Many cars in the UK spend months or even years parked on driveways, in garages or in storage. Some are SORN, some are projects that never quite got finished, and some are barn finds.

When the time comes to move these vehicles, a professional vehicle transport service is usually the safest and easiest option.

Typical types of long term off road vehicles

Cars that have been off the road for a long time include:

• SORN vehicles without tax or MOT
• Project cars that were partly dismantled
• Barn finds and classics stored for many years
• Cars left on driveways after mechanical problems

These vehicles are often not safe or legal to drive, even for short distances.

Why long stored cars should not be driven immediately

After a long period off the road, even a car that starts may have hidden issues such as:

• Old tyres with cracks and flat spots
• Weak brakes or seized components
• Perished rubber hoses and seals
• Rust on brake lines or structural areas
• Old fuel and fluids that need replacing

Using car transport to move the vehicle to a workshop or new location avoids the risk of driving with these problems.

Access issues with long term parked cars

Cars that have been sitting for years are often stored in awkward places:

• At the back of driveways blocked by other vehicles
• In garages with limited space around the car
• On grass or soft ground where tyres have sunk
• In outbuildings or barns with narrow doors

A professional vehicle transporter can plan how to reach and load these vehicles using winches, skates and extra help if needed.

What information to give the transport company

When you request a quote, be honest about the car condition. Include:

• Make, model and approximate year
• How long the car has been off the road
• Whether the car rolls, steers and brakes at all
• Where exactly the car is parked and how much space is around it
• Photos of the car and the access route

This allows the vehicle transport company to bring the right truck, ramps and tools.

Preparing a long stored car for transport

Before the transporter arrives, you can help by:

• Clearing items from around the car to create space
• Pumping up tyres if you have a compressor
• Loosening stuck handbrakes if safe to do so
• Removing loose parts from inside the car

If the car is very fragile, do not try to start it. Let the transporter and your mechanic handle that later.

Where to move long term off road cars

People usually use off road vehicle transport to move cars to:

• Workshops or restoration garages
• New storage units or barns
• Buyers in other parts of the UK
• Bodyshops for structural or paint work

Moving the car is often the first step in bringing a long term project back to life.

Giving stored vehicles a new future

Cars that have been off the road for years do not have to stay stuck in the same place forever. With the help of a professional vehicle transport service in the UK, you can safely move SORN cars, projects and barn finds to somewhere they can be repaired, restored or sold.