Untaxed car not on sorn

[JNR77]

In 2011 I purchased a range rover classic in good condition with tax and Mot for a few hundred quid.

After I purchased it went straight into the barn and pretty much forgot about it.

I paid for the car got the V5 but forgot to register it in my name, the car has not been sorn either.

I want to sell the car and need to tax it etc. If I register it in my name and try and tax it will I get a fine equal to the back dated road tax?

Any advice how best to deal with this will be much appreciated, will DVLA accept back dated Sorn application?

[tapkaJohnD]

Quote, "You must insure and tax your vehicle if you don’t have a SORN. If you don’t, you’ll automatically be fined £80 for not having a SORN. There’s also a fine for having an uninsured vehicle." https://www.gov.uk/sorn-statutory-off-road-notific...

But there is also the offence of keeping an untaxed vehilce without SORN. That incurs a penalty of one and half times the unpaid vehicle tax, plus a £30 fee. If you don't pay, that is a criminal offence with a penalty of FIVE times the unpaid tax, or £1000, whichever is greater. And if you use it on the road the minimum rises to £2500.
You might be better off quietly scrapping it, but the scrapper is required ro issue a Certificate of Destruction AND inform the DVLA. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear!
(alll found by a quick Google)
John

Edited by tapkaJohnD on Tuesday 17th September 13:21

Edited by tapkaJohnD on Tuesday 17th September 13:22

[restoman]

OP - are you sure you are not mistaken? - Isn't it the case that the car was discovered in a barn last week and you've only just bought it for cash from someone . . . . . .

[JNR77]

restoman said:

OP - are you sure you are not mistaken? - Isn't it the case that the car was discovered in a barn last week and you've only just bought it for cash from someone . . . . . .

Er yes! hypothetically what would happen if someone bought it next week and registered it, then tried to tax it?

[//j17]

JNR77 said:

restoman said:

OP - are you sure you are not mistaken? - Isn't it the case that the car was discovered in a barn last week and you've only just bought it for cash from someone . . . . . .

Er yes! hypothetically what would happen if someone bought it next week and registered it, then tried to tax it?

I have to say if the seller gave me that cock-and-bull story to explain why he was selling a vehicle with a V5 in someone else's name I'd be climbing back in my car and driving away.

[Wooda80]

If the DVLA had been interested then surely they would have written to the current registered keeper who would then have either contacted you directly or pointed the DVLA in your direction?

Especially as it appears that you are selling the car as a project then as a buyer it wouldn't bother me in the slightest if you were not the current registered keeper. I probably wouldn't register it myself until it was ready for the road.

[Veesix75]

Not sure when that dvla link and statement was published, but a mate had 3 he forgot about, we discussed and in the end he registered all 3 as SORN after a good 3 years of no SORN and nothing happened except the confirmation from dvla that they were now SORN . Not sure if any of the doom monger experts replying have ever done the same, but certainly no repercussion, fine, brimstone, fire, death by torture etc, occurred to my mate. Maybe the dvla have tightened up since then, I don’t know but unlikely. Log books all in the name of the person doing the SORN .

[anonymous-user]

I had a very similar situation with a car I am now restoring. I bought it a couple of years ago as a non-runner (it had not been on the road for circa 15 years), put it in storage for a year, then started work on it early this year after we moved house. It was only at that point I realised I'd not done anything with the paperwork. I declared to DVLA the actual date of purchase and expected a fine for not sending off the V5/putting on SORN promptly. They just sent me the new V5 back and confirmed SORN with nothing said.

Regards Andy

[Veesix75]

Just to add, the example I gave was about 18 months ago. And thinking about it, the trigger was one of the cars reg plates getting picked up on anpr while on the back of a trailer being moved to storage. Said friend got a letter from dvla stating the car was picked up and wasn’t taxed or SORN.

That’s when we discussed the issue and decided that he should apply for SORN .

[dr_gn]

I forgot to SORN my two classics for several years (I’d moved house, but the cars were still at my parents place). When I realised, I called the DVLA and told them. I just got told “you really should have SORNd them” etc, and then a few days later I got a SORN notification through.

Just be honest, admit you messed up a bit, and hope for the best is my advice.

[garagewidow]

Had a reminder that my old hacks' tax ran out end of august and I had not renewed or declared sorn.

I had tried to declare sorn online when the tax ran out but the cheeky gits wanted 40quid for the privilege of NOT driving my car,
so today got the final(shock,horror) reminder so thought I would phone the no. on it to complain about their cheekiness about paying but first gave the on phone process a go and hey presto no charge,...yet.

[drgoatboy]

The rules changed in 2013 if my quick Google is correct. Before that you didn't have to declare the car SORN it just defaulted to SORN if you didn't tax it. Suspect this went SORN before the rule change and therefore no issue? Have you checked the DVLA website to see the current status of the car?