The reason the change was made was that there's hundreds of thousands of uninsured vehicles on the road. Whether this action works or not it is the law.
According to the Daily Mail a couple of days ago, the DVLA pursued an elderly woman with dementia who lived in a care home and although still owned a car, was not allowed to drive. As said before, there is a problem but this scatter gun technique isn’t hitting the real offenders. Andy
Scumbags will always find a way around it, cloning plates, not registering vehicles etc. I guess what it will find is legit people who forget. My Dad rode a bike for nearly a full year with no insurance as he just plain forgot. Only realised when it came to ‘insurance time’ and he hadn’t got a renewal. Luckily he hadn’t had an accident in that time. I think a reminder or minimal fine (say £10 to cover costs) in the first instance would be a fairer way.
There's an albeit slight upside with the SORN process, IIRC a few years ago you needed to renew the SORN on an 'unused' vehicle annually, now I think once it's on SORN, it remains SORNED until it's put back on the road or disposed of. Back in the day I moved overseas with work, SORNED a bike in the UK before I left, but didn't renew the SORN after 12 months (in my defence, Royal Mail failed to forward the SORN renewal letter). Royal Mail did however forward the resultant notification of a fine for having a vehicle that wasn't taxed or SORNED. I appealed and having provided the requested evidence that I had left the UK, the fine was cancelled, but recollect it was difficult to SORN a vehicle without the log book or V11 reminder, which I didn't have with me....
If in doubt If any of the following MOT/insurance /tax are out of date you can't use your vehicle on the road so you need to SORN it if you don't intend to use it.
What is the issue? This has been law since 2011. The DVLA did a press release on 14/11/2011. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/dvla-reminds-motorists-of-new-motor-insurance-law Unfortunately, after 14 years it is difficult to track down the press coverage. https://www.theguardian.com/money/2011/jun/18/parked-vehicles-insurance https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money.../Police-wage-war-on-30-a-year-car-menace.html https://www.motorcyclenews.com/new-...2/january/jan2012-nicked-for-a-bike-in-bits-/
I didn't SORN mine as there is no refund on a "classic" exempt vehicle. According to DVLA it is taxed to June 2025 and I have not used it in 2025. Insurance expired end of Feb 2025. So I guess the answer is, you must insure your vehicle, even if it is taxed, not SORNed and not used. Tough times for the unaware Thanks for all your help, hopefully others will not befall the same outcome. I will let you know how my plea for clemency to the DVLA transpires.
Please tell me you have read a copy of the Highway Code published after January 2022. Some interesting motorcycle specific rules introduced. Together with all motor vehicle specific ones. Read section 36(7) of the RTA 1988 as well. May save you from a fine of 1.5 x your weekly salary/income plus penalty points.
The thing which makes it all a bit more confusing is you don't need to SORN your vehicle if the MOT runs out. But other than a trip to an MOT station you must keep it off the road. But driving with no insurance is not just being a bit naughty, the results of doing so can be disastrous for any one hit by an uninsured driver and in fact the driver themselves and their families.
Thank you for providing this post, and the useful information contained in the thread. It has helped me avoid a similar problem occurring in a comparable situation. I had not fully realised the steps required to ensure compliance. Tom. https://www.mib.org.uk/reducing-uninsured-driving/continuous-insurance-enforcement/ https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-insurance/uninsured-vehicles
Once SORN is declared, it used to last 12 months, then they changed it to last for for 10 years, they have changed it again, it is now indefinite
