Ed Sheeran has been fined for failing to insure his Aston Martin as it undergoes restoration.
The British singer-songwriter was handed the penalty by Bradford Magistrates’ Court after his 1966 Aston Martin was mistakenly left uninsured while being converted into an electric vehicle.
Sheeran sent the silver car to Aston Workshop Ltd for restoration in 2021 and claims he has not driven it since.
However, in December last year, the DVLA flagged that the Shape of You hitmaker had failed to pay for insurance on the vehicle while it was being refurbished.
In response, Sheeran told the court by letter that he believed the workshop’s insurance covered the car and that the Aston Martin had not been on the road for five years.
The 35-year-old pleaded guilty to keeping a motor vehicle that did not meet insurance requirements.
As a result, Magistrate Jacqueline Whittle ordered the Grammy-winning star to pay an $895 (£666) fine, $134 (£100) in costs and a $358 (£266) victim surcharge.
Sheeran’s case was dealt with through the DVLA’s Single Justice Procedure, with the singer submitting a letter of explanation alongside his guilty plea. The case was heard on Friday 31 July without a formal court hearing.
In the letter, he wrote, “The vehicle is a vintage Aston Martin car which, since 2021, has been in the process of full restoration by Aston Workshop Ltd.
“The vehicle has remained within the control of the workshop continuously since 2021 and has been kept off public roads and remained within their garage at all times.
“There has accordingly been no risk to third party members of the public arising from the uninsured driving of the vehicle.”
The Perfect singer noted that at “no point” did he have physical possession or practical control of the car.
“In fact, the vehicle has been inoperable since 2021, through the relevant date and to the present day,” he penned. “It is still in the process of being restored and converted into an electric vehicle at the workshop.”
Sheeran also apologised for wasting the court’s time, but insisted he never received the DVLA’s initial offer of an out-of-court fine, which he insisted he would have paid straight away.
