From early this year a new law ruled that the registered keeper of a vehicle must keep it insured even if it is off road or locked away, unless they have made a SORN (statutory off road notification). If you have failed to make a SORN you could face clamping or worse, having your vehicle confiscated and crushed! This means that drivers will no longer be allowed to take their vehicle off road temporarily and cancel their insurance, something that will be particularly relevant for drivers with summer vehicles such as campervans, motorbikes and classic cars.

The changes will affect all vehicles that are taxed but not insured and even if you have a vehicle that was manufactured prior to the 01st January 1973 that has a ‘nil value’ tax disc it is still considered by the DVLA as taxed and as such, if you are keeping it off the road it too will require a SORN.

A spokesperson from car insurance comparison site Tiger.co.uk said “If you are the registered keeper of the vehicle you must make sure you keep the vehicle insured at all times, the only exceptions being;
– If you have made a SORN,
– Or, if your vehicle has been off the road since before the SORN came in to effect on the 31st January 1998, unless it has been brought back into use”

The drivers most likely to be affected by this are those that keep their vehicles locked up over the winter months and bring them out when the fairer weather arrives to enjoy the improved driving conditions. Most insurers should be advising policy holders about the new ruling, but check your policy documents to make sure you know when your renewal is due. Extending your cover doesn’t need to be expensive particularly if you shop around. Tiger.co.uk is a particularly good site for classic car drivers, in research carried out recently it has been found to compare very favorably to other comparison sites on both on the number of quotes returned and prices for classic vehicles*, Tiger.co.uk also offers a great comparison service for bike insurance and will soon have over 35 brands on offer. No-one should have to pay over the odds for car insurance whether the vehicle it is on or off the road.

These changes came into effect on the 01st of Jan 2011, if you wish to make a SORN or would like further information visit the Government’s Direct.gov website www.direct.gov.uk for more details.

*Research carried out by Tiger.co.uk looking at 9 classic vehicles driven by the same driver. Tiger.co.uk returned quotes for 8 out of the 9 classic vehicles researched. Out of 5 leading comparison sites Tioger.co.uk offered, more quotes than 2 of the other leading sites .
About Tiger.co.uk:

tiger.co.uk is a trading name of Call Connection Ltd. Tiger.co.uk is a UK based, independent price comparison site, offering insurance quotes from over 130 motor insurance brands. Call Connection Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (number 308374).

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