The Vehicle Archive  /  Storing a car while abroad

GOING AWAY?
LEAVE IT
WITH US.

A posting, a sabbatical, a year on another continent — and a car that should not spend it on a driveway.

Cambridge produces this problem more than most places. The university, the hospital and the science parks run on people who arrive for two or three years, buy a car, and then take a fellowship in Boston or go home for twelve months. Selling it is a bad trade in both directions. Leaving it with a friend is a favour nobody enjoys. And a car left on a driveway for a year is a car that will need work before it moves again.

What to sort before you fly

  • SORN. Declare it off the road and the tax stops. You can do it online and it takes minutes.
  • Insurance. Do not simply cancel it. Laid-up or storage cover keeps the vehicle protected against fire and theft while it is not being driven, and it is considerably cheaper than road cover. Tell your insurer where it will be kept.
  • MOT. Check the expiry date. If it lapses while you are away that is fine — it just cannot be driven until it has a fresh one.
  • Keys and documents. Two sets of keys is sensible, and the V5C should go somewhere that is not the car.
  • A UK address. DVLA and your insurer will need one that still works while you are away.

We will walk through all of it before the vehicle comes in. We cannot file paperwork on your behalf, but you will not leave the country having missed something.

You do not have to deliver it yourself

The week before a move abroad is the wrong week to be driving across three counties. Collection from your home can be arranged, so the last thing that happens to the car is somebody else's job.

Collection & delivery

Keeping an eye on it from another time zone

Your client portal holds the vehicle record, inspection photographs, condition updates, billing and stored documents, and lets you request access without working out what time it is in England. Billing runs through the portal too, so there is nothing to remember.

Coming back

Tell us roughly when and we will have it ready. Expect to want a fresh MOT, a battery that has been maintained rather than resurrected, and a sensible recommissioning check before a long drive — we will flag anything we have noticed while it has been with us.

What it costs

From £165 a month for standard cars, from around £70 for motorcycles, and no rigid minimum term. For a two-year posting it is usually less than the depreciation you would eat selling and rebuying.

Long-term storage

Questions

Before you enquire
How long can I leave the car?

As long as you need. Periods are agreed individually rather than fixed to a rigid minimum, and multi-year stays are normal here.

Tell us roughly how long when you enquire and we will price it properly.

Should I SORN the car?

Usually yes for a long stay: SORN stops the road tax and takes minutes online.

Do not cancel the insurance, though — laid-up or storage cover keeps the vehicle protected against fire and theft, and you should tell your insurer where it is being kept.

Can you collect the car before I leave?

Yes. Collection from your home address can be arranged and is quoted individually.

It tends to be the single most useful part of the service in the week before a move abroad, when you have rather more pressing things to do than drive across three counties.

GOT SOMETHING
WORTH KEEPING?

Let’s find it somewhere better.

Enquire about storage