Press release 16: DVLA reminds motorists to ensure vehicle tax or SORN is up to date

If you do not intend to tax your vehicle you should keep it off the road and tell DVLA. There is no longer the option to do nothing when your tax expires. Maybe you only use your motorbike in the summer, you are going to be away on holiday or business for a few months or perhaps you simply can’t afford to buy a new tax disc at the moment. Whatever the reason, motorists can avoid potential penalties by simply taking their vehicles off the road and filling out a form to make a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN).

SORN gives motorists, who do not intend to drive their vehicles for an extended period, the option of not paying for a tax disc during that time. Provided the vehicle is being kept off road, motorists can either apply for a refund on their tax disc and SORN the vehicle or SORN it when the tax disc expires. SORN is especially helpful for motorcyclists or motorists who only use their vehicles for part of the year.

Jeff Mumford, Head of Compliance at DVLA said:

“Cracking down on untaxed vehicles to help reduce vehicle crime and improve road safety is a major priority for DVLA. While a large proportion of untaxed vehicles belong to, or are used by, criminals, we are aware that some motorists do not use their vehicles all year round or find themselves unable to renew their tax disc. By declaring SORN, motorists can safeguard themselves and their vehicles from the penalties that can result from leaving your vehicle untaxed.”

Motorists who fail to tax their vehicles once their tax disc has expired, who have not declared SORN, can be identified by DVLA’s computer database and automatically sent an £80 penalty. As car tax can only be purchased with a valid insurance and MOT certificate, ensuring cars are taxed also ensures they are safe. By targeting untaxed vehicles, the drivers of which are often involve in other criminal activity such as drugs and burglary, DVLA can remove potentially dangerous vehicles from the road.

You can declare SORN on line at: www.direct.gov.uk/taxdisc 

Or by:

• filling in the relevant section of your renewal reminder form (V11) and taking it to a licence issuing Post Office® branch, do not post to DVLA Swansea
• filling in the relevant section of your reminder form V85/1(for Heavy Goods Vehicles) and taking or sending it to a DVLA local office, do not post to DVLA Swansea
• calling 0870 850 4444, if you are the registered keeper and have a Vehicle Registration Certificate in your name. You can make a declaration from the 15th day of the month in which the licence or SORN expires.
• filling in a refund application (form V14 or V33). Please do not declare SORN if you have sold, scrapped or exported the vehicle or if it has been stolen. The V14 is available from Post Office® branches, a DVLA Local Office or online.
• completing a SORN declaration form (V890) and sending it to DVLA. The V890 is available from licence issuing Post Office® branches, a DVLA Local Office or online.
• there are special arrangements in place to cater for motorists who are abroad and may find it difficult to SORN their vehicles. If the vehicle is remaining in the United Kingdom and is not being used or kept on the public road, then it is possible to declare SORN eight weeks in advance. Applications should be made on form V890 and accompanied by a letter of explanation detailing that the registered keeper is/will be out of the country on expiry of the current vehicle licence/SORN declaration. The form and letter should be sent directly to DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1AR.

Notes to editors:

• the results of the 2005 Roadside Survey revealed that there are an estimated 1.55m unlicensed vehicles in Great Britain. Between 2002 and 2005, licensed stock has risen from just over 30m to just under 33m while estimated unlicensed stock has decreased by 19 per cent.
• members of the public can report unlicensed vehicles to DVLA online at www.dvla.gov.uk/public/unlic_veh/unlicensed.htm
• under the new car tax rules, if a tax disc is not renewed on time the vehicle keeper may incur an £80 penalty. This penalty is reduced to £40 if paid within 28 days. If the vehicle remains unlicensed, determined offenders could face a minimum fine of £1000.
• SORN was introduced on 31 January 1998 and applies to vehicles where a licence was in force on or after that date. When a vehicle licence expires, or when a refund is applied for, the keeper of a vehicle is required by law to notify DVLA if the vehicle is not being re licensed and is subsequently kept off road. There is no longer the option to do nothing” on expiry of the current licence.

For press enquiries please contact:
Ruth Thomas or Karen Jason
020 7025 6500
ruth.thomas@redconsultancy.com

For general DVLA press enquiries please contact:
DVLA Press Office
01792 782318
press.dvla@gtnet.gov.uk