London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Sep 03, 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
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
×