Older Cars Are Being SORNed; Resto Project or Prepping For an Event?

For those who can afford it, and a garage, it can make sense to keep a classic car on standby. It cannot be hacked. Nor disabled by a software update from the manufacturer, or the government, or a power company. There is also the possibility that cars declared SORN are actually being used with a cloned plate on them. Never underestimate the ability people have to avoid taxes, regardless of income and assets.

Cars like Capris, VW GTis, Jag XJs and some Range Rovers are also being kept in the hope that classic values will bubble up one day. In the case of the Triumph TR7, one of the most unreliable BL cars ever made, that’s a slim hope. As many in London will know it can be worth keeping an old car going for the summer season, when ULEZ free travel can be enjoyed for pre-1973 vehicles.

Here’s the data;

Britain’s classic everyday cars are spending far more time in the garage than on the road. New analysis of DVLA data shows that seven in ten Range Rovers built before 1985 are declared off the road, making the original Range Rover the country’s most mothballed classic car.

The team at Heritage Car Insurance analysed Department for Transport licensing data for every classic car model with at least 2,000 cars on record, ranking each by the share declared off the road under a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN). A SORN car cannot legally be driven or kept on a public road.

Of the 4,048 pre-1985 Range Rovers on record, 2,914 (72%) are laid up, followed by the Ford Fiesta (67%) and Volkswagen Golf (65%). The list is dominated by the everyday cars of the 1970s and early 80s. Half of the pre-1985 Golfs on record are GTIs, and nearly two-thirds of those are off the road.

Britain’s most mothballed classic cars

The classic sports cars are a different story. Just 15% of MGAs are declared off the road, along with 18% of Triumph TR4s and 23% of Jaguar E-Types, around a third of the rate for a classic Golf.

Britain’s most-driven classic cars

The youngest classics are the most likely to be parked up. Of the 23,056 cars built in 1985, which only became eligible for free historic vehicle tax in April 2026, 83% were declared off the road at the end of 2025.

The figures were taken at the end of December, at the height of the winter lay-up season, when many owners store their cars until spring. A car declared SORN does not need to be insured by law, though it can still be damaged by fire, theft or flooding while it is stored.

Mark Wilkinson, Managing Director at Heritage Car Insurance, said:

“The sports cars were always bought to be enjoyed, so they get used. The Range Rovers, Golfs and Fiestas were everyday cars that were cheap to buy and easy to park up, and that’s where ‘next spring’ quietly turns into ‘one day’.”

“If your classic is going into the garage this winter, a little preparation saves a lot of work in spring. And if it’s in the historic tax class, it costs nothing to keep taxed, so a dry winter’s day can still be a driving day.”

Heritage has been protecting classic and specialist vehicles for more than 60 years. For more laid-up insurance information, visit: www.heritagecarinsurance.co.uk/insurance/laid-up-insurance/.