How do I check whether a car is taxed, has an MOT, or is on a SORN?
Three free government services tell you a vehicle's tax status, its full MOT history and whether it is declared off-road. What each one shows, what it does not, and what to do with the answers.
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Time
- 10 min
- Read
- 5 min
Short answer
Use the GOV.UK vehicle enquiry service to check tax and MOT status from a registration alone — no other details needed, and it works for any vehicle, not just your own. The separate MOT history service shows every test, including advisories and recorded mileages, which is the most useful free tool there is when buying a used car. A SORN shows in the tax check as the vehicle not being taxed.
There is no longer a tax disc in the windscreen and the MOT certificate is a piece of paper that proves nothing about today, so the only reliable way to know a vehicle's status is to look it up. All three checks are free, take under a minute, and need nothing but the registration number. What most people do not realise is how much the MOT history in particular reveals — a decade of recorded mileage, every advisory, and every failure, which together tell you more about how a car has been treated than any seller will.
Step by step
- Check tax and MOT status with the vehicle enquiry service.The GOV.UK service "check if a vehicle is taxed and has an MOT" needs only the registration number and asks you to confirm the make. It returns whether the vehicle is currently taxed, when that expires, whether it has a valid MOT and when that expires, plus details such as the fuel type, engine size and CO2 figure.
- Read the full MOT history separately.The MOT history service is a different page and it is the more revealing one. It lists every test since around 2005, with pass or fail, the mileage recorded each time, every advisory item, and the reason for any failure.
- Use the mileage record to check for clocking.The mileages recorded at each test should rise steadily. A year where the mileage went down, or a sudden implausible jump, is the clearest free evidence of a problem. This single check catches a lot of dishonest used cars.
- Read the advisories as a maintenance forecast.An advisory is something the tester noticed that was not yet a failure. A car with the same advisory repeated over three years has an owner who has not dealt with it, and that item is now three years worse.
- Understand what a SORN means.A Statutory Off Road Notification tells DVLA the vehicle is not being kept or used on a public road, which stops the tax liability and can trigger a refund. A vehicle on SORN must be kept off the road entirely — not on the street, not in a lay-by. It shows in the tax check simply as untaxed.
- Make or cancel a SORN through GOV.UK.Making one is free at gov.uk/make-a-sorn. It takes effect immediately if you use the reference from a V5C or a tax reminder, or from the first of next month if you use the V11 reminder reference. Taxing the vehicle again automatically ends the SORN — you do not cancel it separately.
- Remember the two things the check does not tell you.It does not tell you whether a vehicle is insured — that is the Motor Insurance Database, checked through askMID — and it does not tell you whether it is stolen, written off or has outstanding finance, which need a paid history check.
- Allow for the delay after a change.Recent taxation or a new SORN can take a couple of working days to appear. If you have just taxed a car and the check says otherwise, check the confirmation email before worrying.
Common mistakes
- Assuming a valid MOT means the car is roadworthy today — An MOT is a snapshot on the day of the test. It is your responsibility to keep the vehicle roadworthy between tests, and a car can become unroadworthy the week after passing.
- Leaving a SORN vehicle parked on the street — A SORN declares the vehicle is kept off the public road. Parking it on the street, even briefly, breaches that and can result in a penalty as well as invalidating the declaration.
If it doesn't work
Check says untaxed but you have paid
Cause: Recent transaction not yet showing, or a direct debit that failed — Fix: Wait two working days and check again. If it still shows untaxed, check your bank — a failed direct debit cancels the tax and DVLA writes to you, but the letter can be missed.
MOT expiry date is different from the certificate
Cause: The test was done early — Fix: You can test up to a month minus a day before expiry and keep the original anniversary date. The service shows the true expiry, which is the one that counts.
MOT history is missing years
Cause: The vehicle was on SORN, exempt, or registered outside the service's coverage — Fix: Gaps are worth asking about. A long gap on an otherwise ordinary car often means it was off the road, which raises the question of why.
Vehicle shows as taxed but you sold it
Cause: The sale was not notified to DVLA — Fix: Notify the sale immediately — until you do, you remain the registered keeper and liable for tax and any penalties. This is one of the most common and most avoidable motoring admin problems.
Registration returns no result
Cause: Typing error, a personalised plate recently transferred, or a vehicle never registered in the UK — Fix: Check the characters carefully, particularly 0 and O, and 1 and I. If it genuinely does not exist, that is significant information about a car you were about to buy.
Questions people ask
Can I check any car, or just my own?
Any vehicle, from the registration alone. That is deliberate — it lets buyers check a car before viewing and lets anyone check whether a vehicle is taxed. The service does not reveal the keeper's identity.
Does a SORN save me money?
It removes the tax liability and refunds full remaining months, and most insurers offer a reduced laid-up policy for a vehicle that is off the road. It only makes sense if the vehicle genuinely will not be used at all, since driving it on a road — except to a pre-booked MOT — is an offence.
How do I check insurance?
The Motor Insurance Database can be checked through askMID for your own vehicle, and the police check it automatically through number plate recognition. It is a separate system from the DVLA services.