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Beware of fee-charging SORN webistes

Clamped car - HonestJohn.co.uk

If you own a car, but you no longer want to drive or park it on a public road, you must legally declare it ‘off road’ with a Statutory Off Road Notification, or SORN.

Failure to SORN a vehicle with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), can result in a fine.

There are many reasons why you might want to SORN a car. For instance, you may have might want to restore a classic car in your garage or on your drive.

However, unscrupulous websites have been accused by HonestJohn.co.uk of ‘daylight robbery’ and ‘preying on the vulnerable’ by charging for services that are available freely and easily.

HonestJohn.co.uk claims various sites are charging £25-30 for a ‘fast-track’ service – for customers who wish to declare their cars off-road to avoid fines or having them clamped and removed.

Yet the service is available for free via the DVLA’s own website and takes just minutes to complete.

Thanks to clever search engine optimisation, it’s claimed the paid-for sites often appear ahead of the free service on a Google Search.

“This is just preying on the naive or vulnerable,” said Philip Swift, CEO of vehicle data specialist CMA UK. “It’s a free service and easy to use.”

According to the latest DVLA data (2018) there are currently more than two million cars registered as SORN in the UK. To declare SORN for free go to www.gov.uk/make-a-sorn declaration.

HonestJohn.co.uk Managing Editor Dan Powell added: “The vast majority of people will, of course, continue to use the government service.

“But the big concern is that those who aren’t familiar with the process of DVLA paperwork or, indeed, foreign nationals who aren’t aware that a free service even exists could be suckered into paying for something that doesn’t need to be paid for. It needs greater regulation.”

About Gareth Herincx

Gareth is a versatile journalist, copywriter and digital editor who's worked across the media in newspapers, magazines, TV, teletext, radio and online. After long stints at the BBC, GMTV and ITV, he now specialises in motoring.

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