The Number Plate Guide - how to value

Transcription

© Number plateguide.co.uk
Page 1 of 135
How to use this guide .................................... 10
A tip for using this guide ............................... 11
How to value your number plate.................... 12
What is my cherished number plate worth?.................................12
What type of number plate is it?................................................13
Prefix ..................................................................................13
Suffix ..................................................................................13
Dateless ..............................................................................14
Irish ....................................................................................14
New style.............................................................................15
The meaning of number plates ..................................................16
Name number plates .............................................................16
Word number plates..............................................................16
Initial number plates .............................................................17
Car number plates ................................................................17
How to find your number plate’s meaning...................................18
Autonumerology ......................................................................19
What is Autonumerology? ......................................................19
How does it work? ................................................................19
How has autonumerology evolved? .........................................20
Number plate phonetics............................................................21
What is number plate phonetics? ............................................21
How does it work? ................................................................21
Why is it different to autonumerology? ....................................21
How can it help me?..............................................................22
The “initial” check....................................................................23
Abbreviations, phonetics and “text speak” ..................................23
Look-alike number plates .........................................................24
Page 2 of 135
Using the “number plate alphabet” ............................................25
Look in the mirror....................................................................26
Phone a friend.........................................................................26
Counting the digits ..................................................................27
Counting the letters .................................................................27
Researching the price...............................................................28
Assess similar plates for sale with dealers ................................29
Historical auction prices .........................................................30
FREE number plate valuations ...................................................31
Not all valuations are created equal ........................................31
Doing the maths – can you afford a FREE valuation? .................32
How much did you pay for your plate? .......................................33
Did you buy your number plate from the DVLA? .......................33
Who will buy your plate? ..........................................................34
What price can they afford? ...................................................34
Is your plate worth more if you sell it with your car? ....................35
Is your plate worth more as part of a set or a pair? .....................35
Does your plate require illegal spacing to give it meaning? ...........36
The negotiating buffer ..............................................................36
How to value your plate – step by step.......................................37
The 4 fatal mistakes when valuing a number plate.......................38
A final word on number plate valuation ......................................40
Page 3 of 135
How to advertise your number plate ............. 41
Where to advertise your number plate .......................................41
Should you use a dealer or “do it yourself”? ................................41
Number plate dealers ...............................................................43
Commission .........................................................................43
Private advertising ...................................................................44
Classifieds............................................................................45
Going direct .........................................................................45
Friends and family ................................................................46
How to advertise your number plate through a dealer ..................47
Is using a number plate dealer right for you? ...........................47
How to choose a number plate dealer......................................48
Setting the asking price .........................................................48
The sales process .................................................................49
How to advertise your number plate privately .............................50
Where to advertise................................................................50
EBay ...................................................................................50
Classifieds............................................................................50
Number plate classifieds ........................................................51
Make your own website .........................................................52
What to say in your number plate advert....................................52
Tailor the advert to your target buyers ....................................53
Keep the wording short and informative ..................................53
Calls to action ......................................................................54
ONO OVNO Offers .................................................................54
Email or phone?....................................................................55
Number plate specific email address........................................55
How to take the perfect picture ..............................................56
Why sell your number plate privately .........................................57
Save time and money............................................................57
Get more for your plate .........................................................57
Simplicity and speed. ............................................................58
Control ................................................................................58
Page 4 of 135
How to sell your number plate....................... 59
The 6 facts for selling number plates..........................................60
How long to sell a number plate ................................................61
Why most number plates don’t sell quickly and what you can do
about it ..................................................................................62
How to get a quicker sale .........................................................63
Define your buyer .................................................................63
Don’t drop the price ..............................................................63
Broaden your horizons...........................................................63
Go direct. ............................................................................64
Add a picture........................................................................64
Can I sell my number plate? .....................................................65
Advertising your number plate ..................................................66
Asking price .........................................................................66
How it's advertised. ..............................................................67
You reap what you sow..........................................................67
DVLA fees and a set of number plates ........................................68
Negotiating the price................................................................68
Closing the deal.......................................................................68
How to transfer your number plate ............... 69
Can I transfer my number plate? ...............................................69
Transfer criteria.......................................................................70
How to apply for the transfer ....................................................70
What happens after you have sent the application .......................71
How long does the process take? ...............................................71
What to do if you do not have the V5C .......................................72
Page 5 of 135
What to do if your vehicle is untaxed .........................................72
Renewing your tax at the point of transfer ..................................72
Will the DVLA inspect my vehicle?..............................................73
I am transferring my number plate to a new unregistered vehicle..73
Proof of identity ....................................................................73
Proof of address ...................................................................73
Tell the insurance company ......................................................74
Number plate retention ............................................................75
Can I retain my number plate? ...............................................75
Can I retain my number plate if my vehicle isn’t taxed? .............75
How to retain a number plate....................................................76
What it costs ........................................................................76
The retention certificate ...........................................................76
Retention certificate expiry ....................................................77
The beginners guide to number plates........... 78
What is a number plate?...........................................................78
Why do we have number plates? ...............................................78
Vehicle identification .............................................................78
Crime prevention & detection .................................................79
Revenue collection ................................................................79
Why do we need them? ............................................................79
Types of number plate .............................................................80
Dateless number plates .........................................................80
Suffix number plates .............................................................80
Prefix number plates .............................................................81
New Style number plates .......................................................81
Irish number plates...............................................................81
Dateless number plates ............................................................82
What are dateless number plates? ..........................................82
Why are they called dateless number plates? ...........................82
Page 6 of 135
How much are dateless number plates worth? ..........................82
Who buys dateless number plates? .........................................83
Suffix number plates................................................................84
What are suffix number plates? ..............................................84
How much are they worth? ....................................................84
Who buys suffix number plates? .............................................85
Prefix number plates ................................................................86
What are Prefix number plates? ..............................................86
Who buys Prefix number plates? .............................................87
New style number plates ..........................................................88
What are new style number plates?.........................................88
Who buys new style number plates?........................................89
Irish number plates .................................................................90
What are Irish number plates? ...............................................90
How much are Irish plates worth? ...........................................90
Who buys Irish number plates? ..............................................90
Number plate issue dates .........................................................91
Suffix number plate issue dates ..............................................91
Prefix number plate issue dates ..............................................92
New style number plate issue dates ........................................93
Area identifiers .....................................................................96
I,Q and Z explained .................................................................97
Number plate terminology ........................................................98
Number plate fonts & spacing ................................................. 101
Number plate spacing- why does it matter? ........................... 101
Number plate font............................................................... 102
Number plates for vehicles constructed before 1st January 1973
........................................................................................ 102
Imported vehicle number plate sizes ..................................... 103
Motorbike number plates ..................................................... 103
Penalties for breaking number plate regulations...................... 103
ANPR automatic number plate recognition ................................ 104
Page 7 of 135
Number plates and the congestion charge ................................ 105
Illegal private number plates................................................... 106
Number plate spacing.......................................................... 106
Number plate size ............................................................... 106
Number plate font............................................................... 106
Number plate fixings ........................................................... 106
Diplomatic number plates ....................................................... 107
United Kingdom Diplomatic Number Plates............................. 107
Acrylic number plates............................................................. 109
Number plate flags ................................................................ 110
Regulatory / professional bodies .............................................. 111
Why are they necessary? ..................................................... 111
Which are the main professional bodies?................................ 111
Where can I find out more?.................................................. 112
MIRAD - The Institute of Registration Agents &Dealers............... 112
CNDA the Cherished Numbers Dealer Association ...................... 113
RMIF Retail Motor Industry Federation...................................... 115
Number plate security ............................................................ 117
Number plate theft.............................................................. 117
Number plate cloning .......................................................... 119
How can I protect myself from number plate theft / number plate
cloning?............................................................................. 119
Registration numbers club ...................................................... 120
HISTORY ........................................................................... 120
Number plate Rally ................................................................ 121
DVLA ................................................................................... 123
DVLC................................................................................. 123
DVLA personalised number plates ............................................ 125
DVLA select number plates................................................... 125
DVLA number plate auction..................................................... 127
Page 8 of 135
Number plate market ............................................................. 128
Number plate dealers ............................................................. 130
DVLA Resellers ................................................................... 130
Number plate trader............................................................ 131
Number plate web directory .................................................... 132
Number plate Dealers.......................................................... 132
Number plate Classifieds...................................................... 133
Number plate Forums.......................................................... 134
Number plate Information sites ............................................ 134
Number plate Galleries ........................................................ 134
Number plate Makers .......................................................... 134
Number plate Clubs............................................................. 135
Official Websites ................................................................. 135
Page 9 of 135
How to use this guide
Our guides are designed to provide you with
information relating to number plates – whether you
are buying, selling or attempting to value your
number plate.
Whilst every effort is made to ensure the information
in our guides remains up to date and accurate there
is a possibility that between publication of the guide
and your purchase that some of the data may be
inaccurate.
For this reason we highlight that our guides are
to be used to SUPPLEMENT official DVLA
procedures, guides and instructions- not to
REPLACE them.
For more information please visit the DVLA website.
We hope you enjoy reading the guide and find it
useful. Thank you for your purchase.
Regards,
The Number Plate Guide team
Page 10 of 135
A tip for using this guide
As a PDF e-book, this guide is designed to be as information
rich as possible, but that means a high word count and a
high page count.
Although each section is designed to be as clear as possible,
sometimes it can be tricky to find the information you need
as quickly as you’d like and for that purpose we’ve included
this note.
How to find what you need
PDF documents have the facility “find” and search for words
and phrases.
• If you click “ctrl” and “f” you will be taken to a search
box and in this you can type in what you need to find –
much like a search engine.
For example – you want to find information on “word
number plates” – if you press “ctrl” and “f” and then type
“word number plates” and press enter – every section in the
book containing information on word number plates will be
displayed.
Page 11 of 135
How to value your number plate
What is my cherished number plate worth?
Knowing the value of your number plate, or at least how to
value can be very difficult to ascertain – not least because
all number plates are unique which makes comparable prices
helpful but not wholly indicative of value.
There are a number of steps you can take to research and
explore the potential value of your number plate.
By investing a little time and effort you may be rewarded
with a realistic and justifiable value for which your plate is
worth.
The number plate market- much like the housing marketlargely dictates prices- with previous car registration number
plate sales giving an indication of market sentiment and the
potential value of similar registration plates.
Selling personal number plates is all about finding the right
buyer- the number plate “H4GRO” could have little or no
value to most but if your surname of first name is HAGRO
then suddenly the potential value of this cherished plate is
increased- it's all about meaning and relevance.
This guide is designed to help you discover the meaning and
relevance of your number plate, as well as the prices for
“similar” number plates as an overall guide to obtaining a
valuation figure.
Page 12 of 135
What type of number plate is it?
The type of number plate plays a large part in its potential
value. At the time of writing there are 5 different types of
number plate available in the UK.
Prefix
Prefix number plates are still available to buy from the
DVLA – this keeps the value of most of them
suppressed as the market is so full of choice.
Prefix number plates with fewer numbers and earlier
issues are becoming more valuable as the choice direct
from the DVLA is so vast it drives the prices of rarer
plates which have already been issued.
Suffix
As suffix number plates are not available to purchase
from the DVLA this keeps their value higher than
similar prefix number plates by virtue of their rarity.
Suffix number plates have the benefit of being able to
be registered to older vehicles which is not possible
with Prefix number plates.
Page 13 of 135
Dateless
As their name suggest; dateless number plates have no
date of issue attached to them which makes them ideal
for disguising a vehicle’s age.
Depending on the combination, the value of dateless
number plates can vary widely.
“number 1” number plates and dateless number plates
with as few letters and numbers as possible tend to be
the most valuable – examples such as “A1” and “F1”
are some of the most expensive number plates in
circulation.
Irish
Generally less expensive than dateless number plates,
Irish number plates do not have an obvious date of
issue attached to them – making them also suitable for
disguising a vehicle’s age.
As Irish number plates use the characters “I” and “Z”
there is a lower chance of “spelling” names and words
with them – for that reason Irish number plates can be
some of the cheapest in the market place.
Page 14 of 135
New style
Similar to prefix number plates – new style number
plates are readily available from the DVLA directly and
as such the market is awash with combinations and
prices are quite low due to the high supply level.
As this style of number plate restricts the number of
possible names or words that can be “spelt” on the
number plate it has resulted in a lesser demand than
prefix number plates experienced when they first went
on sale.
That said, great combinations such as PO51BLY and
MU51CAL are examples of high value new style number
plates – and proof that there are some great
combinations available.
Page 15 of 135
The meaning of number plates
The cornerstone of your number plate’s value will hinge
upon the number plates’ “meaning” - i.e. the significance it
would have to a potential purchaser.
Number plates spelling words or names, as well as those
with initials which relate to certain groups such as football
clubs (efc / lfc etc) or vehicle owners (bmw/vw etc)
Broadly speaking your number plate will fall into one of 4
categories depending on the combination – we outline those
categories below.
Name number plates
Does your number plate spell a name, nickname or
surname?
If so these can be some of the most valuable number
plates in circulation. So long as a special font or
spacing isn’t required to make the name your number
plate will hold some real value and have a wide appeal.
Don’t forget that not only English names can be spelt
with number plates.
Word number plates
As with name number plates above, if your number
plate spells a word (and don’t forget non English words
count here too – use Google to be sure) then your
number plate has a value.
Page 16 of 135
Word number plates have a narrower audience than
name number plates but superb combinations such as
MU51CAL can command high prices.
Initial number plates
Unless the initials in the number plate are broad or
otherwise famous (OMG/FAB/BBC) or you have an
“initial” dateless number plate, then the value for initial
number plates tends to be lower as there are so many
examples readily available from the DVLA for as little as
£250.
That’s not to say all initial number plates are low value
but the trend is such – a thorough check of similar
number plate prices will shed light onto this issue.
Car number plates
There is always a market for car related number plates
and sometimes its worthwhile selling your car number
plate with the car or directly to an owners club member
who will place a higher value on the number plate as it
means more to him/her.
Obvious car number plates containing AMG BMW or
AUD are the most popular but with many different
manufacturers and models of vehicle available it’s
advisable that you Google your number plate’s letters
to be 100% sure nothing is missed here.
Page 17 of 135
How to find your number plate’s meaning
You may already be sure that your number plate spells your
name, a word or relates to the vehicle but then again you
may not.
The best first stop for researching your number plate is to
Google it – both as a whole number plate and in sections.
This might seem like an obvious thing to do but just
Googling your number plate may not yield much information
– you will need to dig a little deeper.
For example –
If you have the number plate B12 ALP you Google “ALP”
and find this stands for “the association of learning
providers” and the Australian Labour party etc….
If you then Google “B12” you will find only results for
vitamins are returned.
But then if you Google the entire number plate “B12ALP”
you will find that the BMW tuners “Alpina” produce a B12
model and your number plate would be ideal for one of their
owners.
With this information you could directly advertise the plate
for sale with the BMW / Alpina owners clubs or in their
magazines to be sure to maximize the sale price of your
plate.
It is important most of your time is spent establishing
precisely the meaning of your number plate as it’s very easy
to under-value your number plate and miss out on it’s true
value.
Page 18 of 135
Autonumerology
What is Autonumerology?
Autonumerology was the brainchild of Noel Woodall in the
60's when number plates as status symbols were in their
infancy.
Noel realised that some letters and numbers are
interchangeable and as such you can “spell” words and
names using number plates - which gives you far more
choice when trying to find an ideal plate.
It also adds value to certain number plates as they begin to
“spell” names, words or phrases.
How does it work?
Using the following list of interchangeable characters- Noel
realised that vast numbers of words could be spelt with
letters and numbers
D can be represented by 0
I or L can be represented by 1
R or Z can be represented by 2
E can be represented by 3
A, D, H can be represented by 4
S can be represented by 5
G or B can be represented by6
T or Y can be represented by 7
A or B can be represented by 8
G can be represented by 9
U or H can be represented by 11
R can be represented by 12
B can be represented by 13
Page 19 of 135
N can be represented by 1V
0 can be represented by D,6,8, or 9
W can be represented by VV
U can be represented by V
To give you an example- the name James could be spelt in
the following ways.
By substituting 3 for E and S for 5 - there are three ways to
spell James.
Notice that autonumerology is chiefly concerned with the
perfect spelling of words on number plates- JAM355 wouldn't
appear, for example.
How has autonumerology evolved?
Little was it realised that number plates would grow in
popularity to such a stage where millions of combinations
would be available to buy from the DVLA.
This greatly altered autonumerology which then helped
hapless number plate buyers spell "alternative" number
plates.
Where autonumerology was mainly concerned with perfectly
spelling words- the scarcity of quality combinations led to a
revision of the autonumerology alphabet and the
introduction of number plate phonetics.
Page 20 of 135
Number plate phonetics
What is number plate phonetics?
Number plate phonetics is taking Autonumerology to another
level. By using letters and numbers you can "spell" words but what happens when the perfect “spelling” of your
desired word isn't available to buy?
Number plate phonetics is spelling phonetical variations of
words - using autonumerology, (not as complicated as that
sounds!)
For example- let's say you want to spell the name Hugo.
Hugo as a number plate simply wont work as it doesn’t fit
the various number plate styles - so phonetics works well
here- using 3 as E you can spell HEWGO or H3WGO - which
is a phonetical spelling of HUGO – and ultimately means the
number plate reads as hugo.
How does it work?
Using the autonumerology alphabet of interchangeable
characters- one can create multiple and unique phonetic
spellings which are likely to be available to buy and be
reasonably priced.
Why is it different to autonumerology?
Number plate phonetics differs from autonumerology as it
discards traditional spellings of words for their phonetic
alternatives- this gives much more choice to anyone wishing
to buy a number plate and it has a very similar result as
buying a non phonetical number plate.
Page 21 of 135
How can it help me?
As some of the best number plate combinations are either
not available for sale, too expensive or simply not viable
then number plate phonetics helps to bring some choice to
the proceedings.
By looking at phonetical spellings of words- it's safe to say a
large number of combinations will be available and the
asking prices far more reasonable- some great phonetic
number plates are available to buy directly from the DVLA
Registrations website for just £250.
Page 22 of 135
The “initial” check
If your number plate contains only your initials or has no
word / name or associated meaning then there is a higher
chance of it having a lower value.
The only exception here would be dateless style number
plates with initials (such as JY1 or JRY 123) this is because
dateless number plates themselves have a greater value.
It’s always worth checking the initials on your number plate
aren’t a well known acronym or group abbreviation that is
only known to its members – a quick internet search will
confirm either way.
Abbreviations, phonetics and “text speak”
OMG, did you realize your number plate could have a GR8
meaning that u just didn’t think of?
You may have checked your number plate’s meaning and
used phonetics and autonumerology but not come up with
much – but abbreviations such as these could mean your
plate has value
ADM
JMS
LCY
Adam
James
Lucy
Most abbreviations of this type are recognizable as the main
word but are missing one or more vowels.
Page 23 of 135
Look-alike number plates
It stands to reason that there can be only one J4MES, only
one JAM3S and only one JAM35 – each of these is the
“ultimate” way of spelling James on a number plate.
In addition to such ultimate plates there would also be
“look-alike” versions such as…
J14MES / J44MES / J444MES / J144MES / J8MES / J17MES
- and many more.
Although these number plates aren’t the ultimate spellings
they still read as they are suppose to and on that basis they
have value.
As all number plates are unique, various techniques such as
supplicating letters or numbers are employed to achieve a
similar effect but for less money.
These techniques also allow some choice and mean that if
you can’t afford or find your ideal number plate - you have
some choice and some alternatives.
Page 24 of 135
Using the “number plate alphabet”
As number plates are composed of letters and numbers an
alphabet and set of phonetics have evolved to allow more
words and names to be “spelt” in a number plate.
If your number plate has no clear meaning then use the
“number plate alphabet” to rewrite your plate to perhaps
discover its hidden meaning.
D can be represented by 0
I or L can be represented by 1
R or Z can be represented by 2
E can be represented by 3
A, D, H can be represented by 4
S can be represented by 5
G or B can be represented by6
T or Y can be represented by 7
A or B can be represented by 8
G can be represented by 9
U or H can be represented by 11
R can be represented by 12
B can be represented by 13
N can be represented by 1V
0 can be represented by D,6,8, or 9
W can be represented by VV
U can be represented by V
An example of this would be:
The number plate M12MAN – using the number plate
alphabet and replacing the 12 for a letter “R” this becomes
MRMAN – so long as you can add meaning to your number
plate you will be able to add value.
Page 25 of 135
Look in the mirror
Some numberplate’s meaning can be found in its mirror
image and how other motorists will read it in their rear view
mirror.
There are some people who like the idea of having a
personalised number plate that isn’t obvious but has a
striking effect on those who see it in their mirror.
A great example of a “mirror” number plate would be:
55OB (BOSS)
Our advice is to get your mirror out and check out your plate
– you may be very surprised!
Phone a friend
When valuing your plate, a second opinion can really help
you as it’s always possible to miss something.
It’s worth emailing your friends or asking your Facebook
contacts what they thing your number plate could mean –
it’s always interesting to see the results and potentially
rewarding if it helps you define your potential buyers.
You may even find a buyer through a friend of a friend as a
result!
Page 26 of 135
Counting the digits
If your number plate doesn’t spell a word or name or have
any direct meaning then it’s value will depend on the letters
and numbers - how many of them and what they are.
Consecutive, pairs and triple figures are more popular
(valuable) as are low numbers.
If your number plate is a dateless or Irish number plate has
no other meaning – then its value hinges on having as few
letters and numbers as possible.
For example – The number plate CCC111 would be worth
more than the plate CCC131 because of the duplicate digits.
Likewise the number plate CCC11 would be worth more than
CCC111 because it has less digits.
Counting the letters
Again – less is more here – this concerns only dateless and
Irish number plates as the letters in prefix, suffix and new
style number plates are fixed.
If you have a prefix or suffix number plate then you will
have 3 letters – in this instance pairs or triple letters are
most valuable if there is no other meaning to your number
plate.
For example – The number plate DFR10 is worth less than
the number plate DF10, and the plate DF10 is worth less
than D10 – the number of digits being the main factor in the
value.
.
Page 27 of 135
Researching the price
As a further tool to determining the value of your number
plate it’s worth investigating historical and comparable
prices as a starting point.
Whilst all number plates are different and the price of similar
number plates isn’t conclusive it’s certainly a step in the
right direction.
Remember that you may find the same number plates for
sale at different prices at different dealers – so average
these prices where possible to give yourself a more realistic
value.
Things to consider when researching the price of similar
number plates for sale:
Find number plates with similar meanings
If your number plate has meaning to bankers then consider
other similar plates such as those spelling money, FTSE,
forex etc – a bit of logical thinking will help this process.
Find number plates with similar letters / numbers
If you hold the combination A1ABC – then see what A2ABC
and A1ABD are worth – the more research you can do – the
better.
Page 28 of 135
Assess similar plates for sale with dealers
As all number plates are unique – similar plates are the best
and perhaps the only starting point for a comparative price.
The term similar is slightly ambiguous and depends on your
particular number plate but the following examples should
help
Basically when trying to find similar plates it’s wise to keep
as much of your number plate as possible and change
maybe one or two numbers firstly – and then the letters.
Finding number plates as close to your combination is your
aim here – these examples should help you:
Your number plate
Similar number plates
ABC123
J4MES
ABC234 / 123ABC
J14MES / J44MES / JAM3S
Use our number plate web directory to find number plate
dealer websites to help with the research.
And remember that the same number plates can be
advertised at different dealers for different prices – this will
impact your comparisons.
Page 29 of 135
Historical auction prices
The DVLA publish their historical auction prices online and
this is another great tool that can help you value your plate.
http://dvlaregistrations.direct.gov.uk/search/previous-auction-plates.html
DVLA auction prices don’t include the “buyers” premium and
other charges so the actual price paid on the day at the
auction is always more than the “hammer price” which is
displayed on the DVLA auction website.
Nonetheless it’s a great resource to check as some of these
number plates are sold at auction and never resurface in the
private market.
DVLA auction prices tend to be lower than prices at number
plate dealers for the same plates.
Generally number plate traders and investors buy number
plates speculatively at auction to then sell via the dealers –
adding their markup in the process.
Despite a bigger marketing effort the DVLA attract only a
small number of the general public to each auction.
Page 30 of 135
FREE number plate valuations
Most if not all number plate dealers offer to value your
number plate for you for free.
The thinking behind this being that they would like to offer
to sell your number plate on your behalf and take a % of the
sale as there commission.
In doing so they operate very much like an estate agent but
as their commission is “loaded” into the final selling price of
the number plate it should be approached with caution.
The valuation price is often what you will be paid for the
number plate and not the asking price which will be
displayed on their website.
Not all valuations are created equal
Free valuations are a great tool for initially establishing the
value of your number plate but it’s always advisable to
obtain as many as possible – certainly a minimum of three and then average the figures your receive.
It stands to reason that for an item such as number plates
where there is no official guideline on value, that differing
research and opinions will elicit different valuations.
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Doing the maths – can you afford a FREE valuation?
If you own a number plate and request a valuation from a
dealer you will most likely be told the plate is valued at £xxx
but that they will advertise it on their website for £yyy.
The curious thing here being if someone is willing to pay
£yyy for your number plate why should you be happy to only
accept £xxx and pay the difference to the dealer for their
time?
The answer here is that the dealer not only has a broad
advertising reach, but that they make the process smooth
for you and handle the paperwork.
Example
You own the number plate H3LLO. You have been told by the dealer
they will pay you £1000 when the number plate sells – but they
advertise the plate on their website for £2750.
For the effort involved in advertising the number plate privately you
could received £2750 instead of £1000 – but you have to decide if the
reward if worth the effort for you personally.
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How much did you pay for your plate?
The amount you paid for the plate is another key indicator.
If the number plate came with your vehicle it’s impossible to
determine how much you “paid” for it but certainly if you
have purchased your number plate from a dealer or the
DVLA then using this figure along with the value of similar
number plates for sale give you a grounding for your
number plate valuation.
Also consider here how long ago you purchased the number
plate and that with inflation over time the value of the price
paid will have eroded.
Did you buy your number plate from the DVLA?
It stands to reason that most personalised number plates
originate as a £250 purchase from the DVLA directly which
makes you inclined to believe your number plate is worth at
least £250.
Although you may have purchased a number plate from the
DVLA for £250 or more – unless it spells a name, a word or
has a meaning which would add value to it then chances are
there are still very similar versions of the plate for sale at
the DVLA which drives down the price of your number plate.
For example
if your number plate is your initials (for example B2BGH) and the other
B?BGH plates remain on sale at the DVLA for £250 then to attract a
buyer to your particular plate it stands to reason that you may need to
make your plate slightly cheaper to attract a buyer away from the
DVLA.
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Who will buy your plate?
Once you have established the meaning of your number
plate you are better placed to consider who would actually
buy your number plate, for what reason and thus how much
they can afford to pay.
It’s an old adage that something is only worth what
someone is willing to pay for it – so this paragraph confirms
this message and confirms it’s worth considering who will
buy your number plate and not just it’s value.
What price can they afford?
If your number plate is very specific – a car related number
plate for example – then it’s worth looking into similar car
related number plates to get a feel for generally how much
these number plates are worth.
A name or word number plate which will have a greater
meaning to a potential purchaser naturally commands a
higher price due to rarity and the determination of buyers to
secure their “ideal” number plate.
Less specific number plates such as dateless number plates
with no direct meaning are generally bought by those
looking to mask the age of their vehicle and as such they are
willing to commit less money to this cause than if they were
to buy a number plate which spells their name.
Page 34 of 135
Is your plate worth more if you sell it with your car?
Possibly. This mainly works for car related number plates
and can also be a great way to sell your number plate
without the usual paperwork involved.
You will have a clear idea of your vehicle’s value and will
base your asking price around this figure.
If for example you are selling a BMW and the number plate
includes the letters “BMW” you can estimate the value of the
plate using this guide and then add that figure (or more) to
the asking price of your vehicle.
Selling the car and the plate in such a way will give added
value to your potential purchaser- you can place a slight
premium on the value for the convenience of purchasing
both the plate and the car together.
Is your plate worth more as part of a set or a pair?
In rare cases number plates can form part of a set or a pair.
Selling a pair or set of number plates gives the potential
purchaser more convenience as you have invested the time
and effort finding the separate plates and putting them
together.
For this reason selling plates in pairs or sets attracts a
slightly higher premium – although potential purchasers
looking to buy more than one plate will be thinner on the
ground.
If you are able to find a potential purchaser the benefit of
buying the set will almost certainly justify the higher price
and can be used in negotiations.
Page 35 of 135
Does your plate require illegal spacing to give it
meaning?
If your number plate needs illegal spacing or a non standard
font for it to read as a name or word then the value of your
number plate will be seriously affected.
The DVLA and the police have become increasingly vigilant
in the past few years at penalizing those who mis-space or
mis-represent their number plates – it’s against the law and
on that basis we advise against it entirely.
The negotiating buffer
The final thing to consider when putting a value on your
number plate is that inevitably the purchaser will try to
negotiate the price with you.
Once you have established an approximate value for your
number plate – it’s worth establishing two prices – the one
for which you will advertise the number plate and the lower
value which will represent the least amount you will be
happy selling the plate for.
So long as when you sell your number plate you are within
these boundaries you will remain happy and can be sure you
haven’t undersold your number plate.
Page 36 of 135
How to value your plate – step by step
This guide has lots of tips and tricks for uncovering the true
meaning and thus value of your number plate – all of this
information can be reduced to 6 simple steps
1. Establish your number plate’s “meaning”
What “style “is your number plate?
Does it spell a word, name or initials?
If it doesn’t are there a low number of digits
/ letters?
Are there any pairs or triple digits / letters?
Does it contain any abbreviations?
Is it a look-alike number plate?
Look at your plate using a mirror – does it
have a meaning now?
Ask your friends for their opinion
2. Assess the value of similar number plates
Research the number plate dealers and the
DVLA for similar number plates for sale.
3. Obtain free valuations from number plate dealers
4. Consider what you paid for the number plate
5. Consider who will buy your number plate
Consider what they could afford.
6. Include a buffer in the valuation for any negotiating
at the point of sale.
Page 37 of 135
The 4 fatal mistakes when valuing a number plate
1. Insufficient valuations
It makes sense that obtaining 1 or more free number plate
valuations will help you in “ball parking” your number plate’s
value.
If you only get one valuation or don’t bother at all then you
are not giving yourself the best chance of finding your
number plate’s true value.
2. The wrong meaning
Some number plates have more than one meaning or can
spell more than one name or word.
Different meanings carry different values – it makes sense
you are advertising your number plate relevant to the
meaning which gives it the most value.
Example – A1 DAN – this is worth money to someone called “DAN”
but it’s the ultimate number plate for “AIDAN” – Dan would pay £500
for this plate but Aidan would pay £3000…
Page 38 of 135
3. Not enough research
It’s all too easy to not discover the true meaning of your
number plate and under-value it. It stands to reason the
amount of effort you put into researching the meaning of
your number plate
Example – B12ALP only appeals to someone with the initials “ALP” –
worth perhaps £3-400. But the owner of an Alpina B12 would pay
£1500++ for such a number plate…
4. Unrealistic pricing
You may have a deep emotional attachment to your number
plate – perhaps it was a gift or a special treat – but the fact
is unless it has a meaning or significance to a potential
purchaser then it is worth more to you than to anyone else.
Example –J21JDN – this number plate was a 21st birthday gift
including the initials of the recipient. Sadly this number plate has no
other meaning and is valued at perhaps £2-300 whereas the current
owner considers the plate £1000+…
Page 39 of 135
A final word on number plate valuation
Valuing anything is an art and not a science.
Even the number plate dealers don’t know definitively how
much your number plate is worth although they have a
better idea thanks to their experience.
These pages give you ideas and exercises which will help
you collate enough information to value your own number
plate but ultimately it’s a combination of these factors.
There is no equation or sum that can give you a precise
figure – averaging information leads the way most of the
time.
The fact is the more time you can spend determining the
meaning of your number plate and the value of similar
plates for sale will ultimately reflect in the accuracy of your
number plate valuation – good luck!
Page 40 of 135
How to advertise your number plate
Where to advertise your number plate
You have 2 distinct choices when advertising your number
plate for sale. You can use a number plate dealer – much
like an estate agent – who will advertise the plate on your
behalf, negotiate a sale and then take a commission from
the selling price for their trouble.
Alternatively you can advertise your number plate privately
– handling everything yourself and placing adverts in the
classifieds.
The route you take will largely depend on how much time
and effort you are willing to put into the sale and the value
of your number plate.
Should you use a dealer or “do it yourself”?
The question to ask yourself here is really – are you willing
to invest time in advertising your number plate in the hope
of a better return.
And furthermore – is the monetary return worth the
investment of your time.
“I don’t have the time”
If you don’t have the time or inclination then number
plate dealers are perfectly suited to your needs – they
will value, advertise and sell your number plate and
you will only pay them when the plate sells as they
take their commission from the final price.
Page 41 of 135
“I don’t want to pay a commission”
Advertising privately could ultimately get you more
money for your number plate.
You will need to value the plate and place the advert(s)
but much like selling a car privately this isn’t
insurmountable and you could be rewarded for your
effort.
“I’m not sure”
If you truly aren’t sure then it’s probably worth trying
both to see what works for you.
Speak to a number plate dealer ref your number plate’s
potential value vs what they would sell it for - and
look into possible costs for advertising privately and
“doing it yourself”.
Both of these sets of information will help you make
your decision.
“Can I not do both?”
Depending on which number plate dealer you use, you
may or may not be obligated to only advertise with
them. If you can advertise privately and with a dealer
then this should be more affective.
It’s advisable to advertise your number plate for sale in
as many places as possible to maximise the chance of
sale.
Page 42 of 135
Number plate dealers
Number plate dealers have existed by 30 years + they
specialise in selling number plates on behalf of their clients
in much the same way estate agents will advertise your
house for sale.
Their sales staff are well versed in number plate prices and
the process of transferring and selling number plates – they
are able to transact the process from start to finish and do
so with great efficiency.
Commission
All of this comes at a price – the advertising, the offices, the
staff and expertise all cost money and as a business this has
to be recouped.
This is the role of the commission – usually a percentage
value of your number plate’s final price.
There is no question that the services provided by number
plate dealers are professional and useful – but not everyone
is happy to pay a commission and would rather “do it
themselves” this is particularly true for number plates of a
lower value where the commission would represent a larger
portion of the overall number plate’s asking price.
Pros
Easy to use
Wide advertising audience
Experienced and
professional
Cons
Commission payment may
be large
It may be no quicker to use
a dealer
Page 43 of 135
Private advertising
If using a number plate dealer isn’t for you then advertising
your number plate privately could provide a better return for
you.
As there will be no number plate commission to pay you
could get more money when your plate sells.
But bear in mind any advertising fees will eat away at any
potential profit.
There is always a cost for advertising and selling something
– typically the “do it yourself” method will cost less but will
require a little time and thought.
Pros
No commission to pay
Full control
Wide audience
Cons
Requires time & effort
Paperwork is perceived to
be complicated.
It’s worth noting that some number plate buyers won’t look for a
number plate using a dealer as they perceive them to be expensive.
Equally some buyers will only check the dealers as they don’t want the
“hassle” or purchasing a number plate privately.
Page 44 of 135
Classifieds
If you aren’t going to use a number plate dealer then
chances are that you will use classified advertising – either
in print, online, or both – to reach potential buyers and
ultimately sell your number plate.
You will have to pay for the advert(s) either weekly or
monthly until the number plate sells.
There are some free classified websites such as Gumtree to
consider and some “number plate classified” websites who
charge only one fee until the number plate sells.
Going direct
Finding potential customers directly means considering the
meaning of your number plate and then directly contacting
potential buyers.
The advantages here are that you can increase your chances
of a sale with minimal outlay (except postage).
We’re not advocating “spamming” hundreds of companies
but carefully considered prospects could help to sell your
number plate.
An example of this is if you have a boxing related number plate there
is nothing to stop you writing a letter to some boxing clubs offering the
plate for sale. They or their members may wish to purchase the
number plate as it interests them.
Page 45 of 135
Friends and family
Friends and family can be a useful way to find a potential
buyer for your number plate – and one that is often
overlooked.
They may know someone or be able to spread the word to
help you sell your number plate and eliminate any spending
on advertising completely.
Using word of mouth in this way can be a low cost and low
effort way to find a buyer for your number plate. There is
only a small chance you will find a buyer this way but it is
certainly worth considering.
You may also wish to incentivised your friends family by
giving them a percentage of the selling price.
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How to advertise your number plate through a dealer
To enlist the services of a number plate dealer you need
only pick up the telephone or send them an email.
Usually the process begins with a free valuation of your
number plate – once you agree to the price they value your
plate at and how much commission you will pay them upon
sale – the number plate is added to their website and
advertising and is offered for sale.
Is using a number plate dealer right for you?
The main consideration with dealers is that they offer the
“full service” approach to number plate advertising.
You will need to do very little to sell your number plate
which is very convenient,
However – what they do for you isn’t complicated and once
you have paid them a few hundred or even a few thousand
in commission you may wonder if the convenience was
worth the price.
To make this decision it’s best to request a valuation and
see how much commission the various dealers are asking
for.
You can then decide if you are happy to “lose out” on that
money when your number plate sells or not.
Page 47 of 135
How to choose a number plate dealer
There are many number plate dealers operating in the UK –
most if not all of them are mentioned in our number plate
directory.
As with any market there are some key players and it’s best
to approach these companies first and submit a valuation to
them – perhaps try 3 or 4 dealers.
You can find web addresses for most UK number plate
dealers in our number plate dealer directory.
You are looking to see not only speed of service – as this will
count when a buyer is trying to buy your number plate from
the same people - but also how much they value your
number plate for and the level of commission they are
seeking.
You are also wise to see who has the most or at least largest
advertisements in various car magazines or Sunday
newspapers – again the dealer with more advertising will
give your number plate a higher chance of being spotted by
a potential purchaser.
Setting the asking price
The dealer will give you a valuation – and you may have an
idea in your head of what your number plate is worth.
These days the number plate dealers will let you price your
number plate (within reason) as their primary motive is to
get your number plate on their website as all prices will
invariably be negotiated.
Page 48 of 135
Using our “how to value your number plate” guide will give
you an idea of what to consider when valuing your number
plate and thus how to set the asking price.
The main thing here is to always build in some kind of
negotiating buffer as you will invariably receive offers
instead of the full asking price.
The sales process
Once you have agreed to advertise your number plate with a
dealer they add it to their website and advertising and the
waiting game begins.
Depending on a number of factors it could take a few days
to a few months or even years before the right buyer comes
along.
As number plates are unique by nature and some are limited
in their appeal - this is reflected in the amount of time it can
take to sell a number plate.
Once a buyer is eventually found someone from the number
plate dealer will call you and let you know the price offered.
So the negotiation begins until a final price is agreed- all
negotiating is handled by the dealer and forms part of the
service that they offer.
With the price agreed, the number plate dealer will ask you
to complete the relevant paperwork for the reg transfer and
again guide you through this process.
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How to advertise your number plate privately
Where to advertise
Broadly speaking there are 4 options to pursue when
advertising your number plate privately.
You can advertise on eBay, in the classifieds, in the number
plate classifieds, or create your own website or means of
advertising the plate.
EBay
EBay has many thousands of number plates for sale at any
one time. With auctions lasting 1 – 10 days your number
plate will be seen by many thousands of potential buyers.
EBay has improved it’s offering recently and offers many
number plate specific criteria you can add to the advert and
the shear number of adverts on the site prove it’s a popular
way to privately advertise number plates.
It also suggests many people use eBay to find number
plates for sale.
www.ebay.co.uk
Classifieds
Classified advertising such as the Sunday Times or Gumtree
does not cater specifically for number plates but it does help
reach a large audience.
Page 50 of 135
Free classifieds such as Gumtree are a great addition to any
paid classified advertising you undertake but remember that
you will have to pay to relist your adverts and the costs can
soon mount up.
www.gumtree.co.uk
www.friday-ad.co.uk
www.preloved.co.uk
Number plate classifieds
Number plate classifieds such as www.smashing-plates.com
are designed with the number plate seller in mind.
They have number plate specific features and only charge a
one-off advertising charge. This means the cost of
advertising is capped.
They have not quite become mainstream yet but many
thousand of people use them to buy and sell number plates
privately and these numbers are increasing year on year.
www.numberplateclassifieds.co.uk
Page 51 of 135
Make your own website
From time to time some number plate sellers create their
own website to advertise their number plate.
This novel approach is eye catching but generally relies on a
classified or eBay advert to draw people in and on that note
seems to be of little merit.
If you do decide to make your own website then you will
need to purchase a “domain name” for example
www.yournumber plate.com
You will then need to create the site – perhaps using a free
service such as Google Sites (sites.google.com)
Although impressive, this approach seems ineffective when
compared to the time invested.
What to say in your number plate advert
When it comes to the advert wording, you will need to
consider a couple of factors to ensure what you right is
relevant and aimed at selling your number plate as quickly
as possible and at the right price.
To make the wording effective you will need to have
researched the meaning / relevance of your number plate
and have a broad idea about who may purchase the number
plate from you.
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Tailor the advert to your target buyers
If you have considered who will buy your number plate then
you are best to base your wording on these people.
Consider using different words – “value” instead of “cheap”
and “rare” instead of “insignificant”
Using a thesaurus will help you utilise the words and phrases
which will add most punch to your advert.
Bad example
Number plate for sale –spells the name Terry. Make me an offer.
Good example
Great opportunity to purchase a very rare “Terry” number plate. An
ideal gift or investment, this number plate is offered for sale at £7,500
but offers will be considered..
Keep the wording short and informative
The fact is most people will not read lengthy adverts so even
if your number plate has a 100 word + illustrious history I’m
afraid this will have to be reduced to a short paragraph.
Go for quality instead of quantity – use words like
opportunity, value, rare and special to grab the reader’s
attention.
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Calls to action
A “call to action” is a sales term used to encourage potential
buyers to take positive action to conclude the sale.
These can work well in your number plate advert but try not
to be too over the top.
Using words such as “chance”, “opportunity” and “now” are
a great starting point.
Example
“Don’t miss your chance to purchase the ultimate boxing number
plate”
ONO OVNO Offers
If you have spent time and effort valuing your number plate
then be sure to price it accordingly.
ONO and OVNO are great tools for attracting buyers and
letting them know they could negotiate a deal.
When using these selling tools - be careful to set your
boundaries before entering any negotiation – what is the
least amount of money you would be happy to accept? Stick
to these boundaries to avoid disappointment.
Rarely do potential purchasers enquire about number plates
for sale with no price and instead the word “offers”.
There is too great a fear you could offer too much and be
ripped off or too little and embarrass yourself. For this
reason be sure to include the price in your advert.
Page 54 of 135
Email or phone?
Email is generally preferable to giving out your telephone
number – and practical so you can reply to enquiries etc.
If you must give your telephone number be sure to advise
when is best to call to avoid calls at unsociable hours.
Using a mobile number also allows the use of text
messaging.
This can be less intrusive than a phone call and more
convenient for some people who prefer to text.
We usually recommend not using your personal email
address in the advert to avoid any spam email or similar.
Number plate specific email address
Some people prefer for their personal details not to be made
public and so opening a free email account with Hotmail or
GMAIL for the specific purpose of selling your number plate
is a great alternative.
Example - “yourplate”@hotmail.com
Page 55 of 135
How to take the perfect picture
When selling anything – including a picture is a great way to
enhance the advert and the chances it will be looked at.
If you look at classified adverts for number plates there are
a wide variety of images and graphics used to show the
number plate in its best light.
It is recommended that if possible you can photograph the
rear number plate on a vehicle and in good daylight.
The rear number plate is yellow and this colour contrast will
be more striking than the white front number plate.
Taking a photograph of an actual number plate helps
potential buyers to visualise this on their vehicle – and
chances are you will already have a set of number plates
which you can use.
When taking the photograph – ensure the number plate is as
central as possible and avoid any reflection that may be
created by the camera’s flash.
Page 56 of 135
Why sell your number plate privately
(And not through a dealer)
Save time and money
Selling your number plate via a dealer can mean the
addition of the dealer commission which can inflate the
asking price of your number plate and potentially limit
potential purchasers.
You may also wish to list with more than one dealer
simultaneously- different dealers have different commission
and pricing structures- the asking price for your number
plate can vary wildly from dealer to dealer- again possibly
putting off a potential buyer.
Get more for your plate
When selling anything privately and not through a third
party or dealer it's possible to "cut out the middleman" and
negotiate a better deal.
Number plate dealers negotiate on your behalf and may not
have your best interests at heart- perhaps pushing for a sale
at a lower price to simply "do the deal" and make a
commission- albeit of smaller size.
Page 57 of 135
Simplicity and speed.
Dealing directly with potential buyers instead of a couple of
number plate dealers means you know how much you are
asking for the number plate and that you are free to
conclude the sale as soon as you wish with the interested
buyer.
Control
Number plate dealers advertise your number plate on your
behalf- they may even suggest or insist on the asking price.
Advertising privately allows you to upload pictures, change
the asking price and add or alter the advert wording.
You can choose to advertise in some place and not others
and also set the asking price as you see fit.
Page 58 of 135
How to sell your number plate
Selling your number plate is as easy as selling a car or a
motorbike. Once you have found a buyer you simply need to
receive the funds and complete the number plate transfer.
There is some paperwork involved but as with anything – a
little knowledge goes a long way – and really it’s very
straightforward.
Certainly if you have ever sold a car privately you should
have no trouble at all.
The first step is to consider the value of your number plate –
we outline how to do this in our number plate valuation
guide.
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The 6 facts for selling number plates
Don't believe everything you hear- most people think selling
number plates is very complicated and not something they
will be able to complete themselves.
These 6 are the commonly held beliefs about selling number
plates- and thankfully none of them are true.
1. You DON'T need a number plate dealer to sell
your number plate.
2. Advertising with number plate dealers is NEVER
100% free.
3. Not all number plates cost thousands of pounds.
4. It DOESN'T take months to transfer a number
plate.
5. NOT all number plates are transferable
6. It IS illegal to mis-space or mis-represent your
registration number.
Page 60 of 135
How long to sell a number plate
There's a peg for every hole - so the saying goes- and this is
true for personalised number plates- somewhere out there
someone really wants to buy your number plate.
- The trouble is actually finding them (!)
With so many different number plate combinations, and
because all number plates are unique and objective - it can
take on average up to 12 months to sell a number plate.
Sometimes it can take longer and sometimes a sale can be
reached much sooner – there is no definitive.
Finding the buyer in the first place can be one of the biggest
hurdles; it can take many months for a number plate to sell
depending on the plate’s meaning and the pool of potential
buyers.
There are so many places to advertise your number plate it
can be confusing.
A lot of number plate dealers offer to advertise your
personalised plate for free – making their money by loading
a commission to the sale.
You can choose to advertise privately but this incurs
advertising fees and requires more effort than using a
number plate dealer.
Page 61 of 135
Why most number plates don’t sell quickly and what
you can do about it
Most number plates advertised in the UK today are
advertised only with number plate dealers and may have
been there for some time… but why?
The fact is selling number plates can take time – it’s not as
quick as selling a car or motorbike and a large proportion of
number plate owners lose interest in selling their number
plate after the first few weeks of it being advertised.
There is no miracle cure or guaranteed definite way to get a
sale but there is plenty that can be done.
Unfortunately most people are either not interested in
investing their time or think that it’s too complicated to sell
a number plate privately and only advertise with one or 2
number plate dealers.
By investing time in deciding the meaning of the number
plate, carefully thinking about it’s valuation and where is
best to advertise your number plate will set you aside from
the majority.
If advertising privately then using “punchy” descriptions and
sales techniques such as “calls to action” will all help your
efforts.
Consider the plate’s valuation very carefully
Consider who will buy your plate
Consider how much they can afford
Consider how to reach them
Word your advert accordingly
Page 62 of 135
How to get a quicker sale
There are some things you can do to help find a buyer for
your number plate faster.
These ideas are more relevant if you are advertising your
number plate privately but useful to anyone hoping for a
quicker sale.
Define your buyer
As outlined in our valuation guide – defining your buyer
and the true meaning of your number plate will have
the largest impact – this really can’t be stressed
enough.
Don’t drop the price
Not straight away at least – chances are your number
plate isn’t selling because you haven’t found the right
buyer – not because they won’t pay your asking price.
Have some patience and give it some time before you
consider changing your asking price.
Broaden your horizons
Unless you are advertising your number plate with a
dealer and you have agreed not to advertise your
number plate elsewhere – then there’s nothing to stop
you advertising your number plate for sale in as many
places as possible.
Consider paid classifieds, free classifieds, notice boards
at your workplace, facebook, twitter etc – the
possibilities are endless.
Page 63 of 135
Go direct.
If you’re number plate is relevant to boxers then why
not write directly to some boxing gyms? Sometimes it’s
worth “thinking outside the box” to help find a relevant
buyer.
Remember that some people are not actively looking to
buy a number plate but if they were offered one that
interests them then they may purchase it.
Add a picture
If your number plate is advertised in classifieds on the
internet it’s a well known fact that adverts with pictures
receive more “hits” than those without.
Take a good picture of your number plate and put this
on your advert(s) – something as simple as this can
make the difference.
You could also consider…
Some number plates are difficult to sell on their own for a
number of reasons – perhaps the plate has no direct
meaning or is very specific – some number plates will
perhaps never sell for these or a number of reasons.
It’s for this reason that selling a number plate with a car can
be very useful.
When you come to sell your car you can leave the number
plate assigned to it and save on the paperwork – you simply
add to the overall cost of the vehicle and focus on it as a
unique selling point.
Page 64 of 135
Can I sell my number plate?
So long as you own the vehicle on which the number plate is
currently assigned, or so long as you appear as the
"grantee" or "purchaser" on the retention document- you are
legally entitled to sell your number plate.
You must ensure that neither on your V5 logbook nor the
retention document that the words NON TRANSFERRABLE
appear next to the registration number as in this case the
DVLA have prohibited the transfer of your number plate.
If your number plate is currently on a vehicle then in order
to remove the plate and either place it on retention or
transfer to another vehicle you will need to ensure the
vehicle has current tax + mot and adheres to the criteria for
cherished number plate transfers as laid down by the DVLA.
Page 65 of 135
Advertising your number plate
Once you have gauged the value of the plate you will need
to get out there and get noticed- there are many number
plate dealers and a new breed of number plate classifieds
websites which can help get you exposure- but be warned
that finding the right buyer at the right price can take time
wherever you advertise.
We advise advertising with a mixture of number plate
dealers, classifieds and attempting to directly find buyers
where possible.
This combination approach will again help finding a buyer
and is covered in more detail in our advertising guide.
Asking price
Clearly your number plate needs to be priced appropriatelyprospective buyers will always try to barter with you so we
recommend building a small buffer into the price to allow for
this- obviously overpricing your number plate means it may
never attract a buyer.
Beware of under pricing your number plate too - as for some
people this can be a turn off as its human nature to expect
there is "something wrong" if something is much cheaper
than it should be.
Page 66 of 135
How it's advertised.
Advertising your number plate in as many places as possible
(time and budget permitting) is a great way to increase your
chances of a sale.
Number plate dealers will advertise the plate for you for
"free" - loading their commission into the asking price- there
are specialised number plate classified website (such as this
one) which will give you the best features and target
audience.
Then there are the other classifieds and free websites such
as Gumtree that will complement your efforts. It makes
sense to utilise free advertising if you can.
You reap what you sow
As with selling anything the amount of time it takes to sell is
relative to the amount of time and effort you invest in
advertising and pricing your number plate as best you can.
Page 67 of 135
DVLA fees and a set of number plates
When negotiating the sale of your number plate it is wise to
include any DVLA fees or a set of number plates in the deal
(allowing for this in the price) so that the purchaser has
nothing more to pay- this will help increase the
attractiveness of your particular number plate combination.
Negotiating the price
Once you've found a buyer you need to agree on the price;
remember to hold strong and hopefully you will already have
a buffer in the asking price for your number plate to allow
for any deals.
To get an idea of your plate's asking price- please refer to
our number plate valuation guide.
Closing the deal
Once you have settled on a price its time to complete the
transaction.
With the money safely received in the form of a bank
transfer or bankers draft- you need to transfer the number
plate – read on to find out how.
Page 68 of 135
How to transfer your number plate
To transfer a number plate from one vehicle to another is a
very straightforward process, but one which is very specific.
The DVLA are there to help you and make the process as
painless as possible – but they are also obligated to ensure
the process is adhered to correctly.
The transfer process is outlined here – listing the required
information, documents and timescale for number plate
transfer.
Can I transfer my number plate?
There are 2 main hurdles to check here before you proceed
– if you answer yes to either of these two points then you
will not be able to transfer your number plate:
1. Does your number plate begin with “Q” or “NIQ”
2. Is your number plate “newer” than the vehicle to which
it will be transferred?
For this second point – the DVLA do not permit the transfer
of number plates where it is possible to make the vehicle
appear younger than it is.
An example of this would be wanting to transfer the number plate
AB10ABC to a vehicle registered in 1999.
As the number plate was issued 10 years + after the car was first
registered – if you were to put the number plate on it the vehicle
would look newer – as though it was first registered in 2010.
Page 69 of 135
Transfer criteria.
In order to transfer a number plate you will need to meet
the following criteria
•
•
•
•
Both vehicles must be registered with the DVLA
Both vehicles must be available for inspection
Have a valid MOT or HGV test certificate
Be currently taxed.
How to apply for the transfer
To transfer your number plate you will need to send the
following:
• Completed DVLA form V317 and if you are transferring
to another person’s vehicle they will also need to sign
the document.
• The £80 transfer fee.
• V5C or V5C/2
• MOT certificate
You will then need to send both of these items to your DVLA
local office for them to complete the transfer process.
It is important you do not send them the tax disc – you will
need to keep this on display in your vehicle until the
replacement is issued.
Page 70 of 135
What happens after you have sent the application
The DVLA local office will check the form and information
you have provided – they may requested to inspect the
vehicles before they approve the transfer and will advise
accordingly if this is the case.
Once the application has been approved you will be sent the
following by return to confirm the approval:
• A confirmation letter advising the replacement
registration number for the donor vehicle.
• New tax discs for both vehicles reflecting their new
registration numbers.
• An authorisation letter V948 which proves your
entitlement and is used when having the number plates
physically created.
The DVLA at Swansea will also send new logbooks for the
vehicles with the new registration numbers – these should
arrive within 4 weeks of you receiving the confirmation letter
from your DVLA local office.
How long does the process take?
The DVLA ask that 2 weeks is allowed before you chase
them for progress on the transfer process – in busy periods
such as March or September this period can be longer due to
increased demand.
Page 71 of 135
What to do if you do not have the V5C
If you do not have the V5C and only have the V5C/2 then
you can still complete the transfer.
If you only have the V5C/2 then you will need to include the
DVLA form V62 which is an application for a vehicle log
book.
Please note if your V5C/2 has been stamped by your DVLA
local office then you will need to wait for the V5C logbook to
arrive before you can proceed with a transfer.
What to do if your vehicle is untaxed
If your vehicle is untaxed but you want to transfer the
number plate then this is still possible.
For this to be successful you will need to meet these criteria:
• The tax disc ran out no more than 12 months before
the date you apply for the transfer
• There is no break in when the tax disc ran out and the
SORN began.
Renewing your tax at the point of transfer
If when you apply for the number plate transfer your tax
also requires renewing then this is possible.
• a completed V10 ‘application for a tax disc’ or the V11
reminder
• a certificate of insurance or valid cover for the vehicle
• the payment of vehicle tax
Page 72 of 135
Will the DVLA inspect my vehicle?
It’s rare but it does happen. The DVLA run “spot checks”
randomly to confirm vehicle identities at the point of
registration transfer.
I am transferring my number plate to a new
unregistered vehicle
If you are transferring your number plate to a new and
unregistered vehicle then the sales administration team at
the dealership will be able to assist you.
The DVLA request a proof of identity and proof of address be
supplied with the application and accept the following as
proofs:
Proof of identity
•
•
•
•
•
current DVLA paper driving licence
United Kingdom or European Union or foreign passport
marriage certificate
decree nisi or absolute
birth certificate
Proof of address
• utility bill - gas, electricity, water, telephone landline within the last three months and showing the current
address
• bank or building society statement - within the last
three months and showing the current address
• medical card
• council tax bill for current year
Page 73 of 135
You will need to send these proofs – via the dealership of
course – to the DVLA along with the following for the
“donor” vehicle – the vehicle the number plate is being
transferred from
• Completed DVLA form V317.
• The £80 transfer fee.
Tell the insurance company
If you have transferred a number plate from your vehicle
and the registration number on your vehicle is now differentyou must tell your insurance company.
Page 74 of 135
Number plate retention
Number plate retention allows you to hold a number plate
“on certificate” if you do not or choose not to have the
number plate on a vehicle
A large proportion of number plates are “on retention” which
means they are not assigned to a vehicle. It is a convenient
way to keep your registration number if you are unable to
transfer it to a vehicle..
Can I retain my number plate?
Firstly, you cannot retain your registration number if it
begins with “Q” or “NIQ” – these types of plate are excluded
from the DVLA cherished transfer / retention scheme.
To complete the retention process you must meet the
following criteria:
•
•
•
•
The vehicle
The vehicle
The vehicle
The vehicle
certificate
must
must
must
must
be registered with the DVLA
be available for inspection
be taxed
have a valid MOT or HGV test
Can I retain my number plate if my vehicle isn’t
taxed?
You can but there are two criteria regarding this scenario –
• There can be no break between the tax disc expiry and
the start of SORN.
• The tax disc ran out no more than 12 months before
your application.
Page 75 of 135
How to retain a number plate
Retaining a number plate is a very straight forward process.
So long as you are the owner of the vehicle to which the
number plate is currently registered then you will be able to
“retain” the registration number.
To retain a registration number you will need to send the
following to your DVLA local office
• Completed DVLA form V317
• The V5C or new keepers supplement with a completed
V62
• A current MOT certificate
• The retention fee
What it costs
At the time of writing it costs - £105 for one year, £130 – 2
years and £155 – 3 years of retention.
The retention certificate
The retention certificate is your proof of your “entitlement”
to the registration number.
The certificate itself will list the registration number, the
retention certificate expiry date, the Grantee and the
nominee.
Nominee - A nominee appears on the retention document. A nominee
is a person who has no entitlement to a number plate; but the plate
may be transferred to a vehicle in their name.
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Grantee- The Grantee features on the retention document - the
Grantee is the only person entitled to transfer or assign the number
plate.
The certificate does have an expiry date and its very
important that you renew it before this date.
Retention certificate expiry
It’s very important that you do not let the retention
certificate expire. The date of expiry will be clearly stated on
the retention certificate itself.
It is possible that you could lose your “entitlement” to the
number plate if you fail to renew it on time.
Page 77 of 135
The beginners guide to number plates
What is a number plate?
A number plate can be found on the front and rear of every
road legal vehicle in the UK. It is a means of identifying the
vehicle to the DVLA and the Police.
The first ever number plate was issued in 1903 when the
number of vehicles on the roads in the UK began to
increase.
With so many new vehicles on the road - a need to identify
them individually became paramount- hence the introduction
of the number plate.
Why do we have number plates?
The UK and many other countries around the world use
number plates for a number of different reasons - they
mainly fall into these categories.
Vehicle identification
If there are two identical cars on the road- let alone
millions- it's nigh impossible to tell them apart.
The chief job of a number plate is to set it apart from
its neighbour and make it unique.
Page 78 of 135
Crime prevention & detection
The Police work in conjunction with the DVLA and have
access to driver and vehicle records to help prevent
and detect crime.
A vehicle number plate identifies it uniquely - and with
the registration number or "index" the police can trace
ownership and some other details specific to that
vehicle.
Revenue collection
TAX! It all comes back to tax- from road tax itself, to
tax on fuel and repairs and insurance- the government
are able to tax your vehicle only through the
registration number and the tax disc.
Why do we need them?
Every vehicle needs a number plate as all of the above are
very important to ensuring safety and order on the roadsimagine where we’d be without the number plate?
From pure necessity the “personalized” number plate as we
know it was born – still seen by some as the ultimate way to
personalize your vehicle the humble number plate is no far
more than a means of identification – it’s also a status
symbol and a statement about the person driving the
vehicle.
Page 79 of 135
Types of number plate
With the increasing demand for more number plate
combinations to cater for the increasing number of new
vehicles on the road- the DVLA have had to introduce many
new number plate styles over the years.
Mixing letters and numbers as oppose to just letters or just
numbers- gives the DVLA many more multiples to offer.
With number plates now 7 characters in length as standard The DVLA ensure many tens of millions of combinations will
be available for issue.
At the time of writing there are 5 different types of number
plate.
Dateless number plates
Beginning with A1 - the oldest number plate- dating
from 1903 - Dateless number plates began in a time
when the car was in its infancy.
Suffix number plates
When Dateless number plates ended - the DVLA added
a "suffix" character to the structure to increase the
possible number of registrations.
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Prefix number plates
A simple reversal of the Suffix format - prefix number
plates have seen huge success thanks to the DVLA sale
of Marks scheme.
New Style number plates
With the end of prefix number plates; the DVLA
introduced the entirely different "new style" number
plates which display not only the year of registration
but also the location.
Irish number plates
Irish number plates have remained unchanged for
many years- largely due to the lower number of
vehicles which require them in Ireland.
Irish number plates use the characters “I” and “Z” and
for this reason are easily identifiable.
Page 81 of 135
Dateless number plates
What are dateless number plates?
Dateless number plates are the oldest and rarest number
plates available.
Beginning with 1 letter+1 number combinations such as A1
and increasing in size to 3 letter +3 number combinationsdateless number plates tend to be a more prestigious
number plate.
Why are they called dateless number plates?
The oldest number plate – A1- is the original "dateless"
number plate.
But why are they known as dateless number plates? Well a
lot of the record keeping from the early 1900’s was missing
or patchy and so instead of releasing numbers in a nice
sequential and ordered pattern- some councils issued
number plates at different times- making it nigh impossible
to determine the age of a certain number plate.
How much are dateless number plates worth?
Typically, dateless number plates fetch higher prices than
any other style.
This is due, in part to the fact that dateless number plates
are so-called because they can be transferred to a vehicleregardless of it’s year of registration..
In addition to this; dateless number plates can only have a
maximum of 6 digits- shorter number plates will always
fetch a higher price.
Page 82 of 135
Finally dateless registrations are some of the rarest and
oldest number plates on the roads- a significant factor to
number plate collectors and number plate investors.
Who buys dateless number plates?
Dateless number plates are favoured by number plate
collectors and enthusiasts – as the quality and value of this
style of number plate is consistent- they are usually a safe
bet.
Generally fetching a higher price, dateless number plates
can be found adorning Rolls Royce, Bentleys and Ferraris in
the UK- the most famous dateless reg – F1 – is on a
Mercedes McLaren SLR at the time of writing.
Page 83 of 135
Suffix number plates
What are suffix number plates?
Suffix number plates were introduced in 1963 as a means of
broadening the number of possible number plate
combinations which could be issued to motorists.
As the "dateless" system began to run out of combinations it
was decided that by adding an extra letter at the end of a
number plate (a suffix) that not only could the amount of
possible number plate combinations be increased- but also
this suffix character could be used to identify the year of
registration - and thus - the age of the vehicle.
How much are they worth?
Suffix number plate values can vary quite dramatically.
Similar to Irish number plates; there are many combinations
of little or no value which are used as "cover" plates
As with most other number plates- the general rule that the
fewer the characters- the more valuable the plate- sticks.
Suffix number plates with 7 digits tend to be worth far less
than those with 5.
There are a select few "perfect combinations" available with
Suffix number plates - these spell names or words using
autonumerology. Two such examples would be CRA1G and
COL1N
Page 84 of 135
Who buys suffix number plates?
Suffix number plates are favoured by those with classic cars
as they are unable to transfer newer number plates to older
vehicles.
In addition to this; number plate collectors and dealers
favour the higher quality combinations as a safe bet and an
investment.
Page 85 of 135
Prefix number plates
What are Prefix number plates?
Prefix number plates - introduced after suffix number plates
- and a complete reversal of the format- provided the DVLA
with many more millions of possible combinations.
Literally a reverse of the Suffix system, prefix number plates
begin with a letter from the alphabet (excluding I, Q and Z)
which identifies the year of registration.
After this letter there can be up to 3 numbers and then 3
random letters.
Prefix number plates really took off with the introduction of
the sale of marks scheme by the DVLA.
For the first time ever the public could buy number plate
combinations directly from the DVLA- this opened the door
to many thousands of motorists and continues to represent
millions each year in revenue for the DVLA.
Unfortunately due to the popularity of Prefix number plates,
the market has become somewhat flooded with look-a-like
and near perfect combinations.
Typically a combination costs £250 from the DVLA with
nothing more to pay. The DVLA auction off certain plates
which they deem to be more valuable.
Shorter combinations tend to fetch higher prices- with
"number 1" plates achieving circa £1000 but as with all
number plates the meaning / combination are the deciding
factor to value.
Page 86 of 135
Who buys Prefix number plates?
If the DVLA's figures are anything to go by- just about
everybody (!)
The DVLA make tens of millions of pounds each year
retailing prefix number plates to the public and via DVLA
resellers.
Prefix number plates are good value and have no hidden
extra charges so their purchase has been a safe bet for
many motorists- there is no typical purchaser of prefix
registrations.
That said- prefix plates do make great birthday / wedding
gifts and many businesses now use them for promotion on
their vehicles.
Page 87 of 135
New style number plates
What are new style number plates?
New style number plates were introduced in 2001 when the
prefix system came to an end.
A complete break from the previous number plate system;
new style or current style number plates use both age
identifiers and local identifiers which allow you to easily tell
where and when the registration number was issued.
For the first time, this system meant that all new number
plates issued would have 7 digits as standard- previous
styles could fluctuate from 2 to 7 digits depending on a
number of factors.
Despite having a higher price than prefix number plates
when purchased from the DVLA; new style number plates
have had a luke warm reception in the world of personalised
registrations.
Due to their structure there are notably fewer "quality"
combinations to be had- a lot of number plate buyers have
stuck with the remaining prefix combinations for sale.
Depending on the quality of the plate- new style number
plates fetch on average £400 - £800 - rising far more for the
few excellent combinations such as MU51CAL.
Page 88 of 135
Who buys new style number plates?
The DVLA have invested a great deal of money in
advertising the new style series of number plates.
With so few "quality" combinations; the DVLA has tried to
educate the market that buying your initials is the way to
get the best out of your new plate.
For example - Barry James Jones (all the names in the
DVLA adverts have a middle name…) could buy BJ51BJJ.
Page 89 of 135
Irish number plates
What are Irish number plates?
Irish number plates are the registrations issued to Northern
Irish vehicles.
With the advent of the cherished transfer scheme and such
an interest in number plates- enthusiasts began to purchase
and transfer Irish number plates as they were so different to
other plates on offer.
Irish number plates can come in a variety of combinationsthey are instantly recognisable due to their use of the
characters I and Z.
How much are Irish plates worth?
With the exception of VIP1 and its peers - Irish number
plates seldom fetch prices higher than £1k or £2k.
This is due to the way the plate is constructed- unlike the
prefix or suffix number plate system there are very few good
combinations and attempting to use Autonumerology with
Irish number plates takes some effort!
Who buys Irish number plates?
Generally Irish number plates form the lower end of the
market. A great deal of combinations can be purchased for
circa £100 and so, such number plates are used as "cover
plates" to cover the age of a vehicle.
They are also a cheap alternative to the standard issue
number plates on a vehicle- and still relatively low in
numbers on the UK roads.
Page 90 of 135
Number plate issue dates
Suffix number plate issue dates
Suffix number plates were introduced in 1963 as a means of
providing ever more combinations for the increasing number
or vehicles on the roads.
The format uses the letter (or suffix) to identify the year of
issue- see below for the relevant dates.
This was the first time in the UK that a number plate could
be used to identify the year of a car’s registrationsomething not possible with the series of dateless number
plates.
Jan '63 to Dec '63
Jan '64 to Dec '64
Jan '65 to Dec '65
Jan '66 to Dec '66
Jan '67 to July '67
Aug '67 to July '68
Aug '68 to July '69
Aug '69 to July '70
Aug '70 to July '71
Aug '71 to July '72
Aug '72 to July '73
Aug '73 to July '74
Aug '74 to July '75
Aug '75 to July '76
Aug '76 to July '77
Aug '77 to July '78
Aug '78 to July '79
Aug '79 to July '80
Aug '80 to July '81
Aug '81 to July '82
Aug '82 to July '83
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
J
K
L
M
N
P
R
S
T
V
W
X
Y
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
Page 91 of 135
123A
123B
123C
123D
123E
123F
123G
123H
123J
123K
123L
123M
123N
123P
123R
123S
123T
123V
123W
123X
123Y
Prefix number plate issue dates
Prefix number plates are the reversal of the suffix number
plate system.
With each letter identifying the year of registration, the
prefix number plate system also formed the beginnings of
DVLA select and the role of DVLA retailing number plates to
the public.
It was the prefix number plate system which saw the move
from issuing new registrations once a year- to twice a year.
With the end of the S series in Feb 1999- the UK would no
longer have one new registration letter each year- but two.
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
J
K
L
M
N
P
R
S
T
V
W
X
Y
Aug '83 to July '84
Aug '84 to July '85
Aug '85 to July '86
Aug '86 to July '87
Aug '87 to July '88
Aug '88 to July '89
Aug '89 to July '90
Aug '90 to July '91
Aug '91 to July '92
Aug '92 to July '93
Aug '93 to July '94
Aug '94 to July '95
Aug '95 to July '96
Aug '96 to July '97
Aug '97 to July '98
Aug '98 to Feb '99
March '99 to Aug '99
Sept '99 to Feb 2000
March 2000 to Aug 2000
Sept 2000 to Feb 2001
March 2001 to Aug 2001
Page 92 of 135
A123 ABC
B123 ABC
C123 ABC
D123 ABC
E123 ABC
F123 ABC
G123 ABC
H123 ABC
J123 ABC
K123 ABC
L123 ABC
M123 ABC
N123 ABC
P123 ABC
R123 ABC
S123 ABC
T123 ABC
V123 ABC
W123 ABC
X123 ABC
Y123 ABC
New style number plate issue dates
New style number plates broke from the traditional format of
using a letter or a number to signify the year of issue.
Instead the age identifier can tell you precisely from when a
number plate was issued- 54 means a September 2004
registration, 04 means a March 2004 registration and so on.
The DVLA have withheld some combinations such as the 01
and 50 series- no doubt for future sale at a DVLA auction.
01
51
02
52
03
53
04
54
05
55
06
56
07
57
08
58
09
59
10
60
11
61
12
62
13
63
14
64
15
65
16
66
17
67
Reserved
01-09-2001
01-03-2002
01-09-2002
01-03-2003
01-09-2003
01-03-2004
01-09-2004
01-03-2005
01-09-2005
01-03-2006
01-09-2006
01-03-2007
01-09-2007
01-03-2008
01-09-2008
01-03-2009
01-09-2009
01-03-2010
01-09-2010
01-03-2011
01-09-2011
01-03-2012
01-09-2012
01-03-2013
01-09-2013
01-03-2014
01-09-2014
01-03-2015
01-09-2015
01-03-2016
01-09-2016
01-03-2017
01-09-2017
AB01
AB51
AB02
AB53
AB03
AB53
AB04
AB54
AB05
AB55
AB06
AB56
AB07
AB57
AB08
AB58
AB09
AB59
AB10
AB60
AB11
AB61
AB12
AB62
AB13
AB63
AB14
AB64
AB15
AB65
AB16
AB66
AB17
AB67
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
Page 93 of 135
18
68
19
69
20
70
21
71
22
72
23
73
24
74
25
75
26
76
27
77
28
78
29
79
30
80
31
81
32
82
33
83
34
84
35
85
36
86
37
87
38
88
39
89
40
90
41
91
42
92
43
93
44
01-03-2018
01-09-2018
01-03-2019
01-09-2019
01-03-2020
01-09-2020
01-03-2021
01-09-2021
01-03-2022
01-09-2022
01-03-2023
01-09-2023
01-03-2024
01-09-2024
01-03-2025
01-09-2025
01-03-2026
01-09-2026
01-03-2027
01-09-2027
01-03-2028
01-09-2028
01-03-2029
01-09-2029
01-03-2030
01-09-2030
01-03-2031
01-09-2031
01-03-2032
01-09-2032
01-03-2033
01-09-2033
01-03-2034
01-09-2034
01-03-2035
01-09-2035
01-03-2036
01-09-2036
01-03-2037
01-09-2037
01-03-2038
01-09-2038
01-03-2039
01-09-2039
01-03-2040
01-09-2040
01-03-2041
01-09-2041
01-03-2042
01-09-2042
01-03-2043
01-09-2043
01-03-2044
AB18
AB68
AB19
AB69
AB20
AB70
AB21
AB71
AB22
AB72
AB23
AB73
AB24
AB74
AB25
AB75
AB26
AB76
AB27
AB77
AB28
AB78
AB29
AB79
AB30
AB80
AB31
AB81
AB32
AB82
AB33
AB83
AB34
AB84
AB35
AB85
AB36
AB86
AB37
AB87
AB38
AB88
AB39
AB89
AB40
AB90
AB41
AB91
AB42
AB92
AB43
AB93
AB44
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
Page 94 of 135
94
45
95
46
96
47
97
48
98
49
99
50
01-09-2044
01-03-2045
01-09-2045
01-03-2046
01-09-2046
01-03-2047
01-09-2047
01-03-2048
01-09-2048
01-03-2049
01-09-2049
Format is reversed
AB94
AB45
AB95
AB46
AB96
AB47
AB97
AB48
AB98
AB49
AB99
AB50
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
ABC
Page 95 of 135
Area identifiers
In addition to an age identifier, each new style number plate
has a 2 letter prefix indicating from which tax office the
combination was issued:
› A Anglia
Peterborough AA-AN
Norwich AO-AU
Ipswich AV-AY
Sidcup LU-LY
› B Birmingham
Birmingham BA-BY
› N North
Newcastle NA-NO
Stockton NP-NY
› C Cymru
Cardiff CA-CO
Swansea CP-CV
Bangor CW-CY
› D Deeside to Shrewsbury
Chester DA-DK
Shrewsbury DL-DY
› E Essex
Chelmsford EA-EY
› F Forest and Fens
Nottingham FA-FP
Lincoln FR-FY
› G Garden of England
Maidstone GA-GO
Brighton GP-GY
› H Hampshire and Dorset
Bournemouth HA-HJ
Portsmouth HK-HY
› K Luton KA-KL
Northampton KM-KY
› L London
Wimbledon LA-LJ
Stanmore LK-LT
› M Manchester and Merseyside
Manchester MA-MY
› O Oxford
Oxford OA-OY
› P Preston
Preston PA-PT
Carlisle PU-PY
› R Reading
Reading RA-RY
› S Scotland
Glasgow SA-SJ
Edinburgh SK-SO
Dundee SP-ST
Aberdeen SU-SW
Inverness SX, SY
› V Severn Valley
Worcester VA-VY
› W West of England
Exeter WA-WJ
Truro WK, WL
Bristol WM-WY
› Y Yorkshire
Leeds YA-YK
Sheffield YL-YU
Beverley YV-YY
Page 96 of 135
I,Q and Z explained
It is only with the advent of new style number plates that Z
has appeared as a valid number plate character. Z and I
have previously appeared on Irish number plates and Q on
"kit cars".
The reason I Q and Z are generally omitted from the UK
number plate system is because they can be easily read as 1
0 or 2 - something which would hinder the authorities in
identifying a vehicle or enforcing the Congestion charge.
Q number plates in particular are excluded from the
cherished transfer scheme and Q registrations are issued to
vehicles where the number plate has been made void, or to
“kit” vehicles or those vehicles whose age cannot be
identified.
I, Q and Z are not used as they look similar to 1, 0 and 2
respectively.
Exceptions* CURRENT STYLE AB51ABC number plates use Z
* IRISH PLATES use I and Z
* Q Plates with Q as the prefix i.e. Q123FDD are reserved
for kit cars and vehicles with undetermined age- these
vehicles cannot participate in the transfer scheme at the
time of writing.
Page 97 of 135
Number plate terminology
Autonumerology - the study of number plates
Age Identifier - New style number plates have a 2 digit
"age identifier" which tell you when the number plate was
issued.
Assignment Fee - When transferring a number plate from
retention to a vehicle- the DVLA charge and assignment fee.
Cherished transfer - Transferring a number plate from one
vehicle to another
CNDA - Cherished Numbers Dealers Association
DOT - Department of transport
Donor Vehicle - When transferring or retaining a number
plate- the car from which the number plate is transferred is
known as the donor vehicle.
DVLC - Driver and vehicle licensing centre
DVLA - Driver and vehicle licensing Agency
DVLA Local Office - Your local tax office is the place to
conduct number plate transfers and assignment- this isn't
dealt with by DVLA Swansea.
DVLA Registrations - The name of the DVLA service
allowing members of the public to buy un-issued number
plates directly from the DVLA.
DVLA Select - The previous name for DVLA Registrations.
Entitlement- You never "own" a number plate - you merely
own the "entitlement" to display if on your vehicle.
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Grantee- The Grantee features on the retention document the Grantee is the only person entitled to transfer or assign
the number plate.
Irish number plates- number plates originally issued or
intended for use in Ireland.
Local Identifier - New style number plates have 2 letters
which indicate the local tax office at which the number plate
was registered.
Log book - The V5 / vehicle registration document
MOT - Ministry of Transport annual roadworthiness test
Nominee - A nominee appears on the retention document.
A nominee is a person who has no entitlement to a number
plate; but the plate may be transferred to a vehicle in their
name.
Purchaser - Appearing on the V750 retention documentthe Grantee is the only person entitled to transfer or assign
a number plate.
Prefix - Prefix number plates are the reversal of Suffix
number plates - they are so called as the letter at the
beginning of the number plate "Prefixes" the registration.
PNDA - Personal Numbers Dealers Association - previous
name for the CNDA
Recipient Vehicle - When transferring number plates- the
vehicle to which the plate will be transferred or assigned is
the "recipient vehicle"
Registered Keeper - The person named on the V5
registration document as the legal registered keeper of a
vehicle.
Page 99 of 135
Retention - If you own a number plate but wish for it not to
be transferred to a vehicle then you can hold it on retention
- a 12 month certificate confirming your entitlement to the
number plate.
Retention Certificate - The document confirming your
entitlement to a registration number.
RNC - Registration Numbers club
Sale of Marks - DVLA Select and DVLA registrations are
both still known by some people as the "Sale of Marks" - this
basically refers to the DVLA retailing un-issued number
plates to the public.
Suffix - Suffix number plates began after dateless plates as
a means of providing more combinations - this was achieved
by adding a letter to the end of the plate - a "suffix"
Vanity Plate - USA personalised number plates.
Page 100 of 135
Number plate fonts & spacing
Number plate spacing- why does it matter?
With the advent of automatic number plate recognition - the
need for all number plates to conform to a certain size and
style has become very important as it makes the task of
reading number plates far easier.
With so many motorists using illegal spacing, different sizes
and styles of fonts and plates- the DVLA regulate number
plates into as many simplified areas as they can.
Broadly the DVLA stipulate the following rules:
•
•
•
•
•
•
A number plate must appear on the front and rear of a
vehicle.
Number plates must be easy to read.
Front number plates must be white and rear number
plates yellow- both with black lettering.
Number plates must be reflective.
Number plates for pre 1973 vehicles need not be
reflective.
Lettering must be a set size, shape and style
Page 101 of 135
Number plate font
In line with regulating the size of the number plate itself; it
makes sense that the number plate font itself is uniform.
All new number plates are required to use the "Charles
Wright Font" - pictured below.
Anything other than this is deemed illegal- there is only one
number plate font.
Number plates for vehicles constructed before 1st
January 1973
Vehicles built before 1st January 1973 are entitled to bear
black and silver non reflective number plates.
The font must be easy to read but need not be the official
Charles Wright font as prescribed for later number plates.
Some vehicles built after 1st January 1973 carry black and
silver number plates - this is a breach of the DVLA
regulations and is punishable.
Page 102 of 135
Imported vehicle number plate sizes
Certain imported vehicles have smaller space on the grille or
bumper for a plate and the DVLA recognise this by allowing
imported vehicles to carry number plates of different
dimensions to that of the main regulation.
Motorbike number plates
Clearly motorbikes have different sizes of number plates to
cars or lorries; motorbikes built before 1st Sept 2001 can
have a 3 line number plate, otherwise all other bikes must
have a 2 line number plate.
Motorbikes with one line number plates are illegal.
Penalties for breaking number plate regulations
Correct at the time of writing:
•
•
•
A fine of up to £1000
The registration number may be withdrawn
The vehicle may fail the MOT
Page 103 of 135
ANPR automatic number plate recognition
By standardising the number plate font and design- it's
possible for ANPR software to read and interpret hundreds of
thousands of number plates and trace this data back to the
DVLA.
Petrol stations and the police have benefited greatly from
the advent of automatic number plate recognition- numbers
of drivers leaving forecourts without paying has been
steadily decreasing and conviction rates increasing as the
availability of information and the ease of data capture
allowed by number plate recognition- allows a quick and
simple reference to the DVLA computer.
Number plate recognition is also used in the congestion
charge system in London and can process many thousands
of vehicles of varying number plate types and styles- with
shockingly accurate results.
Number plate recognition is set only to improve as the
DVLA, the police and businesses such as petrol stations
create new opportunities and innovations in the field.
Page 104 of 135
Number plates and the congestion charge
The congestion charging system in London utilises automatic
number plate recognition in order to trace users and apply
charges and fines accordingly.
Number plate cloning and theft has had an impact on the
congestion charge with a number of illegal vehicles
accumulating fines and fees which are sent to innocent
people which they must contest.
Although until this point the congestion charging system
appears to be working and number plate recognition seems
to do the trick- the future holds a higher tech way of
identifying users.
Singapore is one city which uses electronic transponders to
charge road tolls directly to vehicles- thus completely side
stepping the number plate cloning / number plate theft
scenario
It remains to be seen when such advanced systems will
appear in the UK but rest assured for the time being the
humble number plate will reign supreme.
Page 105 of 135
Illegal private number plates
We constantly hear the Police and the DVLA mentioning
private number plate offences and so called illegal private
number plates - but what actually constitutes an illegal
private number plate?
Well there are a couple of different ways you could find
yourself falling foul of the law:
Number plate spacing
The spacing of characters is very important- the DVLA
have strict guidelines which must be observed.
Number plate size
The actual size of the personal number plate is
significant- a large number of motorbikes sport
increasingly small personal number plates.
Number plate font
The font used on the cherished number plate is crucialthe DVLA dictate that only the "Mandatory" Charles
Wright font may be used.
Number plate fixings
A number of motorists use cherished number plate
fixings and bolts to obscure the private plate and make
it appear to be a different number.
Page 106 of 135
Diplomatic number plates
UK diplomatic issues comprise three digits identifying the
foreign embassy, mission or body, then D (for accredited
diplomats) or X (for other personnel), followed by a serial of
three digits.
United Kingdom Diplomatic Number Plates
Since number plates were first issued, some people wanted
to stand out from the crowd. It may seem strange with
threats of terrorism and religious disputes that Diplomats,
serving in a foreign country would want their number plate
to identify not only where they are from but also their rank
(in diplomatic terms), but ambassadors and high
commissioners still enjoy their 'vanity' number plates that is
plates that identify their country.
In the last 20 years Britain has joined many other countries
in issuing special number plates to diplomats which identify
their country and that they have some form of immunity.
Since 1979 Diplomatic number plates in the United Kingdom
have been a standard size and colour, but with three
numerals indicating the Embassy or International
Organisation, the letter D for Diplomats, or X for accredited
non-diplomatic personnel, and a serial number commencing
at 101 for diplomats, 400 for non-diplomatic staff of
International Organisations, and 700 for Consular staff.
Since 1990 these diplomatic number plates have been
officially issued with two modifications:
1) The numerals (but not the letters) are in a thinner
distinctive style.
2) The substrate of the number plate is security marked with
Page 107 of 135
either DVLA repeated in a wavy line or DVL repeated in a
straight line across the bottom.
Page 108 of 135
Acrylic number plates
The Law regarding the supply of acrylic number plates in
England and Wales
In order for a set of acrylic number plates to be made for
you in Wales or England you now have to prove your legal
entitlement to them and provide a visual identification check
at the point of sale.
The regulations regarding the supply of acrylic number
plates arise from the Vehicles (Crime) Act 2001.
In September 1998, the Vehicle Crime Reduction Action
Team [VCRAT] was established by the Home Office to
develop and implement a strategy to meet the Government
target to reduce vehicle crime by 30% by 2004. VCRAT
recommended the introduction of a statutory registration
scheme to control the supply of acrylic number plates.
This scheme is designed to make it more difficult for thieves
who put fake number plates on stolen vehicles to make
them appear legitimate.
It was made more difficult for criminals to get acrylic
number plates because they now need to provide proof that
they are entitled to them.
The regulations regarding the supply of acrylic number
plates in England and Wales came into force on the 1st
January 2003. From that date all number plate suppliers in
England and Wales are required by law to register their
details with DVLA. From that date a business will be unable
to trade as a supplier unless it is registered.
Page 109 of 135
Number plate flags
Since April 2009 motorists in England, Scotland and Wales
can display the Union flag, Cross of St George, Saltire or Red
Dragon of Wales on their number plate.
This amendment to the Road Vehicles (Display of
Registration Marks) Regulations 2001 means that motorists
in England, Scotland and Wales can display the Union flag,
Cross of St George, Cross of St Andrew (also known as the
Saltire) or Red Dragon of Wales as well one of the following
identifiers:
GREAT BRITAIN, Great Britain, GB, UNITED KINGDOM,
United Kingdom, UK, CYMRU, Cymru, CYM, Cym, ENGLAND,
England, ENG, Eng, SCOTLAND, Scotland, SCO, Sco, WALES
or Wales.
No other symbols or flags are permitted to be displayed on
number plates – this includes football clubs, cartoon
characters and manufacturer logos.
Page 110 of 135
Regulatory / professional bodies
The UK number plate market has two main regulatory
bodies- MIRAD and the CNDA (part of the RMIF)
These two regulatory bodies largely cover the same areas a number of number plate dealers are members of both
bodies.
Why are they necessary?
Due to the large variety of number plate dealers and
websites throughout the internet and in print- these bodies
regulate and check registered members as an assurance of
professionalism and best business practice.
The main number plate dealers and websites are members
of such bodies as it tells their customers they are not only
trustworthy and professional, but actively looking to improve
and follow codes of good practice.
Which are the main professional bodies?
• MIRAD the Institute of Registration Agents and
Dealers
• CNDA the Cherished Numbers Dealers Association
• RMIF The Retail Motor Industry Federation (parent of
the CNDA)
Page 111 of 135
Where can I find out more?
The websites for these number plate professional bodies
give details of their history, codes of conduct and contact
information:
http://www.mirad.co.uk/
http://www.cnda.co.uk/
http://www.rmif.co.uk/
MIRAD - The Institute of Registration Agents &Dealers
MIRAD dealers are very similar to CNDA dealers- they are
quality controlled and checked by an objective third party to
ensure the highest levels of service and integrity amongst its
members.
Page 112 of 135
CNDA the Cherished Numbers Dealer Association
Established in 1971 the association brings together number
plate dealers under its regulations- to protect both
purchasers and sellers- and ensure buying and selling
number plates in the UK is a seamless process
The CNDA represent reputable and responsible dealers of
personalised number plates and the number plate market.
Members of the CNDA adhere to a Code of Practice,
members are regularly monitored to ensure that cherished
transfers are complete within an acceptable time limit and
number plates advertised can be obtained easily.
CNDA member dealers have a proven reputation and, in the
unlikely event of a problem or dispute the CNDA can
mediate.
Key aims of the CNDA
»
»
»
»
Increase awareness of the cherished number industry
Promote and protect member businesses
Develop and maintain standards in the sector
Provide a channel for communication and information
The CNDA offers advice to consumers about the legal status
of cherished number plates and ways in which to protect
entitlement to them.
Page 113 of 135
Through its Rule Book and Advertising Code the Association
aims to ensure good business practices amongst its
members and to maximize customer satisfaction.
Applications for membership are subject to formal
procedures and review by the Association's Executive
Committee.
The CNDA works closely with the Driver and Vehicle
Licensing Agency and with the DVLNI to promote the
interests of its members and the industry by constantly
reviewing the statutory requirements for the cherished
transfer and retention schemes with a view to introducing
greater flexibility in procedures.
Page 114 of 135
RMIF Retail Motor Industry Federation
The Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMIF) is the trade
association for the retail motor industry. The Associations and
Divisions that make up the Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMIF)
are:
The RMI National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA) represents franchised dealers from single site businesses to large
multi-franchised groups and includes the National Truck Council for
commercial vehicle operators
The RMI Motorcycle Retailers Association (MRA) - represents
new and used moped, scooter and motorcycle sales, servicing, repair
and parts accessory businesses
The RMI Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) - represents petrol
retailers and forecourt operators, and includes convenience retailing
services
The RMI Society of Motor Auctions (SMA) - represents motor
auction houses selling cars, commercial vehicles and off-road vehicles
The RMI Independent Garage Association (IGA) - represents a
wide range of used car sales, service, repair and specialist automotive
services, and includes a dedicated Operations Team for MOT testing
stations
The RMI Bodyshop Services Division (BSD), including vehicle
recovery services - represents those involved in accident repairs, paint
and refinish and specialist coach building
The RMI Motorcycle Rider Training Association (MRTA) represents all those involved in the provision of motorcycle rider
training
Page 115 of 135
The RMI Cherished Numbers Dealers Association (CNDA) represents businesses specialising in cherished number plates
The Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMIF) represents the interests of
operators in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man
providing sales and services to motorists and businesses. The RMIF
has a formal association with the independent Scottish Motor Trade
Association which represents the retail motor industry in Scotland.
Page 116 of 135
Number plate security
Using patented technology SecurePlate has been developed
to meet the new DVLA criteria for theft resistant number
plates. SecurePlate prevents your number plates being
stolen and protects your identity.
With number plate theft at an all time high the DVLA and the
police have taken action and made advancements in number
plate security. Secureplate is a unique design which means
the number plate breaks into pieces when you attempt to
remove it- thus preventing the theft and reuse of the plate.
Some leasing companies and large fleets are considering
their options- there have been a few early adopters but on
the whole the industry is waiting to see as the number plate
technology develops as to the best resolution.
Although the crime levels are increasing, awareness of
products such as Secureplate are still significantly poor and
we think it will be some time before widespread use of this
and similar technologies will crack down on number plate
crime and number plate theft in the UK.
Number plate theft
More than 40,000 sets of number plates were stolen in
2006, a rise of almost 25%, according to police estimates
The DVLA is considering forcing all the UK's 1.3 million
motorcycles to be fitted with plates featuring electronic tags,
which are currently being trialed.
Number plate theft is a modern crime but one that is a
serious threat to UK motorists. It would seem that any
vehicle can be "cloned" - whereby number plates are either
Page 117 of 135
stolen or created and attached to a similar car- any tickets
or fines will be traced back to the genuine vehicle and the
burden of proof seems to stop there- an almost guilty until
proven innocent scenario.
So what can be done? Well the DVLA have published several
papers on this topic and recognise the inherent risks to UK
motorists.
It's not enough that when buying number plates you need
identification- as the theft of number plates from vehicles
prove- physical security for number plates is required.
There are currently two ways to secure your number plateSecureplate is a number plate which is fixed to the vehicle in
such a way that to remove it destroys it completely, and
secure number plate fixings are attached to the number
plate in such a way that again the number plate breaks up
when it is removed.
The DVLA and the police in the longer term are considering
embedding electronic chips into number plates- this added
technology will not only prevent cloning of number plates,
but also provide for congestion charge type schemes and
operate in a similar manner to an Oyster card.
www.secureplate.com
Page 118 of 135
Number plate cloning
Number plate cloning occurs when two vehicles have the
same number plate.
An example would be If you drive a black Ford and a
criminal also has a black Ford- by having a set of number
plates made or by stealing your set of number plates and
attaching them to his car- the criminal can ensure any
motoring offences are directed at you- the registered owner
of the vehicle- identified by the number plate.
How can I protect myself from number plate theft /
number plate cloning?
New technology such as SecurePlate and secure fixings will
help to physically ensure your number plates cannot be
stolen.
As for criminals simply having a set of plates made to match
yours- it has been proven in a lot of cases that identifying
features on the vehicle- such as window stickers or
scratches- help to identify which vehicle is yours.
The crucial element here is proving who is in the vehicle –
the location and other factors will also play a key part.
Page 119 of 135
Registration numbers club
"The independent nationwide club dedicated to the right to hold and
transfer a cherished vehicle registration mark ... a right which has
been in existence since 1903"
HISTORY
Established in 1977, the Registration numbers club came
to the be at a time when transferring cherished number
plates was troublesome and the red tape was spoiling and
endangering a lot of great private number plates.
Alex Jackson along with some like minded friends took
action: before long they had enlisted the services of Steve
Waldenberg and the Registration Numbers Club was formed.
The first ever rally was held at Harewood House near Leeds,
and within a short time over 2000 members had signed up
THE RNC TODAY
The club has gone from strength to strength since its
tenuous beginnings; still operated on a voluntary basis the
club circulate a quarterly newsletter - the RNC news.
With a dedicated following the club helps unite those with an
interest in personalised number plates and the annual rallies
are a great place for members to display their plate and
interact with other enthusiasts.
Page 120 of 135
Number plate Rally
A cherished number plate rally is an entirely static eventusually members of the registration numbers club meet at a
country house or prestigious outdoor venue to proudly
display their private number plates.
Not just a display of wealth - personalised number plate
rallies are a great place for owners and enthusiasts to meet
and talk car number plates- there are so many interesting
stories behind plates and there histories- a number plate
rally is the ideal platform to tell these stories.
Generally the programme will provide a wealth of
information about most of the registration plates you will see
on display- a potted history and points of note about each
private number plate- and finally a voting form for the
awards ceremony.
Awards are given for uniqueness and quality of cherished
number plates as well as collections and extremely
interesting personalised number plate histories.
The first car numbers rally was organised by the Cherished
Numbers Dealers Association at Beaulieu in 1973. It was a
public relations exercise that coincided with the infancy of
the cherished numbers business as we know it today.
The name changed when the Department of Transport
started to get heavily into the act and created the term
"cherished transfer" for the transaction of transferring a
registration mark from one vehicle to another.
An annual event- number plate rallies see a whole host of
entrants and a wide array of vehicles- from mopeds to
motorbikes to cars to lorries- if the number plate is
personalised then all entrants are welcome!.
Page 121 of 135
It really is the registration number that is the important
factor and many will be surprised to learn that there's no
snobbery about the car carrying the plate.
You'll receive as much acclaim for a distinctive registration
number plate on a Vauxhall Corsa as a Maybach. Obviously
the cost of personalised number plates means that the cars
are more than likely as prestigious as the number plates
they bear.
Prizes are awarded - judged on the basis of the reason for
owning the number plate and how appropriate it is to the
class of entry. There are usually six or seven classes and
special prizes for most distance travelled to the event.
Some dedicated enthusiasts make an effort to attend every
rally and will schedule their holidays accordingly. The
majority of such true enthusiasts don't own top of the range
vehicles, but their number plates are as cherished (if not
more) than that on the most splendid of vehicles in
attendance.
Page 122 of 135
DVLA
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is an Executive
Agency of the Department for Transport (DfT). The Agency
is accountable to the Secretary of State and Ministers and,
through them, to Parliament and the public, for efficient and
effective management of the Agency and its responsibilities.
Its primary aims are to facilitate road safety and general law
enforcement by maintaining registers of drivers and
vehicles, and to collect vehicle excise duty (car tax).
The DVLA was established as the increasing demand for
number plates and vehicle administration strained the
government in the UK.
Supported by DVLA local offices, the DVLA is the one stop
shop through which the government administers all number
of motoring issues
www.dvla.gov.uk
DVLC
The DVLC was formed in 1974 at a time when the numbers
of vehicles and number plates were increasing- as a means
to cope with the increasing demand. The DVLC operated
hand in hand with the Local vehicle Licensing Offices
maintaining vehicle records and administering all aspects of
motoring in the UK
1974 not only saw the end of the red book driving licence in
favour of a computerised document, but it also saw the
advent of reflective number plates- a milestone in number
plate history.
Page 123 of 135
The DVLC became the DVLA in 1990- the move from the
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Centre to the Driver and Vehicle
Licensing Agency marked a change in how the government
operated- using executive agencies for reasons of efficiency.
The DVLC introduced the original sale of unissued marks
scheme- which has evolved today into DVLA Select car
registrations and DVLA personal number plate auctions.
This heralded the beginnings of the private number plate
market in the UK and spawned numerous private number
plate dealers who began to notice cherished number plates
and personalised car registration number plates were worth
a lot of money.
The demand for personal number plates steadily increased
and has today become one of the DVLA's most significant
revenue streams. Sales of personal number plates and
cherished number plate transfer fees have netted over £1Bn
for the government since the nineties alone - personalised
number plates and the car registrations number plate
market are big business in the UK.
Page 124 of 135
DVLA personalised number plates
Dvla personalised registrations help to add millions in
revenue to the treasury each year via the sale of prefix
number plates and new style number plates at
dvlaregistrations.co.uk
Here you can search the millions of cherished plate
combinations available to find your ideal number plate- The
DVLA sell personalised number plates directly via their
telesales business for as little as £250- buying direct will
save a lot of money as some DVLA resellers can add
considerable markups to some private number plates.
The DVLA have been selling personalised registrations since
1989 and each year they release the next car registration
numbers in sequence- retailing desirable registration
numbers to the public and removing rude or inappropriate
personal number plates to ensure they are not available for
sale.
www.dvlaregistrations.co.uk
DVLA select number plates
DVLA select number plates are the private number plates
which the DVLA have offered for sale directly to the public
for the past three decades. These personal number plates,
usually un-issued sequential numbers which were withheld
for sale, have been a major influence in the UK registration
number plate market.
DVLA select car registration number plates allowed the
public for the first time to pick their own combinations of
letters and numbers from an enormous number of possible
combinations. Rather than buying through a private number
Page 125 of 135
plate dealer or at a personalised number plate auction, DVLA
select allowed the general public access to cherished number
plates and thus opened the market.
DVLA select personal number plates are known today as
DVLA registrations - as time has passed and things have
evolved the DVLA have responded to public demand and
capitalised on the boom in buying and selling personalised
number plates in the UK.
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DVLA number plate auction
In the past the DVLA have held two types of private number
plate auctions; The Custom Marks Auction, mainly aimed at
the lower priced registration numbers & The Classic
Collection, where more expensive personal number plates
are sold.
Nowadays the personalised number plate auctions have
combined to a 3 day event- held once every two months at
picturesque locations up and down the country.
DVLA number plate auctions are operated by Premier
auctions- Premier was first awarded the contract to be sole
auctioneers for the DVLA's Personalised Registrations back in
2001, and is proud to have received a five year renewal of
this exclusive contract in 2006.
Each DVLA car number plate auction has around 1500
personal number plates- all varying in quality, style and
cost. Representatives from the key private number plate
dealers, as well as cherished number plate traders and the
public meet to battle for some of the most coveted cherished
number plates.
www.dvlaauction.co.uk
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Number plate market
In recent years, the private number plate market in the UK
has seen considerable growth.
•
•
•
•
•
2.4 million car registrations numbers sold by DVLA
since 1989
295,000 cherished number plate transfers in 2006
12,000 cherished number plates auctioned by the DVLA
every 12 months
32 million available cherished number plates to buy
from the DVLA
£375000 most expensive private number plate “F1”
sold in 2008.
As a limited product and with an increasing demand it is
clear that private number plates have advanced from being
fun or a way to personalise a vehicle- hence the term
personalised number plates - to becoming a viable
investment with credible growth potential.
In the primary market, only the DVLA (Driver And Vehicle
Licensing Agency) can sell “fist issue” car registrations
numbers- as a revenue stream for the government it
represents a sizeable income (£100m in 2006 alone)
In the general number plate market- there are a handful of
key number plate players and many tens if not hundreds of
small private number plate dealers, private number plate
traders and sole traders.
These number plate traders and dealers buy and sell
personal number plates privately and at private number
plate auctions held by the DVLA.
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Some personalised number plate dealers are also DVLA
resellers- selling unissued DVLA registration numbers from
the 25million plus number plate combinations.
“With record breaking number plates such as F1, M1 and
K1NGS, private number plates, the personal number plate
market and interest in cherished number plates is firmly
here to stay and has a wide and receptive audience”
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Number plate dealers
Number plate dealers appeared in the UK way back in the
late sixties when the transferring of private number plates
began to take off.
Suddenly registration numbers were a valuable commodity
and as such supply and demand created an instant market
for the most desirable combinations.
It wouldn't be until the 1980's when the DVLA began to sell
registration numbers direct to the public- so in the interim
period the few pioneering car number plate dealers and the
hundreds who joined the bandwagon began to establish a
new market in car number plates.
Cherished number plate dealers initially act in a similar
manner to estate agents- advertising cherished plates on a
commission sale basis- as well as buying and selling
cherished number plates of a high quality.
DVLA Resellers
Since the launch of DVLA Select number plates; registration
number plate dealers have also become DVLA resellersreselling the millions of registration number plate
combinations offered by the DVLA - but at a mark-up to
what you would pay if you went directly. The thought being
that the personal number plate dealer transacts the sale on
your behalf and thus earns the fee.
With the advent of the internet personal number plate
dealers moved online and have enjoyed a buoyant few years
with ever increasing prices for the most sought after
personal plates. The internet has also brought with it
classified advertising and websites such as number
plateclassifieds.co.uk are establishing their own niche in the
private number plate market as the alternative to using a
Page 130 of 135
commission based private number plate dealer.
Number plate trader
A cherished number plate trader is a different animal from a
private number plate dealer. Generally private individuals
working on a relatively small scale; personal number plate
traders attend DVLA auctions, trawl the personalised number
plate classifieds and the internet buying and selling private
reg plates much in the same way a car dealer would.
It's not uncommon for some cherished number plate traders
to have 25+ personal number plates on the books at any
one time and with the market focussing more and more on
quality registration numbers, car registration number plate
traders have the cash, the knowledge and the connections to
by and sell some of the most valuable personalised number
plates in the UK.
Private number plate traders have been around since the
cherished number plate market began and will continue to
be a driving source in the market so far as prices are
concerned. Buying and selling personal number plates has
been likened to investing in art or commodities- and like any
kind of investing the most knowledgeable and fortunate can
make a decent living
Car number plate traders and car number plate trading is
generally an online activity or one conducted by telephonethe only face to face registration number plate dealing takes
place at the DVLA cherished number plate auctions held six
times a year- a draw for any serious private number plate
trader.
Page 131 of 135
Number plate web directory
The number plate web directory is a collection of useful
websites for buying or selling number plates. We keep these
lists as up to date as possible but there is always a small
chance for error – if there are websites you would like to see
in this directory then please email us.
Number plate Dealers
A selection of UK number plate dealer’s websites:
http://www.speedyreg.co.uk/
http://www.newreg.co.uk/
http://www.beefregistrations.co.uk/
http://www.theprivateplatecompany.co.uk/
http://www.reghunter.com/
http://www.northumbrianumbers.com/
http://www.bcreg.co.uk/
http://www.britishcarregistrations.co.uk/
http://www.registrationmarks.co.uk/
http://www.speedyreg.co.uk/
http://www.amazingnumberplates.co.uk/
http://www.nngb.com/
http://www.valleyregistrations.co.uk/
http://www.vrm-group.co.uk/
http://www.cheapernumber plates.co.uk/
http://www.plates4less.co.uk/
http://www.capeplates.co.uk/
http://www.right-reg.co.uk/
http://www.premierplates.co.uk/
http://www.r4v.co.uk/
http://www.createyourplate.com/
http://www.cherishedmarks.net/
http://www.py-number plates.co.uk/
http://www.regtransfers.co.uk/
http://www.motormarks.co.uk/
http://www.personallyyours.co.uk/
http://www.emark.co.uk/
http://www.carreg.co.uk/
http://www.1stcarnumbers.co.uk/
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http://www.dvla-som.co.uk/
http://www.wnreg.com/
http://www.cnreg.co.uk/
http://www.gwreg.co.uk/
http://www.dragonregistrations.co.uk/
http://www.v12online.com/
http://www.goldplate.co.uk/
http://www.pna.co.uk/
http://www.totalreg.co.uk/
http://www.regdeals.com/
http://www.centralreg.co.uk/
http://www.carmarks.net/
http://www.ftreg.com/
http://www.nice-reg.co.uk/
http://www.k9plates.com/
http://www.bossreg.com/
http://www.platinumplates.co.uk/
http://www.image-reg.com/
http://www.registrationworld.co.uk/
http://www.numbernet.co.uk/
http://www.ne-numbers.co.uk/
http://www.apnaplates.com/
http://www.simplyregistrations.co.uk/
http://www.justplates.com/
http://www.car-numbers.com/
http://www.globalreg.co.uk/
http://www.registrationmarks.co.uk/
http://www.nbnotednumbers.co.uk/
http://www.tayside.com/
http://www.bentleyregistrations.com/
Number plate Classifieds
http://www.smashing-plates.com/
Page 133 of 135
Number plate Forums
http://www.carreg.co.uk/forums/index.php?c=1
http://www.personallyyours.co.uk/number plate-chat-forum/default.htm
http://www.number plates.com/discuss/
Number plate Information sites
http://www.number plates-hq.co.uk/number-plates-articles.aspx
Number plate Galleries
http://www.olavsplates.com/great_britain.html
http://www.nice-reg.co.uk
http://www.number plates.com/
Number plate Makers
http://www.craigsplates.com/
http://www.no1showplates.co.uk/
http://www.onlineautomotive.co.uk/
http://www.autoxtra.com/
http://www.secureplate.com/
http://www.cheapestplates.co.uk/
http://www.acesignsuk.co.uk/
http://www.demonplates.com/
http://www.myshowplates.com
http://www.easynumber plates.co.uk
Page 134 of 135
http://www.platesforcars.co.uk
http://www.regplatedesign.co.uk
http://www.make-your-own.co.uk
Number plate Clubs
http://www.number plates.com/
http://www.registrationnumbersclub.org.uk/
Official Websites
http://www.dvla-som.co.uk/
http://www.direct.gov.uk/
http://www.dvla.gov.uk/
http://www.dvlaauction.co.uk
http://www.dvani.gov.uk/ (DVLA Ireland)
Page 135 of 135

The Number Plate Guide - how to value

Transcription

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