When paying for your road tax each year, you’ve probably noticed the option on the V11 form of making a SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification). Essentially, this means your vehicle will be kept strictly stationary for the foreseeable future and you therefore don’t want to tax it. But it’s essential to declare this information to the DVLA to avoid a fine – and an ideal time to do so is while your vehicle is being kept in long term car storage.
At Windrush, we don’t just pride ourselves on offering the UK’s most respected classic, modern, supercar and EV storage service. We’d also be delighted to handle every last piece of paperwork on your behalf, including registering your vehicle off the road when you visit our state-of-the-art long term car storage facilities in London and the Cotswolds.
If you’d like us to handle your SORN – or anything else, for that matter – just let the Windrush team know. But if you’d prefer to look into registering your vehicle offroad yourself, here’s a quick guide to the simple steps involved.
Register online or by phone
If you have your V11 Vehicle Tax Reminder to hand – and the vehicle is registered in your name – then making a SORN should take a matter of minutes. Simply find the grey box marked Option 2 and follow the instructions: you’ll either need to visit the Gov.uk website and enter the 16-digit reference number on your form, or call 0300 123 4321 and give the information over the phone.
Complete the relevant paperwork
If you have not yet been registered as the vehicle’s keeper, things get (very slightly) more complicated: you’ll need to make a SORN by post with a V890 form. Fill in the relevant section of the V5C and send it along with the completed V890. Don’t have the V5C? Then you’ll need to complete a V62 form (and pay a small fee) and post that alongside the V890. You’ll find all the paperwork here.
Don’t forget the small print
Your SORN will begin immediately if your vehicle tax has already expired or you’re not applying in the month your vehicle tax is due to expire. There’s good news: you’ll get a refund for any full months of remaining tax, while there’s no need to make a SORN for a car you’ve already sold (although the DVLA must be informed of that, too). Most important, always remember that you can’t use the vehicle on the road again until you re-tax it.
Classic car storage in London and the Cotswolds
At Windrush, we offer the same renowned service, whether you come to us for supercar, EV, modern or classic car storage. Our guiding philosophy of putting the customer first – and always saying ‘yes’ – means handling your road tax and other paperwork is just the start of our complete long term car storage solution. From insurance and MOT – right through to shipping a cherished vehicle abroad – you can trust our seasoned team to take care of every last detail.
Meanwhile, at the heart of the Windrush service is our unparalleled long term car storage solution. Whether you visit our stunning facilities in the idyllic Cotswolds or bustling central London, we’ll impress you right out of the blocks with our signature twelve-step induction process, complemented by a tailored long term car storage programme that means your model has never felt better when you’re ready to collect it.
