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Failure To Insure - Sorn Penalty

MC24
MC24 Posts: 50 Forumite
Part of the Furniture 10 Posts Combo Breaker
Hi MSE

I just wanted a bit of advice. I received a penalty of £100 (£50 if paid within a certain time frame)

I have a car which has £0 road tax but still needs to be "taxed" officially online for a electronic tax disc.

Now i lost my job in the last few months and cancelled my insurance as i had no more need of the car and needed the money just for day to day expenses. The car has been off road and not used ever since.

I have been severely depressed for months, i genuinely have no conception of time nor day and of life itself - many times i go days without eating or even having a clue about existence and i dont care about living but this is not the time to talk about it. Due to that I totally forgot to declare the vehicle SORN and that leads me to here

Now on top of that, my financial situation is totally penniless. I have nothing sadly and i am in debt. I cannot borrow money from anywhere and have no way of paying the fine. I dont work, nor have a income. I live with my parents but they are in no position to lend me any money.

In the dispute section there is nothing i can write about my situation rather just general reasons for disputing.

What can i do? Is there any suggestions anyone can make as my mind is hazy and is still to far lost in darkness that i cannot make any right decisions.

I am only asking for a fair insight, no judgements please as many assume and judge without ever having experienced or lived through what others have. Sorry for the long message.

Comments

  • AdrianC
    AdrianC Posts: 42,189 Forumite
    Eighth Anniversary 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    For a car to be taxed, it MUST be insured. This has been the case since June 2011. If it's not insured, it MUST be SORNed. There is no dispute available to you, because you are bang-to-rights on the offence.

    Whether you can afford the penalty or not is a separate matter. If you cannot, then you will need to engage with DVLA and the court to figure the best payment scheme, as soon as possible.

    If you cannot afford to legally keep a car, then the best solution is to sell the car. Something new enough to be zero-rated VED is going to non-trivial value. If you are in debt and have an asset which is non-trivial value and not being used, then you really do need to sell it.
  • MC24
    MC24 Posts: 50 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10 Posts Combo Breaker
    Thank you Adrian for being straightforward and explaining my options i appreciate it. I will contact the DVLA and hopefully a solution can be found.
  • forgotmyname
    forgotmyname Posts: 32,794 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Sell the car?

    If its on finance then check the terms about having it insured.
    Censorship Reigns Supreme in Troll City...

  • Marvel1
    Marvel1 Posts: 7,345 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Can you sell the car?
  • owen_money
    owen_money Posts: 764 Forumite
    Ah, good old days hardly ever had mot or tax at the same time, allegedly
    One man's folly is another man's wife. Helen Roland (1876 - 1950)
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