Nearly half of all classic cars in Britain are not being driven – and are declared officially ‘off the road’.
Heritage Car Insurance has analysed statistics from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), following a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.
The new FOI data shows the UK has just over 1.34 million historic vehicles – i.e. cars that are more than 40 years of age.
Of these, some 640,243 currently have a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN). This means 47.6 percent of classics are not currently in use.
This leaves 52.4 percent, or 703,732 cars, currently registered for the road.
South East has the most road-ready classics
The analysis of DVLA data also uncovered differences between UK regions in terms of classic cars being declared SORN.
South-east England boasts the most classic cars of any area of the UK, with 205,507 in total. Of these, more than half (56.9 percent) are being driven at present.
By comparison, Wales has the highest proportion of classic cars listed as SORN. Of the country’s 65,092 historic vehicles, only 46.6 percent are registered with the DVLA for road use.
At a more detailed level, the BT94 postcode area, covering Enniskillen in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, has 83 percent of its classic cars declared as SORN.
Don’t forget insurance for cars on SORN
Owners may choose to declare their classic cars as SORN for various reasons, such as when a vehicle is undergoing a long-term restoration.
In addition, many cars are kept on SORN during the winter, away from the threat of damp conditions and salt on the roads.
Mark Wilkinson, managing director at Heritage Car Insurance, said: “There’s a whole hidden side to Britain’s classic car scene, and it’s enormous. Nearly half of all the classics on record aren’t being driven at all, which is close to two-thirds of a million cars sitting in garages, barns and driveways up and down the country.
“A lot of owners assume that because a car is on a SORN and off the road, they don’t need to think about insurance. But a stored classic can still be damaged, stolen or caught in a fire, and often these are exactly the cars owners have poured the most time and money into. Laid-up cover exists for precisely that reason.”
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