The cloning of registration plates is illegal. Often, criminals have number plates made up for a vehicle of the same make, model and colour and then use the plates on their own vehicles in order to carry out criminal activities. Cloning means the actual vehicle being used is untraceable, while it appears to be legal if checked against police computers. In a bid to tackle this practice new regulations now require identification to be produced when purchasing registration plates. This includes the vehicle registration documents, along with personal identification, for example a driving licence.

The company that produces the plates is also required to display their name and postcode on the plate. This information is usually to be found at the bottom of the plate and is required to enable tracing of companies producing false plates and the individuals procuring them. These regulations have been in force since 2001, when the new style registrations were introduced. However, the regulations apply to all registration plates made up from 2001 onwards.

Tightening up the regulations has made it more difficult to obtain registration plates as many more checks and balances have been put in place. However, ’show plates’ are readily available to purchase online. It is illegal to display them on a vehicle, but they can be bought with no formal checks or balances. As a result of all this new legislation, the theft of number plates has increased in recent years.

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There is no denying that the popularity of personalised registration plates continues to grow. There is a large online market for trading personal plates and this market is thriving. Trends also show that once people have bought their first plate, they are more inclined to search for others, especially themselves, family and friends.

This is a market that has opened up much more over recent years notably for the purchase of plates as gifts. It is certainly a unique present and can be the ideal solution for those ‘hard to buy for’ individuals. Many have said that as well as enjoying the status that goes with owning a personal plate they also see the purchase as an investment, given that many plates increase in value through the years. There have been occasions when sellers of cherished plates have made a profit by selling them on after only one or two years.

Most online registration brokers categorise their personal plates in order to make it easier for prospective buyers to seek out the combination that best suits their needs or desires. This usually includes categories for personal names, businesses and hobbies. Without a doubt, the most readily available combinations are those that include an individual’s initials, as the possibilities are almost endless. Initials plates generally offer excellent value for money and have proven particularly popular. While many people have a specific plate in mind, others find that that a simple search soon leads to them to something appropriate.

If you are no longer wish to retain your personal number plate, there is bound to be someone interested in purchasing it and there are plenty of online brokers who can assist you to do that.

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Registration marks were introduced following the implementation of the Motor Car Act 1903, on January 1st 1904. The Act was introduced as a measure to allow the tracing of vehicles involved in illegal activities or accidents. Registration plates were a means of identifying individual vehicles. This act also set in law the dimensions of all UK registration plates and the size and spacing of their lettering.

Registration marks are a means of differentiating and identifying vehicles. They are assigned to vehicles, not their registered keeper. The registration mark remains with the vehicle to which it is assigned, unless an application is made for retention or transfer, until the vehicle is scrapped, written off, destroyed or permanently leaves the country.

However, despite the ability to purchase and/or retain registration marks, they are not actually owned in their own right. The Secretary of State oversees the process of registration marks and while they can be assigned to different vehicles, he also has the power to withdraw them.

The entitlement to a registration mark is acquired when you become the registered keeper of a vehicle. If you then sell it on to someone else, the entitlement to its registration mark passes on to the new registered keeper. However, special rules and processes have been developed, which give registered keepers the opportunity to retain or transfer a registration mark while they still have entitlement to it. This is known as the Retention and Cherished Transfer Scheme.

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Q prefix registrations are assigned when the origins or age of a vehicle are uncertain. This could be for many reasons, the vehicle could be a kit-car that has been constructed from the parts of several other cars, or it could be an imported vehicle for which it is impossible to determine the original date of registration. For this reason, there are only a relatively small number of Q registered cars in the country.

These plates are not involved in the transfer and retention schemes unless documentary evidence can be provided to DVLA to prove the vehicle’s origins or age. If you are the owner of a Q prefix registration and such documentary evidence does come to light, it should be passed to your local DVLA office. They may decide to assign the vehicle a registration based on the year of manufacture and only then would the vehicle be eligible to have a personalised number plate.

It is not currently possible to purchase a Q prefix registration plate to transfer to your vehicle, even if your vehicle already has one. There are also no plans to make them available in the future. The Q prefix exists to protect consumers who are purchasing a vehicle, as the presence of such a plate should immediately alert a buyer that the origins or age of the vehicle they are considering buying is uncertain.

Non-transferrable registration plates are indicated on the vehicle’s V5C logbook, beneath the registration mark and they cannot be offered for sale.

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It is essential that anyone considering the purchase of a personalised registration mark pay particular attention to the rules that govern the trade. While people may search for the closest possible representation of their name, business or hobby, to display on their vehicle, they should note that mis-representation of the mark is illegal. This means that whatever mark you purchase must be displayed on a registration plate that meets the UK standard and the numbers and letters must be spaced correctly. The responsibility for adhering to this law lies with the registered keeper of the vehicle on which the plates are assigned and also the manufacturer of the plates. As of 2001, it is mandatory for manufacturers to print their company name and postcode on any plates they make up.

It should also be noted that the manufacture of plates that use fancy typefaces and do not follow spacing rules is not illegal in itself and there is a large market out there for novelty ’show plates’. It is, however, illegal to display such plates on a vehicle on public roads.

Breaking the law by misrepresentation of your registration mark may result in it being confiscated and you will lose your right to display it. As it is your responsibility to ensure the plate complies with the law you will not receive any financial compensation and can expect to be fined up to £1,000. Something else to bear in mind is that your car will fail its MOT if the registration mark is misrepresented or incorrectly spaced.

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Personalised or private number plates are often referred to as vanity plates and any registration with two to three consecutive valid letters and a number from 1 to 999 with possibly another letter is allowed. Because many vehicles registered before 1963 have been destroyed, these “dateless” pre 1963 personal or private plates are usually highly sought after and valuable, and can be used to conceal the age of an older vehicle.

The Government’s Cherished Mark Transfer scheme allows owners to display a registration index more appropriate to a speciality or collector’s vehicle, and many private dealers act as agents for DVLA issues, and also hold their own private stock of dateless registrations and other cherished marks. The DVLA however can only offer for sale registrations that have never previously been issued and thus have a limited offering and limited scope. One may not use a registration index to make a vehicle appear newer than it actually is.

Prices of these plates are increasing on a yearly basis and to illustrate this are three examples of cherished plate values. At the end of year 2008 the record played for a number plate is £397,500 paid at auction in September by an anonymous buyer for the plate S 1. This unique number was originally owned by Sir John MacDonald and was the first ever number plate in Edinburgh. The number plate F1 was sold for £375,000 on 25th January 2008 and was originally fixed to a Panhard motor car in 1904, the number M1 was sold at Goodwood for £33,000 in June 2006, giving some idea of the value of some of the vanity or private number plates.

It should be noted that there are no restrictions on using a vanity or cherished registration on a car that is newer than the original date of the registration plate, but it is prohibited to transfer a registration that is newer than the vehicle it is used on. This is to prevent the transfer of newer registrations to older vehicles as a measure to protect consumers.

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Anthony Heyes is extremely proud of his H6 YES registration plate. He explains, “I think the plate really sets the car off and I have an interesting story to go with it.”

He continues, “Some years ago I was travelling north on the M6 motorway heading towards junction 21a that leads off to Liverpool. I was plodding along at the unheard speed of 40mph; to this day I can’t think why I was at that speed.”

However, Anthony was not prepared for what came next or for the role that his personalised registration would have to play in the events.

He recalls “…as I majestically swept off the M6 to join the M62 westbound, I was woken out of my daydream by the usual flashing blue lights and for a second or two wasn’t sure if it was me they required to stop. The truth dawning, I signalled and stopped on the hard shoulder waiting for the officer to approach. The officer in question asked me to leave the vehicle and step to their Range Rover. He proceeded to enquire why I was driving at such a low speed. Having discussed this and pointed out that the minimum speed limit was apparently 30mph, he then announced that he liked the look of my private number plate and wished that he had it.”

Anthony recalls: “I replied that it would only be of use to anyone with the name HEYES, to which he replied ‘that’s okay because my name is Heyes…Tony Heyes’, and sure enough he produced his warrant card.”

Anthony concludes: “I bet there are not too many people who get stopped for going too slow on the motorway by a policeman with exactly the same name, whilst in a car with the same name, albeit H6YES on the number plate.”

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The licence plate systems used the USA and Canada have seen many changes throughout their hundred-year existence. They were originally introduced in 1903 in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the Canadian province of Ontario. Other authorities then began to follow their examples, eventually making the display of licence plates a requirement across all states and provinces by 1918.

Originally, the plates were made out of rubber, iron, leather or porcelain, with the letters and numbers being simply painted on. Most included an abbreviated state identifier and year number at one side, which enabled the police to check on sight that the vehicle registration was up to date. As result of this feature, each year, citizens had to obtain new plates from the state government. The colours changed from year to year, which again helped the police to identify out of date registrations.

The types of materials used in the manufacture of licence plates have changed through the years, but today the majority of states use metal, which is embossed with the registration number. However, several states have now overhauled their systems to digitally produce their licence plates.

Over the years it has also become common for state plates to display slogans. Examples are the Nova Scotia plates, which read “Canada’s Ocean Playground” or the political statement on Washington D.C. plates, which states “Taxation Without Representation”. Even more recently, website addresses have started to appear on some plates.

The construction of licence plate numbers varies between states, though most do not use the letters I, O or Q. Some issue registration numbers that are valid for as long as the person stays within that state, while others change their registration numbers periodically. If a person moves to a new state, they will usually be required to obtain a new registration number.

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