Popular in the capital with many overseas visitors arriving on business, left hand drive cars London can be a cheaper alternative for car rental in the city.

1.    Be prepared. It’s a completely different vantage point than you’re probably used to.

2.    Observe the controls and get used to the mirrors, especially the wing mirrors.

3.    You’ll feel like you’re going to hit the kerb – don’t be tempted to veer across into the middle of the road.

4.    Monitor your position on the carriageway. Don’t irritate your fellow drivers by veering across lanes into the path of oncoming traffic or blocking the view of drivers behind you.

5.    Over-taking: leave plenty of space between your vehicle and the one in front before pulling out. You will get used to it!

6.    Use your passengers. They can provide crucial guidance for that tricky manoeuvre. Trust them to assess the distance between your vehicle and the obstacles around you.

7.    Roundabouts: Amazingly easy to navigate in a left-hand drive vehicle, don’t fear the rotary. When turning left, just treat the roundabout as you would a normal junction. When going straight ahead, indicate right, and then indicate left as you approach the turning.

8.    Remember, when turning left at a junction your view from the right will be obscured. Be vigilant for vehicles coming through on the inside. Traffic can be a nightmare so have your wits about you when driving left hand drive cars London.

9.    Don’t forget pedestrians. They won’t know or care if it’s a left-hand drive so you need to be aware of their presence, particularly when making a turn.

10.    It’s undeniably a more natural driving position. So sit back and enjoy the ride!

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In the United Kingdom, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is the government body responsible for the issuing and monitoring of car registration numbers.  The details are kept in a national database known as the vehicle information database. It also monitors road traffic offences, road taxation compliance and issues driving licences.

Personalised car number plates; also known as vanity number plates, prestige number plates, cherished number plates, custom number plates or private number plates, can be bought privately at auctions or from websites as well as from the DVLA directly. The only limitations placed on personalised number plates are duplication – it must be an original plate – and broad standards of decency – no swear words or contentious issue denotation.

The DVLA sells personalised number plates through its telesales arm and it also runs its own auctions. Auctions are common when some personalised number plates are highly sought after; typical in the case where the combination of letters and / or numbers spell out common personal names. The cheapest personalised number plates currently sold by the DVLA are around £250, with £80 additional assignment fee. Naturally, there is no limit on the highest price, since these are determined by the auctions.

The DVLA auctions take place six times each year, throughout the United Kingdom. Auction venues are announced each year for the year to follow, with the list of personalised number plates up for auction being circulated in advance. There are also more regular online auctions.

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The registration marks of the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man differ from those in the rest of the United Kingdom.

In Jersey the registration marks all start with the letter J and are suffixed by between one and six numbers. Recently, plates have changed to incorporate the Jersey Coat of Arms on the left hand side and the country code GBJ for Great Britain – Jersey. They are similar to the new style of EU plates, although Jersey is actually outside the European Union. There are some exceptions to the standard registration marks. For example, all hire cars in Jersey have a silver letter H displayed against a red background, to the left hand side of the plate.

Registration marks in Guernsey consist purely of numbers, the lower the number, the higher the value of the vehicle. The plates vary in colour, from black digits on yellow or white plates, to silver digits against a black background. Fire and rescue vehicles do not have assigned registration numbers.

Alderney is a dependency of Guernsey, but the registration marks are different. Plates issued here are alphanumerical and all start with the letters AY suffixed by a combination of numbers. These plates feature a black background with white text.

Sark and Herm have no motor vehicles on their roads, apart from agricultural vehicles and therefore have no vehicle registration system.

The system for registering cars in the Isle of Man has changed many times through the years. Now, Isle of Man registration marks have a prefix letter followed by the letters MN. This letter combination is followed by up to three numbers and suffixed by a trailing letter.

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Are you visiting one of the many countries around the world that drive on the right side of the road? Are you planning to drive there? Will you travel off-road or on rough terrain? If so, and you’re based in the capital, then it’s worth training for your adventure by enhancing your driving skills in a left hand drive 4×4 London.

It can be a daunting experience driving on the ‘wrong’ side of the road. Take the different controls – in the UK you may be used to driving a right-hand drive vehicle with a manual transmission (with a clutch and a gearbox) but in the US most left hand drive vehicles are automatic which takes away the need for a gear stick or a clutch pedal. Not only will you not know what to do with your hands, your feet will be redundant too!

It’s worth taking a test drive in a left hand drive vehicle before you travel. There are many companies in the UK who specialise in LHD so you can get used the layout and configuration of the vehicle on the road layouts you’re familiar with. Try an automatic transmission and make sure you’re comfortable with driving without having to worry about changing gear – it’s a great way to focus your mind on the signage and road layouts you’re travelling on.

Try a left hand drive 4×4 London. This way you’ll be used to an elevated driving position to give you extra confidence on the roads. Indeed, take advantage of the enhanced traction and venture off-road until you get used to the controls, without the worry of traffic and pedestrians. With a little practice, you’ll be driving like a native in no time. Enjoy your trip!

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Personalised registrations or prestige plates are most commonly referred to as private number plates in the UK.  In Australia and New Zealand they are called either custom or personalised plates, whereas in the US, they are referred to as personalised or “vanity” plates.  The DVLA has private number plates for sale here in the UK, which are a special type of vehicle registration plates that vehicle owners willingly pay additional money for.  This type of vehicle plate enables the owner to have their choice of letters or numbers that depict their initials, a recognisable phrase, or a catchy slogan.

There are a few considerations regarding private number plates that you should be aware of should you be contemplating purchasing one for your vehicle.  First and foremost, offensive phrases or words are not allowed by the DVLA on these types of plates and your request for such will not be approved.  Interestingly enough, in recent years the DVLA displayed some leniency and has released combinations of phrases and/or words which had previously been banned (e.g. DAM and SEX).

Although there are some restrictions involved with having a private number plate, the registration can be sold or transferred to another automobile or vehicle.  If you are planning on transferring your plate, the vehicle that the number is associated with (a.k.a. the “donor” vehicle) must have a valid MOT and V5 certificate.  This applies to vehicles that are over three years old.  However the tax disc must also be current in the past 6 months and can only have expired naturally.  In other words, it cannot have been cashed in.

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The current system for registering vehicles in Argentina consists of an alphanumerical combination of three letters followed by three numbers. However, there have been two distinct phases in the registration of vehicles in the country, the decentralised phase, which ran until 1972, and the centralised phase from 1972 onwards.

Decentralisation commenced with the issuing of registration plates in the early 1900s. At that time the responsibility for assigning registration marks was devolved to each individual municipality or province. There are few records still in existence of the earliest registration marks, but from 1916 onwards each plate tells a story, as every district was responsible for designing their own plates.

In 1972 the Argentine government took the decision to standardise the format and design of the country’s registration plates. This new layout consisted of a prefix letter followed by six numbers and the registration number was printed in white against a black background. The numbers were issued in sequence, while the prefix letter acted as a province identifier. When Buenos Aires and Buenos Aires City exceeded a million plates each, they had to halve the height of the prefix letter to insert an additional digit beneath it.

From 1995, the registration plates have again been redesigned and standardised. The new regulations apply to all cars, including used cars, sold on or following 1st January 1995. The revised format does away with the provincial indicator and consists solely of three letters followed by three numbers. The process of standardising plates on vehicles sold prior to this date started with the letter R, whereas the new vehicles started from AAA 000.

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The UK Government organisation that is responsible for maintaining a vehicle driver licence database as well as a database containing the details of vehicles in the UK is the DVLA – Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.  The DVA or Driver and Vehicle Agency is the Northern Ireland counterpart of this government agency.  It is one of the Department for Transport’s executive agencies, one of the ministerial teams of the department, and answers to the Minister of State.

Based in Swansea, in Southern Wales, the DVLA was originally known as the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Centre or DVLC.  The Local Office Network is the agency’s network of offices throughout Great Britain.  There are several responsibilities of the DVLA inclusive of the following:

- the issuing of driving licences and DVLA registrations
- organising the collection of excise duties on vehicles (also referred to as road fund licence or road tax)
- selling private number plates

Additionally, the introduction of EVL or Electronic Vehicle Licensing enables individuals to pay their vehicle excise duties online or by telephone.  However, you are still also allowed to take care of your vehicle tax payment through the Post Office.

Contrary to some public opinion, the DVLA has no legal authority where the conviction of motorists who have committed driving offences is concerned.  Despite this, it is erroneously assumed that the DVLA endorses penalty points on driving licences.  When an endorsable driving offence occurs and an individual’s licence is handed over to the police, it is normally transferred to the Magistrate’s Court of the county where the offence was committed.  The DVLA does enter such endorsements onto a driver’s record.

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Where DVLA registrations are concerned, the forms and procedures for registering cars are based upon the way they are categorised or described.  Registration fees and procedures are based on classifications such as new, used, kit cars, radically altered, or rebuilt.  If you want to register a vehicle that is categorised as a kit car or one that has been radically altered or rebuilt, there are certain steps that you need to take in order to get them registered properly.

If you have a vehicle that falls into one of these specific categories, it will need to comply with certain criteria before you can successfully register it.  Based on the evidence that you provide, your Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) local area office will assign either an appropriate registration mark or the vehicle’s original one.  It typically boils down to a couple of aspects, namely the vehicle’s identity and a vehicle identity check.

Whenever a vehicle needs to be rebuilt, the identity of the vehicle may come under scrutiny.  Certain questions may be asked.  These questions may include, “was the original vehicle rebuilt,” or, “were so many different or new parts used during the process of rebuilding it that you have broken up the original vehicle?” When a registration mark has been allocated to a rebuilt vehicle, the DVLA has to establish if the vehicle had no original or previously registered identity.  Additionally, if the rebuilding of the vehicle has been significant, you will need to take it to a DVLA office in order to have it examined.

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