To not know that an off road car must be insured?

[Strawpollplease]

I took my car off the road last October because it failed its MOT. It has been sat in my driveway since, I didn’t declare it SORN because the road tax is only £30 and I wouldn’t have got a refund. I’ve just been fined £100 because it is an offence to own a vehicle that’s not insured, if you haven’t registered it off-road with DVLA. Did everyone else know this? I’m now feeling a bit foolish and a bit cross!

Except clearly they don't.

As the OP didn't, and other on this thread didn't.

I mean, I think if I weren't driving for some months, I'd probably have looked it up rather than assumed, but it isn't something I've ever dealt with, so I can't say I "knew" it, no. I would think many, if not most people would be the same.

Apart from the SORN declaration etc, I would still insure a serviceable car. What if it gets stolen, or with this weather, flooded out, or a tree falls on it........

Well you would not declare it off road then, you’d just insure it, and it would be parked on your driveway unused

I thought everyone knew you had to SORN it?

So this thread just have blown your mind and you are reeling from the discovery

I didn't know that. I bought a second car and had it on the driveway for months - it never occurred to me that I needed insurance. Thank you for sharing - sometimes something isnt obvious until its pointed out :)

I don’t know why you feel entitled to be cross. Yes I knew this. That’s my responsibility to know as a car driver.

Actually you'd be surprised at how many people don't, because in other countries you do NOT need to insure a car if it isn't being driven on the roads. In Australia you don't. Other countries have a system where you can temporarily declare it off road.

After all, if you're not driving on the roads, then what is the point of insurance? People take out 3rd party insurance which only pays out damage to other vehicles if you're on the road, so if you're not on the road you can't hit another car. So it is therefore a common misconception that you don't have to have insurance if your car isn't being used on the road, given you'd just have to accept the cost if it got damaged on your own property.

In the UK it is a legal requirement to have your car continuously insured, and the only time you can not have it insured is if you legally declare the car to be off road (SORN).

You don't have to insure an off road car that has been SORN'd. But if you don't SORN your vehicle the DVLA will assume it's still actively being used. How would they know otherwise? You can of course continue to insure a SORN car if you wish to.