It’s not as simple as just tracking down the car in question and buying it for the plate. If the car was SORN’d before it was out of date for MOT you stand a chance. The DVLA changed how plate transfer works to prevent people buying cars from breakers etc just to get their hands on a specific plate. I have just gone through this process to take a cherished plate off one of my vehicles that HAD been SORN’d prior to the MOT expiring. I was informed if the car had not been SORN’d the car in question would need to be re-MOT’d before the plate could be transferred off it. This was in the last 3 weeks. It is worth passing this info on if you have friends with cherished plates on vehicles that may never see the light of day again as they could lose the reg completely! A registration mark can never be reissued if the vehicle ceases to exist, you cannot just approach the DVLA and ask them to pass it on as the original vehicle no longer exists. In short, the car dies, so does the reg. could be a terrible shame if someone spent good money on a plate and could lose it by lack of knowledge. This info came direct via phone from the DVLA on the 26th of last month when my vehicle was sold and cherished plate removed.