Over 5 million cars declared SORN

DATA provided via the Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agenc y shows that the number of vehicles declared S ORN has risen from 1,201,340 in early 2008 to 5,134,244 in 2018 - while the number of vehicles declared off the road peaked in early 2018.

This is the highest number of offroad applications for UK cars since data began in 2008. While many of these cars declared S ORN will be modern vehicles, a large percentage will almost certainly be classic cars.

Specialist i nsurance company Footman James warns of the risks of not insuring classic vehicles if they are declared off the road.

A car t hat is declared S ORN must be kept off the public highway.

There are several reasons why an owner may take their classic car off the road, from undertaking a complete nut and bolt restoration to even displaying a car in a museum.

But while not paying tax or insurance may save classic owners money, a growing number of drivers are opting for off-road insurance (also known as laid up insurance).

This type of polic y protects their cars from fire, theft and damage because they can’t afford to replace the car should the worst happen.

David Bond, Managing Director at Footman James said, “It’s clear that many owners cancel t heir insurance policies when they declare their classic car as S ORN.

“But while it ’s not a legal requirement to i nsure a vehicle while it’s S ORN, there are risks to not having cover.

“For Footman James customers, our laid-up polic y provides peace of mind should the worst happen while they’re restoring, garaging or exhibiting their vehicle long term. Laid-up i nsurance is also often cheaper than a standard polic y.”

Dave Richards, a classic car enthusiast who owns a fleet of eight vehicles, explained: “For me, taking out l aid up, or off-road insurance, is a no-brainer. It’s so cheap and although it won’t make up for the loss of what are usually treasured vehicles, at least it covers the financial loss if there has been theft or damage.”

The top three most popular cars registered off t he road via t he DVL A in 2018 are: