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.