Car uninsured on drive

n111ck · 20 Jul 2015 at 12:19

Picking up new car tomorrow so need to transfer insurance from old car.

The old car will be left on drive (uninsured but with tax) for a few days before scrapping - do I need to declare SORN or will I get a away with a few days?

I understand that the rules changed and any period of a car being uninsured is illegal.

tom_e · 20 Jul 2015 at 12:22

https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-insurance/uninsured-vehicles legally must be SORN'd but would you realistically get away with it for a few days, probably.

leigh_boy · 20 Jul 2015 at 13:10

you have no question really, u know what the law is, why worry about the tax? just cancel it and get some money back ....

Uther · 20 Jul 2015 at 13:10

SORN's free isn't it? Might as well do it just in case...

n111ck · 20 Jul 2015 at 13:47

Cheers all

SlyReaper · 20 Jul 2015 at 20:46

Hold on, what rules have changed? Why would you have to insure a car you're not driving?

Craig321 · 20 Jul 2015 at 20:49

It has to be insured by someone at least, otherwise SORN it. As above, it's free and you get a full refund on the time left, so no harm in SORNing it. Takes 2 mins online.

Havana_UK · 20 Jul 2015 at 21:15

SlyReaper said:
Hold on, what rules have changed? Why would you have to insure a car you're not driving?

The law changed a couple of years back meaning that a vehicle must be insured unless is is declared SORN.

SlyReaper · 21 Jul 2015 at 07:21

Havana_UK said:
The law changed a couple of years back meaning that a vehicle must be insured unless is is declared SORN.

Not quite what I was asking. I mean why did the law change? The purpose of insurance is to cover any liability you may have for damaging someone else's property. What possible liability could you be exposed to with a car you're not driving?

wesley · 21 Jul 2015 at 09:45

Huge fire could damage your next door property

tom_e · 21 Jul 2015 at 09:57

wesley said:
Huge fire could damage your next door property

Declaring it SORN doesn't magically make it fire proof though

SlyReaper · 21 Jul 2015 at 13:07

I guess the idea is that by declaring it SORN, you're promising to keep it on your own land. So if the car spontaneously detonates, your home insurance will cover it? That's the only thing I can think of.

DereksDontRun · 21 Jul 2015 at 13:33

I thought it's also a theft/insurance thing too. That there's a weak argument that SORN potentially suggests it's not driveable and thus not easily stealable - whereas a car that's not SORN could be stolen and do damage to other people/property, which would be covered by your insurance, which is why it's needed.

Maundie · 21 Jul 2015 at 14:10

I would SORN it just to be sure but there is definitely some confusion, as the car is parked off road (ie driveway in this instance) but that link says:-

You must have motor insurance for your vehicle if you use it on roads and in public places.

Which as posted in the OP isn't going to happen but it then goes on to say:-

You do not need to insure your vehicle if it is kept off the road and declared as off the road (SORN).

And also:-

It doesn't matter who is driving the car - if you’re the registered keeper, you could get penalised.

But as stated it isn't going to be driven.... Although by declaring SORN you should get refunded any full months tax remaining.

SlyReaper · 21 Jul 2015 at 14:35

DereksDontRun said:
I thought it's also a theft/insurance thing too. That there's a weak argument that SORN potentially suggests it's not driveable and thus not easily stealable - whereas a car that's not SORN could be stolen and do damage to other people/property, which would be covered by your insurance, which is why it's needed.

My situation is I recently bought a new car, and haven't yet found anyone who wants my old one. The old car is parked on the street across from my house, and I transferred my insurance over to the new car. The old car still has a couple of months tax on it, so I thought it was fine to leave it there for a while.

adam cool dude · 21 Jul 2015 at 15:40

Most laziest OP ever. It takes 2 minutes to SORN a car online and you get your tax refund in motion as it takes an age to get sent out!

K.C. Leblanc · 21 Jul 2015 at 15:45

SlyReaper said:
so I thought it was fine to leave it there for a while.

Technically if it's on the road it should be insured.

Some insurers will let you have two cars on one policy in situations like this.

SlyReaper · 21 Jul 2015 at 16:58

K.C. Leblanc said:
Technically if it's on the road it should be insured.

Some insurers will let you have two cars on one policy in situations like this.

Well until now, I was completely unaware of such a technicality. I assumed paying VED was enough. Lucky I stumbled upon this thread really, I wouldn't have known otherwise until I got hit with a fine.

I've now moved the old car onto my drive and SORNed it. It's a shame, I'd much rather have my nice shiny new car parked on my drive. I probably have to let my insurance know its overnight parking arrangements have changed too...

opstrat · 21 Jul 2015 at 18:12

same thing happened to me./ got a nice letter from MID through the door telling me to insure it or sorn it.

SlyReaper · 21 Jul 2015 at 19:17

opstrat said:
same thing happened to me./ got a nice letter from MID through the door telling me to insure it or sorn it.

OK, at least they warn you then. I was imagining being suddenly hit with an outrageously huge fine, with absolutely no recourse or appeal.

1 hour after SORNing my old banger, I've actually managed to offload it. My neighbour bought it off me for the princely sum of 1 crate of Stella. He'd expressed interest in taking it, and I guess seeing it move from the road to my drive reminded him it was up for grabs.

Now I'm just slightly paranoid because I forgot to use recorded delivery when sending off the V5C. I'll give DVLA a call if I don't get confirmation after a month.