SORN fine?

[NiceCupOfTea]

I have dropped the ball with my classic, it’s parked up in the garage doing very little and forgot about the tax expiring end of May. Just getting it MOTd and renewing the tax but wondering if I should backdate to avoid being fined or just tax it from August… the car has just sat in the garage.

What are the chances of a fine and will it be more than the £60-80 2 months VED would cost?

I know it’s not endorsable bit don’t want to cause issues down the line. It’s an innocent mistake with life getting in the way and “out of sight out of mind”…

[John D.]

Expect they will back date it automatically.

[NiceCupOfTea]

John D. said:

Expect they will back date it automatically.

I tried to tax it just now it implied I would get the choice (but kicked me out because it’s currently without MOT - I’m sitting in Costa while it’s under the microscope atm!)

[Olivergt]

If you don't want issues down the line, just back date it. It's not going to cost you much more, if at all, than if you just taxed it back in May?

[Lord_Howit_Hertz]

100% back date now, I am having a nightmare with removing a reg from a car because the timing between normal tax and Sorn was left a week.

The car is worth pennies and the reg is worth 5 figures, but the DVLA are not playing ball at all because of the TAX gap.

All my own fault, I messed up big time, car was being stored so out of sight out of mind and im paying the price two years on trying to get the reg off and scrap the car.

[NiceCupOfTea]

Well it’s academic as, having said I might like to backdate it, it didn’t give me the option. so I guess I’ll see what the fine is. Usual thing, try to do the right thing, innocent mistake, pay the price…

[QuickQuack]

You can't backdate tax - and this is a really important bit - to before the first day of the month in which you are making the tax application. If you haven't been driving it, you won't be setting off ANPR so you'll be ok. Plenty of cars are sat in garages undergoing repairs to be able to pass their MOTs, untaxed and untaxable during that time. The more strictly exforced law is usually the continuous insurance requirement. If you haven't received a fine already, in most cases, you'll be ok. Just tax it when it's got an MOT, or declare it SORN now it that's going to be a while yet.

Lord_Howit_Hertz said:

100% back date now, I am having a nightmare with removing a reg from a car because the timing between normal tax and Sorn was left a week.

The car is worth pennies and the reg is worth 5 figures, but the DVLA are not playing ball at all because of the TAX gap.

All my own fault, I messed up big time, car was being stored so out of sight out of mind and im paying the price two years on trying to get the reg off and scrap the car.

This is a bit of a stable door, horse bolted situation, but that's because of the specific requirements for being able to put a personalised plate on a retention certificate from a car, which must have been continuously taxed or declared SORN for the previous 5 years. In the past, it had to be that the car had to have an MOT. Previously, it was impossible unless you could get it through an MOT. Unfortunately for you, yours will need an MOT at some point because if the has been SORNed for 5 years or more, it still needs an MOT again! I don't know why DVLA have put such hurdles in the way of transferring such valuable assests. I think it's ridiculous, you should be able to transfer the reg whether the car is factory fresh, concours classic or complete scrap. Anyway, for future reference, SORN cannot be backdated, but you can do it ahead of time. Apply in the final month of your car's tax period, and it automatically starts from the 1st day of the next month with no gaps.

[Soloman Dodd]

You are allowed to drive an untaxed car to a prebooked MOT appointment.