A SORN doesn’t have a countdown clock. Once you declare it, it’s valid until you end it by taxing, selling, or scrapping the car.
Think of it as a pause button on your car’s life. You can unpause it whenever you want—no time limit.
So yes, you could SORN your car in 1998 and it’s still valid today. That’s 26 years of bedtime.
But Wait, There’s a Tricky Bit
You must renew your SORN every year if you don’t use the car. Wait, what? That sounds like it expires.
Here’s the twist: the SORN itself doesn’t expire. But you must renew your vehicle tax or re-declare SORN every 12 months if you haven’t done anything with it.
Why? Because the government wants to know you’re still alive and the car isn’t a haunted pile of rust. It’s like checking in with a friend who says, “Yep, still not driving.”