As status symbols go, personalised number plates are right up there. Maybe your name is DEB81E or you are an ART15T or just don’t want everyone to know the age of you beloved car.
Whatever the reason, the number plate of your dreams may just be a few hundred pounds away but it could also cost tens of thousands. So how do you go about finding your dream plate and what do you have to do to be able to drive round with it on your car?
Whether you have a new or used car, registration numbers can be bought from the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) or from the hundreds of companies offering number plates – a quick internet search under “personalised plates” will have you under way.
Most if not all allow you to type in a name or collection of letters you want to try to match and will then display a selection from you to choose from.
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When you have picked your ideal number, you must obtain legal ownership of it. This requires a V750 Certificate of Entitlement form, available from your local DVLA office. Once issued, you can transfer the personalised registration to your car.
You can keep the personal registration “on retention” (i.e. reserve it until you are ready to transfer it to your car) for an additional fee. Or, the V750 Certificate of Entitlement form allows you a fixed period before you must either use the number to register a car or lose the number.
To register your car with the personalised number, you need to contact your local DVLA office, either by post or in person.
You will need a registration document and the V750 form to attach the number to a new car.
To change the number of an existing car, you will need an insurance certificate, Vehicle Excise Duty (road tax), an MoT certificate if applicable and the V750 form. You will also need to complete a V317 form to transfer your chosen registration on to a previously registered car. In both cases a fee will be charged by the DVLA.
Registering a car with a new, personalised number plate takes about four days during which time it is illegal to use the car on public roads as it is not yet registered.
That is about it – except that there are all sorts of legal niceties to observe or else you face being pulled over by the police. Here are the most common situations:
1) The police take a very dim view of number plates where the characters have been moved around to make a spelling more obvious. It could earn you a fine and points on your licence.
2) Using heavily stylised typefaces on a number plate, such as gothic or futuristic can also draw the attention of the police because they will view this as obstructing the law if the number is difficult to read.
3) You are allowed to display a national flag as part of the design, but other symbols such as football team badges or the car maker’s badge are illegal.
4) Cars registered before 1 January 1973 can use silver on black or white on black number plates. Cars registered after this date must use black on white plates at the front and black on yellow plates at the rear. Stick on number plates are illegal.
If you want advice about finding a reputable company to buy a personalised plate from contact MIRAD, the Institute of Registration Agents and Dealers (www.mirad.co.uk).
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