Declared my car SORN, now need to sell

AdrianC

Yes, you're right. I would be.

And the chances of being caught are infinitessimal, and the penalties tiny.

EdGasketTheSecond

AdrianC said:

Yes, you're right. I would be.

And the chances of being caught are infinitessimal, and the penalties tiny.

Only takes one ANPR camera or a nosy neighbour with a phone.

"However, if you are caught driving while a SORN on your vehicle still applies, this is a more serious offence than driving without road tax – and the penalty can be up to £2,500."

https://www.f1autocentres.co.uk/news/driving-without-tax-explained

Maybe £2,500 is tiny for you but a reasonable deterrent for most people.

Car_54

EdGasketTheSecond said:

AdrianC said:

Yes, you're right. I would be.

And the chances of being caught are infinitessimal, and the penalties tiny.

Only takes one ANPR camera or a nosy neighbour with a phone.

"However, if you are caught driving while a SORN on your vehicle still applies, this is a more serious offence than driving without road tax – and the penalty can be up to £2,500."

https://www.f1autocentres.co.uk/news/driving-without-tax-explained

Maybe £2,500 is tiny for you but a reasonable deterrent for most people.

That web page has a few inaccuracies.

I'd like to see the justification for saying it's a more serious offence. AFAIK the offence is "keeping or using an unlicensed vehicle", whether it's SORNed or not.

EdGasketTheSecond

"Driving a car that has been declared SORN is a more serious offence than purely driving without tax. Unless you’re going to a pre-booked MOT appointment, you could face a fine of up to £2,500 if you’re caught driving while a SORN still applies."

https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/legal/driving-without-tax-guide/

Maybe it is more serious because it has intentionally been declared SORN and is deliberately breaking that whereas just using an untaxed car could be down to forgetfulness. i.e. a wilful act vs an accidental act.

Car_54

EdGasketTheSecond said:

"Driving a car that has been declared SORN is a more serious offence than purely driving without tax. Unless you’re going to a pre-booked MOT appointment, you could face a fine of up to £2,500 if you’re caught driving while a SORN still applies."

https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/legal/driving-without-tax-guide/

Maybe it is more serious because it has intentionally been declared SORN and is deliberately breaking that whereas just using an untaxed car could be down to forgetfulness. i.e. a wilful act vs an accidental act.

But which offence would you be charged with? All I can find is the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994, section 29(1): "If a person uses, or keeps a vehicle which is unlicensed he is guilty of an offence." The Road Vehicles (SORN ) Regulations 1997 didn't create any offences.

Have I missed something?

BTW it wouldn't be the first time the RAC legal pages have got things wrong!

Emmia

gov.uk also advises on the £2,500 fine https://www.gov.uk/sorn-statutory-off-road-notification

When you can drive your vehicle

You can only drive a vehicle with a SORN on a public road to go to or from a pre-booked MOT or other testing appointment. You face court prosecution and a fine of up to £2,500 if you use it on the road for any other reason.

EdGasketTheSecond

Car_54 said:

EdGasketTheSecond said:

"Driving a car that has been declared SORN is a more serious offence than purely driving without tax. Unless you’re going to a pre-booked MOT appointment, you could face a fine of up to £2,500 if you’re caught driving while a SORN still applies."

https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/legal/driving-without-tax-guide/

Maybe it is more serious because it has intentionally been declared SORN and is deliberately breaking that whereas just using an untaxed car could be down to forgetfulness. i.e. a wilful act vs an accidental act.

But which offence would you be charged with? All I can find is the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994, section 29(1): "If a person uses, or keeps a vehicle which is unlicensed he is guilty of an offence." The Road Vehicles (SORN ) Regulations 1997 didn't create any offences.

Have I missed something?

BTW it wouldn't be the first time the RAC legal pages have got things wrong!

There might only be one Act/Offence but it is suggested that deliberately driving a SORN car on the road will be considered more serious than say someone who didn't realise their tax had run out. So driving a SORN car might get you a penalty near the top end of the range whereas just forgetting to tax might be a much lower fine.

lesalanos

Docefc said:

Hi everyone, 
When we were sent home from the office and furloughed on 80% I looked at ways to trim the fat and make it more palatable, with a 60-mile round commute every day the car was the obvious answer and it just so happened the 2012 Honda CRZ's insurance and tax was up for renewal that same week. Seeing as we're a two-car family and there's no way of accessing the Honda when the Family Fabia Estate is on the drive I decided it would be safe to temporarily declare the car SORN and uninsure on a temporary basis until I returned to work. We now find ourselves in a situation where it is highly unlikely I will be returning to the office (though I am now working from home 4 days a week no longer furloughed) this calendar year and my pregnant wife will be going on maternity in Septmeber, meaning that we can drop to one car. So I need to get rid of the CRZ. It needs a service, some new tyres etc and I'd obviously need to declare it back on the road (taxing is only £20 so no problem) but the big issue I have is insurance, temporary insurance is frankly extortionate and I want to sell via Autotrader/Privately rather than Webuyanycar so I can't define the length of time I want insurance for. Does anyone have any advice? Perhaps policies with good cancellation T&Cs so I can sell and not replace? 

A mobile mechanic should be able to service the car at home depending which service it is.  

Tyres on the drive or someone to come & fit your tyres too resolves a couple of issues 

Car_54

EdGasketTheSecond said:

Car_54 said:

EdGasketTheSecond said:

"Driving a car that has been declared SORN is a more serious offence than purely driving without tax. Unless you’re going to a pre-booked MOT appointment, you could face a fine of up to £2,500 if you’re caught driving while a SORN still applies."

https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/legal/driving-without-tax-guide/

Maybe it is more serious because it has intentionally been declared SORN and is deliberately breaking that whereas just using an untaxed car could be down to forgetfulness. i.e. a wilful act vs an accidental act.

But which offence would you be charged with? All I can find is the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994, section 29(1): "If a person uses, or keeps a vehicle which is unlicensed he is guilty of an offence." The Road Vehicles (SORN ) Regulations 1997 didn't create any offences.

Have I missed something?

BTW it wouldn't be the first time the RAC legal pages have got things wrong!

There might only be one Act/Offence but it is suggested that deliberately driving a SORN car on the road will be considered more serious than say someone who didn't realise their tax had run out. So driving a SORN car might get you a penalty near the top end of the range whereas just forgetting to tax might be a much lower fine.

OK, I've trracked down DVLA's guidelines.

For using or keeping an untaxed vehicle, the normal enforcement action is to offer an Out of Court Settlement.

Without SORN, that is 1.5x the outstanding tax, plus £30.

With SORN, it is 2x the tax plus £30.

So it's more severe, but not by much.

The £2,500 of course only applies if the case ends in court, where any fine would be income-related. You'd have to be earning a lot ever to be fined £2,500.