Short term cover for borrowed uninsured car?

lisyloo

Thanks, but the SORN application form says

You should not use this form if the vehicle is taxed and no longer used on the
public road. You need to return the disc (including nil value discs) to DVLA and
make a SORN using Application for a refund of vehicle tax when you have the
tax disc (V14) instead.

So does anyone know the process if you need to take a vehicle off the road for a few days?

I had this issue recently when there was an issue sorting out insurance policies. Only wanted to take them off the road legally for 24-48 hours, but what I read implies you had to send the tax discs in and get the again even though the previous post says you don't get a refund.

I am still in the dark on this (although no immediate requirement).

mikey72

The system would appear to have natural breaks, to allow you to act reasonably when selling or buying cars. The first thing the dvla do is write to you, advising your car is showing taxed with no insurance on askmid, You can either sorn it, insure it, or take it up with your insurer to find out why. So you have another period to make those applications. Then it can take a week on that for askmid or the dvla dayabase to update again. So 21 days seems a fair time to allow. If you get one of these, then it's time to act. http://stayinsured.askmid.com/documents/ial.pdf - and that would take at least a week even if the dvla get a move on.

lisyloo

Cheers.
So if we have another issue with setting up a policy, we can go uninsured for a few days without issue? providing of course vehicles are kept in the private garage on our property and not on the public road.

We had an issue that was resolved 2 days AFTER insurance ran out, despite our best attempts to pester on the phone (2 of us simultaneous at times).

Good to know that's an option.

mikey72

It's another badly thought out, and badly worded piece of legislation, passed as a result of lobbying by an interested party, (the insurers), with no real way to enforce it, and in contradiction to existing legislation. (The 21 day sorn rule that was passed to stop you turning your tax disc in just before the budget, and re-taxing the same day, to beat the rise)

InsideInsurance

My understanding, and it isnt something I have looked into at all, was that by the letter of the law there is no "grace" period and at all times legally the vehicle must be insured or under a SORN declaration.

As with the tax disc renewal however reality and letter of the law do not match up and they do effectively turn a blind eye for a short period of time (though my understanding was that it is less than 21 days)

mikey72

InsideInsurance wrote: »

My understanding, and it isnt something I have looked into at all, was that by the letter of the law there is no "grace" period and at all times legally the vehicle must be insured or under a SORN declaration.

As with the tax disc renewal however reality and letter of the law do not match up and they do effectively turn a blind eye for a short period of time (though my understanding was that it is less than 21 days)

What they actually check is if the vehicle has been put on the mid database by an insurer, and if the dvla has actioned a sorn notification. So it's not turning a blind eye, it's impossible to action both immediately, and it's not within the dvla rules to sorn a car you are re-taxing within 21 days. So it would be hard for the dvla to successfully prosecute a motorist for something the dvla refuses to do. And if I have a valid paper insurance certificate, if I turn up in court with it, regardless of the status of mid, due to an insurers negligence, I doubt a judge would find me liable. As I said, not well executed.

lisyloo

and at all times legally the vehicle must be insured or under a SORN declaration

I was planning to do SORN (which I think is easy on line).
But some of the confusing paperwork implies you have to send off the tax disc and get a new one.

mikey72

You do realise the only way to un-sorn a vehicle is by buying a new tax disc? So it's a waste of the duty paid on the old one. (If you read through the sorn process, they even want nil value discs back)

System

I had a car on SORN for a long time and then decided to sell it. I wanted to MOT it to make it more saleable so I bought one day insurance from Aviva, so I could drive it to the MOT.
All the insurance company wanted was the car make and registration number. They weren't interested in whether I owned it or not. It could just as easily have been someone else's I was borrowing for a day.

lisyloo

You do realise the only way to un-sorn a vehicle is by buying a new tax disc?

Yes, but I didn't realise you didn't get a refund on the old one(s).

I find this quite annoying that I'm a law abiding citizen but I cannot SORN my vehicles and leave them in a private garage even for 24 hours without lsoing the cost of a partially used tax disc.