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You won’t be able to drive a car that has a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN) to an MOT without valid car insurance. It’s that simple.
Our guide covers when you can drive a SORN car, how you can get insurance for it and the penalties you could face if you break the law.
The only time you can drive a SORN car is when you’re taking it to a pre-booked MOT or another testing appointment.
The test needs to be pre-booked so that if you were stopped by the police, they could contact the garage to verify your appointment.
While you can drive your SORN car to an MOT, you’re only allowed to do so if you have an up-to-date car insurance policy.
Fortunately, this doesn’t mean you’ll have to stump up for annual comprehensive car insurance. You could take out temporary car insurance for a day, or even just a few hours, to legally drive your SORN vehicle to and from its MOT.
If you drive your SORN car to an MOT without insurance, you could face a fixed fine of £300 and six penalty points on your licence. If the case were to go to court, that fine could be unlimited, and you may be disqualified from driving.
Meanwhile, if you drive your SORN car to anywhere that isn’t a pre-booked MOT, it could mean court prosecution and a fine of up to £2,500 – even if you have insurance in place.
Finally, if you’re the registered keeper of an uninsured vehicle that’s sitting in your driveway or garage, and you haven’t declared it as off road through a SORN, you could:
Driving your car to get its MOT isn’t the only reason you might want to insure your SORN vehicle. For instance, it might be a classic car you’re in the process of restoring, a kit car you’re building from scratch, or a beloved vintage vehicle you’re storing between car shows. Specialist SORN car insurance, sometimes known as “laid up” cover, can protect you against fire, theft and accidental damage while your vehicle sits undriven.
It’s also possible to get discounted SORN car insurance, which comes without third party cover, while your vehicle is sitting on your drive. This means you wouldn’t be insured for causing injury to another person or damage to their property.
When it comes to driving your SORN car to its MOT, you’ll need a policy that includes third party cover, as that’s the legal minimum required to drive on UK roads. This may mean finding specialist SORN car insurance, as many insurers will only provide cover if you’ve got a valid MOT and your vehicle is taxed.
Before you take out cover for your SORN vehicle, it’s a good idea to check if your car is insured already, just in case you forgot to cancel your policy.
The good news is you won’t have to jump through a lot of hoops to get your SORN car back on the road. All you need to do is re-tax your car online, and, in theory, it’s ready for a spin.
Of course, you’ll only be able to get behind the wheel once you’ve sorted out your insurance as well. For that, you’ve got a number of options:
The only time you can drive a SORN car on a public road is to take it to a pre-booked MOT or other testing appointment. You wouldn’t be allowed to drive your SORN car to a garage just for repairs.
If your car has a SORN, it can only be kept on your driveway, in your garage, or on other private land. This is because SORN vehicles can’t be parked on public roads.
While getting a SORN means you’ll receive an automatic refund for any remaining full months of vehicle tax you’ve already paid for, the same isn’t true for your car insurance.
But again, you have options. Once you’ve got the SORN, you could either: