Does SORN transfer to a new owner?

GOV.UK specifically states that SORN does not transfer from the previous keeper. This catches buyers who assume an off-road declaration belongs to the car rather than the keeper record.

If you buy a project car and plan to store it on private land, make your own SORN immediately rather than relying on the seller's old declaration.

If you intend to drive the vehicle on the road, tax and insure it first and make sure any required MOT is valid.

For 'Does SORN transfer to a new owner?', keep the DVLA confirmation or reference number once the transaction is completed. Tax, SORN and keeper records are separate, so a dated confirmation helps show exactly when your responsibility changed.

Check the current source for 'Does SORN transfer to a new owner?' before acting if the relevant rule, policy, fee or eligibility has recently changed. Keep any official confirmation or reference number produced by the process because it can help resolve a later query. This note is specific to answer 426.