SORN Help

[biffa83]

Hi All,

 

I have to attend the magistrates court tomorrow to discuss a SORN case and would like to know what to expect.

 

Unfortunately the case relates to a car that is in my name but that I haven't used in the past 6 years; a family member had been using it since 2007. As I understand it the car was off road for about 6 months before being declared as SORN back in 2013. The car was insured during the time in question but wasn't MOT'd.

 

Does anyone have any experience of this? How much of a fine am I looking at and what sort of court costs are involved?

 

Thanks

 

Biffa83

[sailor sam]

Hi and welcome to CAG.

 

Your question cannot be answered on the information you have given. We would need to know the full circumstances of the case. Obviously for it to get to magistrates there must be a lot more that has gone on. In the meantime, I can tell you that for a car to be declared SORN'd, it must not be kept or used on a public road whether it is insured or not. It must be SORN'd if not taxed but not necessary if just not insured (although obviously it cannot be driven or kept on a road). It can be driven without tax/MOT to a pre-arranged MOT but MUST be insured to do so.

[biffa83]

Thanks for the reply,

 

Unfortunately I wasn't made aware of the situation until last week but it looks like an original fine letter was issued, last year, and subsequent reminders were sent but ignored as they we're addressed to me and I wasn't living at the address the car is registered to (as I passed the car on to my sister who was living at the address). A court summons was then sent but the magistrates changed the court date twice before issuing another summons for tomorrow.

 

In the mean time we have sent them the document proving that it is now SORN and the insurance certificate. The car was off of the road for 7 months before the DVLA were made aware. The car failed its MOT which is why it was taken off the road in the first place.

[sailor sam]

I take it then that you are/were the registered keeper of the car? And during the 7 months the car was "off the road", was it SORN'd?