SORN and insurance

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I'm seeing conflicting advice. My car is not in use, SORNed and parked in allocated parking in a small area of private land.

Do I need insurance?



It's not that car, that's a very old photo to the point that the "PRIVATE" has completely worn away.

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It is my allocated parking spot on private land which I rent. The public access is my main concern, the car isn't worth stealing and I haven't upset anybody. I don't see much risk.

The problem - getting cover. I found a good quote (Flux) but they won't allow me to insure the car as I don't have a driving licence. If anybody knows an insurer that can allow this and is affordable then please let me know.

I wanted to avoid the hassle of selling a SORNed and uninsured car then buying another when my licence is returned. But in this case the hassle will be on someone else to insure a car not owned by them. Perhaps I could transfer the V5. I was planning on keeping the car until it's mere scrap but plans have obviously changed.

The car is not worth much but in the last 6 months I've spent more than the car is worth on repairs, fines, recovery costs etc. Plus it's in good nick for it's age and I know the car. Always a bonus in bangernomics.

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I'm going to try to insure it. Any idea if my being banned means I don't have a licence? I wondered if there's a difference between "suspended" and "no licence".

I think removing the plates would look even more suspicious. The VIN is clearly visible in the windscreen if anybody cares to check. I think for £60 to cover it, it's a no-brainer. But the insurer's decision that I need a licence to insure a car I don't use, seems odd.

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MustangGT said:

Have you tried 'laid-up' insurance?

Yes, that's why the quote was <£60. I have entered all my details on a comparison site but reluctant to press "submit" in case I suddenly have to add "declined". I am also not sure if I should say I have a driving licence or not - the letter just says I have to return it to DVLA and then apply for a new one later. I have a letter from my previous insurer saying there are no claims and my NCB is intact, but I cancelled the policy myself before I was convicted. I think I'm on thin ice. Strangely they did show a "fault" claim on my policy, which has since disappeared. When I spoke to them they said no claims had been made so I think the other party may have claimed on their property insurance rather than mine. I've not asked too many questions for obvious reasons, but the prosecution's documents say the damage has been paid for by insurance.

I am thinking I should transfer the V5 to a relative and get them to insure it. I don't think that would be "fronting" as the only reason I touch the car is to start the engine for 15-20 minutes every month or so, and she is free to drive it if she wants (unlikely, but it is an estate and there is a sofa waiting to be moved after the self-store re-opens). I would still own the car and store it but she would be the only driver.

As a point of interest the court offered me the chance to go on a course (at my own expense of course) which will reduce my ban by 25% if I complete it. Starting tomorrow via Zoom. They gave me no penalty points and the fine was at the low end (though the costs etc added up). Even being let off lightly is a major blow, so don't do it peeps.

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I might have slipped up then. I have insured the car. After reading Twig's post I checked the policy and it does exclude third party cover. I thought the most basic insurance is TPF+T but I am only covered for fire and theft.

Is third party mandatory?

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TwigtheWonderkid said:

Yes, third party is actually the only bit you need to be legal. When you get a no insurance conviction, it's for keeping or using a vehicle on the public highway without the minimum third party cover. To be legal, you don't need anything that covers you, so no fire, no theft. You need to cover the damage or injury you might do to other people or their property, that's third party.

Thanks for that. I have a cooling off period so can hopefully find another policy that works.

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BertBert said:

Are these DVLA sorn detector vans like the TV licence detector vans by any chance?

Hah! I saw a website years ago showing pictures of those over the decades. Ridiculous. I've recently got a letter saying to expect a visit from TVL. I'm quite looking forward to it :-)

ANPR worries me a bit more but I'm in a quiet cul-de-sac in a small market town, the car is SORNed and sort of insured (wip). Not sure they would bother having a look.

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martinbiz said:

If your only sort of insured, whatever that means, and parked on a road I would be more worried about the insurance issue rather than the sorn one, if it's not insured you could be lining youself up for 6 points and a large fine and some very expensive insurance going forward, that's if you can manage to find any

It's SORN and on private land. Most of the information I've found online says this is ok. There's a bit of debate in this thread and others as to whether it needs to be insured. I have taken out a "laid up" policy and have the documents, but it does not include third-party cover and is not showing on the database yet hence the "wip". I need to make some phonecalls.