Moving a SORN vehicle on trade plates

Let the office know the vehicle is on SORN when you request a quote by adding it to the notes. That way we can plan the job properly before a driver is on site.

This guide explains how we book a driven job for a SORN vehicle; it is not legal advice. The MOT rule still applies, and you can read about it in can you move a car without an MOT on trade plates.

A SORN vehicle has been declared off the road and is untaxed. Motor traders regularly need to move stock that has been standing, taken in part exchange or bought for prep, and we are happy to help with that when the vehicle is legal to drive.

OVM drives roadworthy cars and vans on our own trade plates. Each vehicle needs a valid MOT, must be drivable and needs keys at collection plus enough fuel or charge for the first leg.

Tax status matters because the office needs to know exactly what it is dispatching, and we only take vehicles that are legal for the public road. Send the registration and we will tell you whether it is a driven job or one for a transporter.

For the official rules on SORN, check with the DVLA directly. When you need the vehicle moved, call us with the full details and we will take it from there.

We cannot drive a vehicle with no valid MOT, one that will not start or steer, salvage or a car with unfinished repairs. We also need keys, someone at collection and, for auction stock, a confirmed release.

A SORN vehicle without an MOT has two separate issues, and the missing MOT on its own means it cannot go on trade plates.

Even a short run to your own workshop is on a public road, so the MOT rule still applies. If the vehicle cannot legally be driven, a transporter is the answer, and trade plate delivery versus a transporter explains the difference.

Auction stock on SORN follows the same checks: release from the compound first, then legality, then dispatch. We handle auction collection once the lot is released, and storage keeps running until it leaves.

Send the registration, both postcodes and the date. In the notes, say it is on SORN, whether the MOT is valid, where it has been standing and whether it starts, along with named contacts at each end.

If it has been off the road for a while, tell us what you know. Batteries go flat and tyres lose pressure, so the driver photographs and records its condition before setting off. If it is not as described, they stop and the office calls you.

We move it as a driven vehicle movement, collected from wherever it is. See our coverage page for the areas we serve from Glasgow.

A part exchange on SORN at a customer's home also needs someone there with the keys, so please include their name and number to make sure the collection goes smoothly.

A SORN job closes like every other OVM job, with the condition recorded at both ends, a signature on delivery and digital proof sent to you. Read more in proof of collection and proof of delivery.

Fuel or charging is included, there is no rate card and your price appears on screen.

Get an instant quote, call 0141 459 1302 or email [email protected].