Personalised plates are becoming very fashionable in the UK, and more and more people are seeking them out as ways to add that ‘special something’ to the vehicle in which they spend so much of their time.  The number you seek must, of course, be unregistered already, but there are plenty of websites that will allow you to search for a number, including DVLA’s own website.

The website at www.newreg.co.uk will allow you to search by first name, surname, as well as plates beginning with ‘Miss’ (MI55) or ‘Ms’ (M5).  If the plate you seek is not found, you’ll know immediately.  Most sites, including www.PremierPlates.co.uk, offer suggestions for other letter and number combinations if your first choice has already been taken.  Keep in mind that the new numbering scheme in effect since 2001 offers more possibilities, since there are more numbers and letters on the new plates.

Websites such as www.regtransfers.co.uk and www.carreg.co.uk also offer to handle the registration of your new plates as well – although keep in mind the new identification procedures still need to be followed.  However it’s often more convenient to have the same company issuing your plates take care of the registration at the same time.  They’ll handle the paperwork expeditiously and you’ll have your personalised number plates in a much shorter time, allowing you to place it on your vehicle and start driving legally.

Using the websites will allow you to search for the number plate you desire, avoid disappointment, and let a company with knowledge of the process take care of the DVLA proceedings. 

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If you are planning on taking your vehicle out of the UK on a permanent basis, you will need to inform the DVLA of your intention to do so.  If you are taking it away on a temporary basis, you will need to take the proper documents with you.  The DVLA defines permanent as 12 months or more, and temporary as less than 12 months.

When taking the vehicle out of the UK for 12 months or longer, the DVLA will classify the vehicle as being permanently exported.  Fill out the “purple” section of DVLA Form V5C/4 of the V5C vehicle registration certificate, then post it to the DVLA at Swansea SA99 1BD.  Make sure that you keep the rest of your car registration certificate as this will most likely be needed in order to register it abroad.  The vehicle will be subject to any legal requirements of the country which the vehicle is exported to.

Should you not have a DVLA registrations certificate you will need to obtain a V561 “certificate of permanent export.”  You can download this form and then complete the “Application for certificate or permanent export” (V756).  Once you have completed the proper documentation, post it to the DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1AG.

Additionally, should you be moving between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, you will only need to fill out the “change of address” section and then post it to a local area DVA office, or a V5CNI if you are moving from Northern Ireland to Great Britain and post it to a local area DVLA office since the vehicle will still be operated in the UK.

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Spent thousands on your private number plate? Don’t forget to get a good print; or your great number plate won’t have the visual impact it should have. Number plate printers use different technology to print plates, and although they all should adhere to the standards that the DVLA set, they may not be of equal quality. Quality is often affected by price, so trying to save a few pounds by going for the cheapest plate, may end up costing you the visual pizzazz you have paid for.

One of the best places to look for a reputable number plate printer is online. Look for customer reviews on independent websites; find one of the better plate printers. Even though it may be tempting to do a price comparison, remember that a low price is likely to show up in the quality of the print, and a low price may also mean that the print does not meet DVLA standards. The better plate producers use fully computerised laser printers and thermal printing, with manual assembly at the end of the production line.

It is very important that you make sure that the plate print you are buying meets DVLA standards. DVLA standards include rules on the reflectivity of the plate (which can be affected by the manufacturing technology) as well as the typeface type, spacing between letters and the exact background colours. There are also elements in the number plate design that are mandatory, such as the flag design and prefix letters.

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For quite some time you could only display the number plate attached to your vehicle when you purchased it.  But the times, they are a changing.  Now you can select a personalised registration plate for your car that reflects you and your lifestyle.  The DVLA has been issuing personalised plates since 1989, and their new website allows you to search the plates already issued, ensuring your plate is still available. The DVLA registrations process is an easy one to complete.

Personalised plates are a wonderful gift for yourself or someone special in your life.  Know someone who loves dogs?  Include the combination “K9” in it.  List your nickname or the name of your spouse on the car; the variations are almost endless. 

The plates can be quite expensive, however.  Be sure to do a search on the DVLA’s website or via another provider.  You may find that the plate you desire is extremely expensive—some of them can cost into the tens of thousands of pounds!  Short plates command the highest prices, so if you cherish something like 3P or M4, be sure to do your research first. If very lucky, when checking number plates for sale in your area, you may find the one you want at a reasonable price.

Some of the most popular plates are the “Miss” plates.  Start with MI55, and then choose the last three letters as your name, nickname or shortened version of the same. “MI55 AMY” or “MI55 CDY” are just some of the options you have.  You can also create your last name on a plate: W1LC0X and others can be created with a little imagination.

Plates can be purchased as a gift as well.  Simply inform the DVLA of that at the time of purchase.  They’ll note it on a form and you can present your gift to the lucky recipient.  It’s something that will last for years to come.

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With the option of choosing names, initials, company names and hobbies as part of your number plates, it is not surprising that obtaining a private registration is growing more popular.

Nowadays, the easiest way to buy a unique plate registration is via one of the many websites that sell car number plates. The better websites have search engines which allow you to try and find that perfect plate. This can be a bit of a tricky process, and often the search engine on a website will guide you in your search, by only allowing you to search within certain parameters, which is usually well explained. The only problem with searching for number plates on websites is that you may have to visit many different sellers to find your plate, because their inventories tend not to overlap. The DVLA Personalised Registrations website has a searchable database for unused plates, and the fixed purchase fee of £250 can be easily afforded.

The most interesting number plates for sale can often appear in classifieds, so look through the motoring sections of newspapers, or browse through the back pages of a car magazine. Be aware however, that these plates tend to be rather expensive, but if you want something really rare, this could be a great place to look.

Finally, the DVLA holds regular auctions whenever it releases a new range of plates. For example, in December 2009, the DVLA held an auction for the new 10-series plates that will start appearing on cars in March 2010. The benefit of buying plates at an auction is that you’re the first owner, and the value of the plate is likely to increase. It may also be your only chance to buy that exceptional plate before someone else grabs it.

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For some people a number plate goes beyond the mere fun of personalised number plates, but has a deeper meaning – a true cherished possession. Some plates really mean a lot to particular individuals and once they own their cherished plate, they will most certainly never sell it!

Romantic connotations are one of the most common. Recently model and TV personality Linda Lusardi and her husband Sam Kane, the actor, sought a plate with both their names on it. After a thorough search they discovered ‘LU54 RDY’, a number plate they definitely won’t give up.

Sometimes it is necessary to compromise just a little bit on the spelling, due to the configuration and restrictions on the letters and numbers featured. Dateless plates are a little easier to work with, because they don’t require a year reference to be included in the middle, start or end of the registration plates.

Number plates representing hobbies are very popular and so are number plates that play on the car’s name and model, such as ‘BMW 3’ for the BMW M3 or ‘FRE’ for a Ferrari. Names, initials and dates of birth are also popular, but perhaps the most sought after private registration plates are ones with simple letter and number combinations. A plate with the number ‘X1’ can reach prices in the hundreds of thousand pounds, but these are exceptions.

Those people who are willing to be a little creative, may find that UK number plates offer all sorts of unique words, which may not be that expensive.

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Private number plates are ever more popular, as everyone is looking for that special, cherished number plate. For that reason the number of companies selling private plates has absolutely exploded. Advertisements on the internet and in classifieds are too many to mention, but not all of these sellers are reliable.

One of the biggest problems is that some sellers on the internet, list very rare plates at low prices. Rare plates can be incredibly expensive, ranging from £500 each to £500,000 each so the temptation to buy ‘F 1’ for your Ferrari at a cut-down price is understandable. Trouble is, having spent hundreds or thousands of pounds to ‘purchase’ the plate, many people simply don’t hear from the seller again.

It is easy for fraudulent sellers to pull this off, because a website can be run from any country and still appear ‘local’ with a ‘co.uk’ address. Since laws allowing the prosecution of fraudulent transactions differ from country to country, a website hosted in a country with a different legal system can be virtually immune to prosecution.

For buyers of private number plates the dangers are evident, and it can be very difficult to determine which sellers are genuine. One sure way is to buy directly from the DVLA Personalised Registrations website, where genuine DVLA registrations are easily searchable. It is also a good idea to look for classifieds in reputable motoring magazines, as these are likely to be vetted beforehand. Finally find out which companies participate in DVLA auctions regularly; if a company is clearly paying for plates, they are likely to offer the genuine article.

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There are nearly 40 million private number plates currently in use here in the UK, the popularity of which is showing no signs of slowing down.  Despite the fact that these were issued by the DVLA, you can only purchase “new” private number plates which have not yet been issued to any vehicle.  This means that if you are searching for a specific combination of letters and numbers to spell out your message, you may have to contact a private dealer.  Here are a few steps that you should take and options you can pursue for purchasing private number plates from the DVLA.

Check to see if the private number plate you are looking for is available.  You can do this by visiting the DVLA website and searching their current list of permissible characters in order to find your private number plate.  Once you have found the number plate you are looking for, you have the following three options for purchasing them:

Purchase your private number plates by telephone – if you choose, you can purchase your private number plates by calling the DVLA and ordering them over the phone.

Purchase your private number plates online – the most convenient way to purchase your private number plates is by using the internet.  The price quoted should include the £80 ‘assignment fee’ and the VAT.

Purchasing a private number plate as a gift – you will have to appoint the loved one or relative that you are purchasing the private number plate as the “keeper” of that number plate and signify that you are the purchaser.

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Personalised number plates; also known as vanity number plates, prestige number plates, cherished number plates, custom number plates or private number plates, are often highly sought after types of car registration plates. The series of letters and / or numbers which can be used, which are regulated by national authorities such as the Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in the UK, often spell out personal names, initials, places of residence, professions or other connotative combinations.

In the United Kingdom, the limitations placed on personalised number plates are: any three consecutive letters have to be followed by a number, duplicated licence plates are prohibited, i.e. when a number plate is already in use, and certain connotations such as swear words are prohibited.

Searching for permissible letter and / or number combinations can be done in a variety of ways. The DVLA has a website, offices to visit, and a personalised number plate telesales department, through all of which enquiries can be made. There are also a number of private websites which offer search functions, although it is recommended in each case to check a chosen personalised number plate with the DVLA before acquisition.

Common searches are for personal names, personal initials, symbolic dates and / or places, memorable personal dates such as birthdays or marriage dates, and titles such as Mr, Mrs, Miss, Dr, Sir and Lord. Highly popular personalised plates can often be bought and sold for significant sums at private or DVLA auctions.

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Whenever you are considering purchasing private number plates at a DVLA auction, you need to be aware of a few aspects of the process.  Firstly, bid lots typically start with a reserve of around £200, but some have sold for many thousands.  Secondly, you have several options for bidding as follows:

- You can bid in-person at the auction
- You can bid online at the DVLA website
- You can bid over the telephone
- You can bid by virtue of submitting a “sealed bid”

Interestingly enough, and from an entertaining standpoint, we decided to include a list of the 10 most expensive private number plates to be purchased at a DVLA auction.  The following is a list of the most expensive ones auctioned off since 1989 including the rank, the number on the plate, the price it sold for at auction, and the year it happened:

#1 – 1 D – £352,411 – 2009 (the current record price)
#2 – 51 NGH – £254,000 – 2006
#3 – 1 RH – £247,000 – 2008
#4 – K1–NGS – £231,000 – 1993
#5 – 1 O – £210,242 – 2009
#6 – 1 A – £200,000 – 1989
#7 – 1 OO – £197,000 – 2006
#8 – 2 O – £142,249 – 2009
#9 – 6 B – £130,000 – 2008
#10 – 1 HRH – £113,815 – 2009

For further information regarding purchasing private number plates for your vehicle at a DVLA auction, you can search their website as well as contact them in-person or by phone with your questions.

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