Free SORN Check by Registration
Quick answer
Enter the registration to see whether DVLA currently records the vehicle as SORN, taxed or untaxed. The same free check shows the tax due date, MOT status, full MOT history and recorded mileage, so you can see not just that a car was taken off the road but what its record looked like before and after. No account is needed.
Check the actual vehicle
Check if a vehicle is SORN
Enter the registration to see whether it is SORN, taxed or untaxed, alongside its MOT history and mileage. Free, instant and no account needed.
Free: vehicle identity, tax/SORN, MOT history, mileage and buyer red flags.
Full history: adds outstanding finance, stolen, insurance write-off and other paid provenance checks.
The full report is optional. Review the free official record first if you are unsure. Payment is completed securely on the next screen.
MotorMkt reads the vehicle's current DVLA record and its DVSA MOT history and puts them side by side. The status is shown exactly as DVLA supplies it — it is never estimated.
- SORN, taxed or untaxed status from DVLA
- Tax due date, where DVLA supplies one
- MOT status and expiry date
- Every MOT test on record, with the mileage recorded at each one
- Make, model, colour and first-registration date to compare with the advert
- Date the latest V5C logbook was issued, and whether the vehicle is marked for export
SORN stands for Statutory Off Road Notification. It is a declaration to DVLA that a vehicle is being kept off the public road — in a garage, on a driveway or on other private land — so it does not need to be taxed.
A SORN also lets a keeper hold a vehicle that is untaxed or uninsured without breaking the law, as long as it stays off the public road. It is common for project cars, cars awaiting repair, seasonal vehicles and cars stored while the owner is abroad. On its own, a SORN is not a sign that anything is wrong.
The three statuses a check can return mean quite different things for a buyer.
| Status | Can it be used on a public road? | What it tells a buyer |
|---|---|---|
| Taxed | Yes, if it also has a valid MOT (where needed) and insurance | Tax is in force for the current keeper. It does not transfer to you when you buy. |
| SORN | No — only to or from a pre-booked MOT or other testing appointment | The keeper formally declared it off the road. Ask why, and for how long. |
| Untaxed | No | Neither taxed nor declared off road. The keeper may face an automatic £80 fine; ask the seller to explain. |
Check the actual vehicle
Check if a vehicle is SORN
Enter the registration to see whether it is SORN, taxed or untaxed, alongside its MOT history and mileage. Free, instant and no account needed.
Free: vehicle identity, tax/SORN, MOT history, mileage and buyer red flags.
Full history: adds outstanding finance, stolen, insurance write-off and other paid provenance checks.
The full report is optional. Review the free official record first if you are unsure. Payment is completed securely on the next screen.
A SORN does not need renewing. It stays in place until the vehicle is taxed again, sold, permanently exported or scrapped, and the vehicle must stay in the UK for the SORN to remain valid. A keeper can also tell DVLA up to two months in advance that a vehicle will be taken off the road.
Because a sale cancels it, a SORN never passes to a buyer. If you buy a car that shows SORN, you must tax it before using or keeping it on a public road, or make your own SORN if you intend to keep it off the road.
Only to or from a pre-booked MOT or other testing appointment. Any other use on a public road risks prosecution and a fine of up to £2,500, and driving without insurance carries separate penalties. That means a normal test drive of a SORN car on the road is not possible until it is taxed and insured — plan to inspect it on private land or arrange transport.
The useful question is not merely whether it is SORN, but why and for how long. Long storage can cause problems that low mileage hides.
- Why was the vehicle taken off the road?
- When was it last driven and serviced?
- Can the seller show the current V5C and identity?
- How will it be transported or legally driven?
- Does its MOT history show a long gap or unresolved failures?
- Has it had recent work, and is there an invoice for it?
DVLA's vehicle record shows the present tax status. It does not give a timeline of past SORN declarations, and MotorMkt does not claim otherwise.
The MOT history is often the best clue to the car's past. A gap of a year or more between tests, a last-recorded mileage close to today's, or a test failure just before the gap all suggest when and why the car came off the road.
Making a SORN is free. The keeper can do it online with the 11-digit reference from the V5C logbook or the 16-digit reference on a tax reminder, or by phone or post. Any full months of remaining vehicle tax are refunded automatically.
There is no separate step to cancel a SORN — taxing the vehicle ends it. A vehicle bought from someone else is taxed with the new keeper slip from the logbook.
A car that has been off the road can still carry outstanding finance, an insurance write-off record or a stolen marker. The free check does not cover those. The optional Full History Check adds finance, write-off, stolen and plate-change checks for the same registration.
- How do I check if a vehicle is SORN?
- Enter its registration in the free MotorMkt check. It returns the current DVLA status — SORN, taxed or untaxed — with the tax due date, MOT status and MOT history.
- Is the SORN check free?
- Yes. The SORN, tax and MOT check is free and does not need an account.
- Is untaxed the same as SORN?
- No. SORN is a formal declaration that the vehicle is kept off the road. An untaxed vehicle has not necessarily been declared SORN, and its keeper can face an automatic £80 fine.
- How long does SORN last?
- Indefinitely. It does not need renewing and ends when the vehicle is taxed, sold, permanently exported or scrapped.
- Does SORN transfer to a new keeper?
- No. Selling a vehicle cancels its SORN. The buyer must tax it before road use or make their own SORN.
- Can I drive a SORN car to an MOT?
- Yes, to or from a pre-booked MOT or other testing appointment. It still needs insurance for that journey.
- What is the fine for driving a SORN vehicle?
- Using a SORN vehicle on a public road for anything other than a pre-booked test can lead to prosecution and a fine of up to £2,500.
- Does SORN mean the car has no MOT?
- Not necessarily. SORN concerns tax and off-road use; MOT status is separate and is shown alongside it in the free check.
- Can I see when a car was declared SORN?
- Not from the DVLA record, which shows only the current status. Gaps in the MOT history are usually the best indication of when a car was off the road.
Check the actual vehicle
Check if a vehicle is SORN
Enter the registration to see whether it is SORN, taxed or untaxed, alongside its MOT history and mileage. Free, instant and no account needed.
Free: vehicle identity, tax/SORN, MOT history, mileage and buyer red flags.
Full history: adds outstanding finance, stolen, insurance write-off and other paid provenance checks.
The full report is optional. Review the free official record first if you are unsure. Payment is completed securely on the next screen.