the garage with my 2 bikes. It is taxed.

She cannot get insurance to ride it until she has passed her theory test. It is therefore uninsured in her name. I can ride it on my insurance though and keep it maintained until she passes her test.

Is the bike insured within the meaning of the Act?

If not then I may be forced to re-register it in my name in order to explicitly insure it or SORN it for a month while she passes her bike theory test. We bought the bike as a one owner vehicle because we thought that more desirable than one with multiple owners which might point to an inherent problem with the bike. I don't want to add a new registered keeper to the V55 because it might inhibit buyers when we come to sell it in a years time.

Have the DVLA factored in the extra work required of them to deal with a massive increase in the number of SORN applications so they can turn them around in good time? And how long will it be before the palaver with returning tax discs and getting refunds for a couple of months or so will be canned because it will result in huge delays?

Teamscoop

Good morning everyone

I have a 1976 Z650 motorcycle which was last driven (hence taxed and insured) in 1987. It's been in my garage ever since. I have the log book etc. Does anyone know if I am affected by this legislation?

T

glennw

mikey72 wrote: »

It'll affect you when you come to change your car though, if you buy or sell privatlely, as when you buy the new one, and change the insurance over, you'll have to sorn the old one, so no one can test drive it, or drive it away after they buy it, without changing their insurance, and waiting to get the tax disk through, after you having to do the same for the one you just bought.

Glad someone else commented on this too. What a PITA for people who buy and sell privately - the moneysaving way of changing a car.

Can't help feeling that this will penalise ordinary insured people, and the criminals will find a way round it, as usual.

Thanks government.

aggrieved

What about the thousands of vehicles owned by car dealers?

aggrieved

xianjw wrote: »

I've got a unusual situation and am trying to figure out the best solution:

so this time I've left the country and left a friend keys to use the vehicle once in a while to keep it mechanically sound. My friends insurance covers her to drive it.


Thanks in advance.

I think this is a bit dicey under existing rules. There is usually a provision on a policy covering you for other vehicles that there must be a policy in force for that vehicle.