Putting away for the winter, do I need to inform insurance?

Buying a ‘5 and Insurance advice Insurance Advice
2

Hi all,

At the end of October I’m going to be putting the MX5 in to hibernation for the winter and just need some advice concerning SORN.

Just a few questions as this will be the first time I will be going through the process.

  1. Will the insurance company need to be told that I’ve SORNed my car?

  2. I’ll be using the GOV.UK website to place the car on SORN. Anyone had any problems with the website such as delays or the website not working?

  3. I pay for the road tax on monthly Direct Debit so does the payment stop when I inform GOV.UK or do I need to cancel the Direct Debit at the bank too?

Of course, any other advice would be greatly received.

Thanks,

Matt

 

3

I recently renewed the insurance on my other car and told them I was just about to put it on SORN. The advice from them was to leave the policy as if the car was on the road, although they could offer alternative “laid up” cover. The reason was that if I then wanted to put it back on the road (I will be doing so once I’ve completed some engine modifications) they would otherwise have to charge me admin costs and the policy might become more expensive.

However, I think the best advice is to check with your own insurance provider.

4

I sorn my car & motorbike every year for 3 or 4 months for the same reasons as you.

Sorn has no effect on insurance other than to reduce the risk.

Provided the car is stored where specified in the insurance ie. in locked garage, on private drive, etc there will be no issue.

I would further suggest that insurance would have to entertain a claim even if a sorned vehicle was being driven on the road.

SORN is an issue between the car owner and the DVLA/police.

   

5

Hi Matt.  The short answer to your question is “No”.

6

Make sure you inform DVLA a few days before the end of the month, ie not on the 1st if December or you will be charged for Dec. Apart from that it’s a breeze to do online, I’ve done it for the last two winters and no need to inform the insurance, do keep your policy going.

7

I’m on a limited mileage policy so the insurers assume that it will be in the garage more than it is out. I asked them about laying up over the winter -  there is no reduction and they didn’t need to be told if the car is SORN’d.