Car license plate experts

[Ali Katt]

Hi. Are there any car experts who know why two license plates would be swapped? I've seen a car near a Honda Civic and its old license plate is now on a BMW, with a license plate from 5 years before on the Civic. These are professional license plates, also the people clearly know each other. Also before anyone mentions a "Rear Window" type situation, there is a reason why which I don't want to go to into.

[lostandfound]

People with cherished plates sometimes transfer them around if they are going to be without a car for a while. Saves them losing the plate.

[winkywanky]

People with cherished plates sometimes transfer them around if they are going to be without a car for a while. Saves them losing the plate.

I would add to that, if the personal plate in question is not on a car at all, then you have to 'put it on retention' to be able to keep it, and this costs as well.

So you might as well use it if you own it?

[Ali Katt]

People with cherished plates sometimes transfer them around if they are going to be without a car for a while. Saves them losing the plate.

I don't think think it's a designer plate.

[winkywanky]

I don't think think it's a designer plate.

If you have any concerns Ali, a simple call to your local police so they can check it out on the DVLA register 

[winkywanky]

Dial 101 and give them details of both cars, with which plate is on which car.

[Scotpunter]

If you go onto a website called my car check, you can put the reg in and it will tell you what car it is currently assigned to.

[daviemac]

I believe when you put a private reg on a vehicle the original number is retained for that vehicle so if you take it off again it reverts to it's original number.

If you own a private reg number and sell the car you can take the number off and put it on a retention certificate for future use, I believe you have to renew that every so often. Then as above the car reverts to it's original.

Exactly why those two have swapped is anyone's guess.

[winkywanky]

I believe when you put a private reg on a vehicle the original number is retained for that vehicle so if you take it off again it reverts to it's original number.

If you own a private reg number and sell the car you can take the number off and put it on a retention certificate for future use, I believe you have to renew that every so often. Then as above the car reverts to it's original.

Exactly why those two have swapped is anyone's guess.

Not strictly true I think, but probably normally happens in any case.

I bought a new car and wanted to transfer my personal plate over to it. When you apply to do this the DVLA can assign any suitable and available plate to your old car, but I think I remember requesting that they reassign the previous plate, purely because I'd kept the old plates in the shed. They duly complied, but if I hadn't requested I'm not sure it would have automatically happened? I think the form is worded that it won't necessarily happen.

[daviemac]

Not strictly true I think, but probably normally happens in any case.

I bought a new car and wanted to transfer my personal plate over to it. When you apply to do this the DVLA can assign any suitable and available plate to your old car, but I think I remember requesting that they reassign the previous plate, purely because I'd kept the old plates in the shed. They duly complied, but if I hadn't requested I'm not sure it would have automatically happened? I think the form is worded that it won't necessarily happen.

I know a couple of people who've kept the old plates to put back on because it's normally the old number that gets resigned to the vehicle.


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[ScouserRod]

It never used to happen many years ago-you always got a different Reg number relevant to the year of the car.
Recently (over the last ten years or so) you seem to get the original number of the car .

[winkywanky]

I know a couple of people who've kept the old plates to put back on because it's normally the old number that gets resigned to the vehicle.


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Usually. So yes I guess it just tends to happen. I can't remember whether there was a specific comments box on the form, or whether I enclosed an addendum on a separate piece of paper? But I did request, to try and ensure it happened.

[Steve2]

I did it years ago and got the original number back as I'd had the windows etched with that number

[winkywanky]

I did it years ago and got the original number back as I'd had the windows etched with that number

You mean you requested it?

[tintin100]

I have a personalise plate for over 20 years now and when I sell the car it always reverts back to the original plate. I also believe retention certificate last 10 years now for a one of fee.

[Ali Katt]

Both cars are taxed and insured . The license plate disappeared off the website, but now it's back under a new car. I know some unscrupulous garages do it to hide service histories, but it seems weird if they know each other.

[rickyponting]

If you use the DVLA mot history checker and type in the reg number it will tell you the make of car,year and all mot history from about the last 15 years.

[Steve2]

You mean you requested it?

Yes, I requested the original number back when I wanted to sell the car and take the personal plate off it

[sub_marine]

Hi. Are there any car experts who know why two license plates would be swapped? I've seen a car near a Honda Civic and its old license plate is now on a BMW, with a license plate from 5 years before on the Civic. These are professional license plates, also the people clearly know each other. Also before anyone mentions a "Rear Window" type situation, there is a reason why which I don't want to go to into.

You cant put a number plate that is newer than the age of the car, for example you cant put AB12ABC onto a 2007 car, must be March 2012 or newer.  So with that in mind for this swap to be legal one of the cars must have been using a plate that was older than the age of the car.

Even from the 80's, when you removed a private plate the car would revert back to the old plate.  The only time a new plate is generated is if you have a plate on retention and buy a brand new car, and give the dealer the retention cert to get the car registered so that your private plate is the only plate to ever have been registered to the car.  When you then remove your private plate a new number must be generated from your local DVLA office area and relevent age to the car.

Retentions used to have to be updated every 2 years at the cost of £80, but about 5 years ago it changed to 10 years.

If you buy a private plate from somebody they will fill out the section of the retention for to nominate you to use the plate.  You will then get a letter from DVLA saying you are the nominee for the number, however if you don't use the number on a vehicle for 12 months, it will revert back to the original owner.  You might be able to convert the Nominee paperwork to a proper retention, not had to look into that.

If you have a private plate and your car is written off, always make sure to send the V5C into the DVLA and put the number plate on retention before sending the insurance company the new V5C, because there have been cases of people losing there plates as claim paperwork takes so long to happen, and number plates cant be removed from cars without MOTs, and obviously if your car is written off it wont be passing an MOT again.  And once you handover the V5C your at the mercy of the insurance company to help you retrieve the plate as you are no longer the registered keeper.

[Billy no mates]

There are many cameras everywhere taking note of everywhere a car drives. I would guess it’s one of the first things the Police check for criminology.

You have said both cars are MOT’d and Tax’d, easily checkable. Car insurance is not so easily checkable. So it may be as simple as one owner doesn’t have car insurance.

If I understand your original post this happens regularly, between the same two cars between different houses. If that’s the case, it’s safe to assume that one of the owners wants to go somewhere in his/her car and it not be recorded. It’s speculation then as to why that is, it could be anything from selling black tar heroin to kids, to having an affair and his partner has access, or a friend has access to anpr data.

[sub_marine]

Siple enough to check any data about a car these days

to check vehicle insurance : External Link/Members Only
to check vehicle MOT : External Link/Members Only
to check vehicle tax : External Link/Members Only

[Billy no mates]

Siple enough to check any data about a car these days

to check vehicle insurance : External Link/Members Only
to check vehicle MOT : External Link/Members Only
to check vehicle tax : External Link/Members Only

Unfortunately insurance companies are not obliged to supply data to the insurance database, so one cannot be sure that car is insured or not.

[daviemac]

Unfortunately insurance companies are not obliged to supply data to the insurance database, so one cannot be sure that car is insured or not.

I think you'll find they are and their requirement to do so are, in parts, included in the Deregulation Act 2015.   

[Billy no mates]

I think you'll find they are and their requirement to do so are, in parts, included in the Deregulation Act 2015.

I googled that act and according to Wiki it’s to do with retaliatory evictions. I’m no legal expert so I will accept your experience.

However one of my cars does not show up on the insurance database, but is UK taxed, insured and MOT’d (actually technically MOT has expired but been given a 6 month extension).

[daviemac]

I googled that act and according to Wiki it’s to do with retaliatory evictions. I’m no legal expert so I will accept your experience.

However one of my cars does not show up on the insurance database, but is UK taxed, insured and MOT’d (actually technically MOT has expired but been given a 6 month extension).

The part of the act that covers car insurance is more to do with making it easier and quicker to take cancelled policies off so uninsured vehicles get picked up by ANPR cameras. Teh MID have their own code as well.

This explains a bit about it.    External Link/Members Only

Edit

If you have multi vehicle or a motor traders policy you have to notify reg numbers of vehicles used on them in the long term so they can be put on the MID.

[Billy no mates]

Yeah, good link, it explains it well, also explained why one of my cars didn’t show as Sheilas Wheels isn’t on the list of members. 

Thanks 

[daviemac]

Yeah, good link, it explains it well, also explained why one of my cars didn’t show as Sheilas Wheels isn’t on the list of members. 

Thanks 

That's odd, I was insured with Sheila's Wheels a couple of years ago and never had a problem, I even got stopped for a spot check once and they knew I was insured without having to ask, so it must've been on the data base.  Maybe the police and DVLA have access to a different part. 

[sparkus]

That's odd, I was insured with Sheila's Wheels a couple of years ago and never had a problem, I even got stopped for a spot check once and they knew I was insured without having to ask, so it must've been on the data base.  Maybe the police and DVLA have access to a different part. 

Worst TV ad ever.

I remember a childhood joke about the Pope's reg plate being B4 I (screw sign) U RU over 16
(this had to be drawn).

[Jacques Barstarred]

I saved £100s of pounds on personalised number plates by simply changing my name to BN54 OHP 

[sparkus]

I saved £100s of pounds on personalised number plates by simply changing my name to BN54 OHP 

Viz Top Tips!

[tynetunnel]

I saved £100s of pounds on personalised number plates by simply changing my name to BN54 OHP 

Good idea, changing your name to your postcode!