The Department for Transport has issued a new statement to explain the process
Justin Madders, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)(Image: Parliament TV)
The DVLA has explained a ‘five-year’ rule affecting many licence plates – and it could mean you are required to obtain an MOT. The agency has this month issued clarification over the issue of retaining licence plates, a matter that has been raised in Parliament and prompted the Department for Transport to release a statement setting out the regulations.
The five-year rule relates to vehicles subject to what is known as a SORN – a Statutory Off Road Notification: something millions of vehicles in the UK now have. A SORN is required when you take a vehicle ‘off the road’ and want to stop taxing and insuring it. Your vehicle is considered off the road if it is not kept or used on a public road – for instance, if it is stored in a garage, parked on a driveway, or situated on private land.
According to the DVLA, a SORN must be made if your vehicle is untaxed, uninsured, if you intend to break it down for parts prior to scrapping it, or if you acquire a vehicle and wish to keep it off the road – noting that a SORN cannot be transferred from the previous keeper.
Freedom of Information data obtained by Churchill Insurance this year shows the UK now has more than 6.6 million vehicles with a SORN. That is more than double the 2.85 million figure of 2014-15, and has risen 34% in the last two years.
Every vehicle in the UK has to be taxed, insured and roadworthy, or officially declared off the road. SORN offers a legal, low-cost way for owners to keep a vehicle without using it – for instance, while awaiting repair or a change in ownership.
The number plates issue has come to light after Anna Gelderd, Labour MP for South East Cornwall, put a question to the Department for Transport (DfT), asking “the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to review the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s guidance on transferring a registration plate from a vehicle subject to a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN) to ensure that registered keepers are made aware of all available routes to retain vehicle registration plates.”
Justin Madders, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport), issued a reply on Thursday, September 3. He said: “The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) publishes clear guidance on retaining or transferring vehicle registration numbers at www.gov.uk/personalised-vehicle-registration-numbers/take-private-number-off. The requirements are also set out in the relevant forms and information leaflets.
“Strict requirements must be met before a registration number can be retained or transferred, including checks to help identify and prevent fraudulent applications. The vehicle must still exist and be capable of mechanical propulsion.
“Where a vehicle is subject to a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN), an application will only be considered in specific circumstances, including where the SORN has been in place for less than five years. If the SORN has been in place for five years or more, an MOT test is required. Where an MOT test is not feasible, the DVLA may, in exceptional circumstances, arrange an inspection to confirm that the vehicle can move under its own power.”
Illegal vehicle sales update from DfT
The minister also responded on the same day to a separate DVLA matter, following a question from Scott Arthur, Labour MP for Edinburgh South West, who asked what assessment had been “made of the potential impact of point-of-sale registration on tackling illegal vehicle sales.”
The minister replied: “No specific assessment has been made of the potential impact of point-of-sale registr ation on tackling illegal vehicle sales. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) already requires notification when a vehicle is bought or sold and maintains vehicle and registered keeper records to support efforts to tackle vehicle-related crime.
“The DVLA encourages keeper details to be updated at the point of sale wherever possible, using online, paper and dealer notification services. Prompt notification helps keep the vehicle register accurate and up to date.
“Safeguards are in place to help prevent criminal or fraudulent activity. Where an application is made for a vehicle registration certificate (V5C) and the DVLA has not been told that the registered keeper has disposed of the vehicle, the DVLA contacts the keeper to confirm this before issuing a V5C. Access to the latest V5C is also required to use the DVLA’s online services.”
To find out more on making a SORN, visit the gov.uk web page.
