London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Oct 26, 2025

Number of cars on the road FELL in 2020 as SORNs spiked in lockdown

Number of cars on the road FELL in 2020 as SORNs spiked in lockdown

In December, there were 192,000 fewer cars licensed to be on the road, says the latest data released by the Department of Transport.

For only the second time since the Second World War, the number of cars on Britain's roads fell over a whole year, according to new vehicle licencing statistics.

In December, there were 192,000 fewer cars licensed to be on the road, says the latest data released by the Department of Transport.

Covid lockdowns are the reason for the decline, with hundreds of thousands of owners deciding to declare their vehicles as off the road - or SORN - in a bid to cut their motoring bills while they restrictions were in place.

Only the second decline in registered cars since WWII: DfT figures show the number of passenger cars on the road fell in 2020


The total number of cars SORN - which stands for Statutory Of Road Notification - rose annually by 259,000 vehicles in December, according to official records.

It means 31,696,000 passenger cars were registered as on the road at the end of 2020.

Not since 1991 has there been four consecutive quarters where there was a year-on-year decline of licensed vehicles, reports the AA.

Overall, the number of road-legal vehicles dropped by 101,000 after SORNs across all vehicle types rose by 421,000.

Not since 1991 has there been four consecutive quarters where there was a year-on-year decline of licensed vehicles


This is Money revealed a surge in motorists declaring vehicles as being off the road just weeks into the first national lockdown, as owners looked to avoid having to pay tax and insurance on their cars while they're not being used.

It led to warning about avoid online scam websites offering to process SORN requests at a charge, when declaring a vehicle off the road is free of charge via the Government's own site.

'Today’s government statistics are yet another indication of just how much the coronavirus epidemic has disrupted travel in the UK,' explains Jack Cousens, the AA's head of road policy.

'Stuck in their homes for months on end, many car owners took the opportunity to save money by declaring that they had taken their vehicles off the road during the lockdowns.

'Even today, with lockdown rapidly easing and a new relaxation of restrictions due on Monday, car travel during the working week remains at least 10 per cent below pre-pandemic levels.'

To SORN a motor means you are notifying the DVLA that your car is not currently being used, meaning it does not need to be taxed, insured or have a valid MOT certificate


Cousens adds: The AA expects travel to pick up with the staycation but the true test of ‘long covid’ for UK travel will come after the August bank holiday and a full return to work.'

Government records released today also showed that despite a huge decline in new car registrations in 2020, down almost a third to 1.63million, demand for two wheels increased at a record rate in the second half of the year.

For the year in full, motorcycle, scooter and moped registrations were down just 5 per cent.

'It seems Covid and the decline in public transport use have encouraged many more people to think about how they get around,' said Rod Dennis, spokesman for the RAC.

'It could also mean some have switched to motorcycles and mopeds as an alternative to a second car.

'What’s more, with more than a quarter of a million cars declared off-the-road at the end of last year, it remains to be seen just how people’s mobility choices are affected by the pandemic in the longer term and how many of these cars come back on to the road.'

Despite more than 1.6million new cars being registered last year, this was more than cancelled out by the increase in SORN declarations, scrapped motors and written-off vehicles in crashes.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
China and Russia Deploy Seductive Espionage Networks to Infiltrate U.S. Tech Sector
Apple’s ‘iPhone Air’ Collapses After One Month — Another Major Misstep for the Tech Giant
Graham Potter Begins New Chapter as Sweden Head Coach on Short-Term Deal
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Alleges Poison Plot via Chocolate and Jam
Lakestar to Halt External Fundraising as Investor in Revolut and Spotify
U.S. Innovation Ranking Under Scrutiny as China Leads Output Outputs but Ranks 10th
Three Men Arrested in London on Suspicion of Spying for Russia
Porsche Reverses EV Strategy as New CEO Bets on Petrol and Hybrids
Singapore’s Prime Minister Warns of ‘Messy’ Transition to Post-American Global Order
Andreessen Horowitz Sets Sights on Ten-Billion-Dollar Fund for Tech Surge
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
×