Private plates on SORN vehicles

TheEmerald

The deceased took his car off the road several years ago, DVLA have said the private plates cannot be reassigned unless the  vehicle has an MOT which will not happen. Probate has not been obtained yet but the plates were to go to a family member. 
Has anyone else been in this situation and been able to transfer the plates?
Any help would really be appreciated 
Thank you

SeniorSam

Surely an MOT certificate is only needed if the vehicle is to be driven on the road. As such I believe you may have been given the wrong information, so do check it out.

Explain that the vehicle in question is not to be used on the road and transfer of the plates ownership now is a question of the terms of the Will. If the Will mentions the plates, no problem, but if it does not, then the plates now belong to the named beneficiary/s.

Although a real bother, it may result in copies of the Will and Probate being needed before application to change ownership. The plates themselves should be transferable with the appropriate forms, so keep trying.

Ayr_Rage

@SeniorSam, please do not speculate regarding the MOT, there are various factors to take into account including the fact it must be able to move under its own power, which sounds as if it could be an issue.

The rules are here and the vehicle will first have to have ownership transferred.

https://www.gov.uk/personalised-vehicle-registration-numbers/take-private-number-off

Keep_pedalling

If by several years you mean more than 5 then I am afraid the existing vehicle will need to be taxed before it can be transferred and it can’t be taxed without having an MOT. 

if the value of the number plate is less than the cost of getting the SORNed car roadworthy then the bequest is not worth anything. Before a transfer can take place the new owner needs to have a car ready to take it he plate, so it is not a case of just handing over the plate to the beneficiary.

https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/106065/how-to-transfer-a-number-plate-from-one-car-to-another#:~:text=The%20vehicle%20must%20have%20been,these%20can%27t%20be%20transferred.

I would just speak to the beneficiary and ask them what they want to do. If they want the number plate they are going to have to take on sorting out the existing car.

Ayr_Rage

Another question, does the will specify who gets the actual car ?

Whoever inherits the car will have to comply with all the requirement I posted in the link above and only once that has been done will the registration number be able to be transferred to another vehicle or put on retention.

Do remember all that has to be completed before the vehicle is scrapped if that is likely to be its final destination, otherwise the registration number goes on the same final journey never to be seen again.

Alphatauri

Before a transfer can take place the new owner needs to have a car ready to take it he plate, so it is not a case of just handing over the plate to the beneficiary.

This is not correct. What you can do is take the cherished number plate off the current car and hold it as owner. At a later time it can then be transferred to a new car. I have done this several times before selling a car and buying a new one. It’s a bit of a faff as you have to change tax and insurance both times.

TheEmerald

Thank you  everyone for all your contributions.

I did contact the DVLA a little while ago and was told as it was SORN over 5 years ago it would have to have a current MOT.
The plates and the car are being separated. I believe, after my discussion,  if I obtain a new V5C and the subsequent owner puts the car back on the road I would then be able to transfer the plates. Does this seem possible?  
The situation is complicated because although there is some monetary value to the plates it is far outweighed by the emotional  attachment to the deceased.
I would be grateful for any further comments.

Savvy_Sue

While I can see the sentimental value of the plates might make me sound horribly pragmatic, I'm not sure I'd want to go through the whole palaver of transferring them to a different car - certainly in this situation. So I'd probably remove, clean them up, and mount (one of) them on the wall, possibly with a photo of the dear departed person and / or their car.

I once saw an amazing artwork, where old tax discs had been re-arranged in the shape of the old banger they'd belonged to. The owner had kept them ...

400ixl

To correct one of the posts above, you do not need a vehicle ready to transfer the plates onto. You can move the plate (once the vehicle has met the requirements MOT etc being discussed) onto a retention certificate which costs £80 to do and is valid for 10 years (can be renewed every 10 years for no fee.

nokia1100

Find an "easy" MOT place. The sort of place that puts 12 months on a car abandoned on a residential street long enough for weeds to start growing in the detritus around the tyres. Then put the plate on retention.

Ayr_Rage

nokia1100 said:

Find an "easy" MOT place. The sort of place that puts 12 months on a car abandoned on a residential street long enough for weeds to start growing in the detritus around the tyres. Then put the plate on retention.

Not quite that simple, it still needs to be able to move under its own power and could be subject to inspection.