Personalised plate buying

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
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Tue 24 Aug 2021 13:40
Personalised plate buying - Guitarspark

I have wanted a personalised plate for a while and am considering one now I'm getting a new car. Looking online shows loads of different sites where you can buy them, all promising the "best prices". Are there any sites to avoid or any sites that are worth using? I know DVLA do auctions but apart from that I don't know where to look for the best

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Tue 24 Aug 2021 13:46
Personalised plate buying - leaseman

Buy from the DVLA - subject to availability obviously. Best price guaranteed for plates not currently in use.

dvlaregistrations.dvla.gov.uk/

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Tue 24 Aug 2021 14:25
Personalised plate buying - Guitarspark

Thanks - that's a good site with lots of options. Hard to choose which one to go for though! After buying a plate is there a cost each year or just when you put it on a new vehicle?

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Tue 24 Aug 2021 16:03
Personalised plate buying - leaseman

The cost up front is all you pay until you change cars, if you want to retain the same plate. Otherwise sell the car with the plate on it, or put the number on retention, which involves a cost.

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Tue 24 Aug 2021 17:08
Personalised plate buying - Ethan Edwards

Yes it's 80quid. The cert only valid for a year, and at time of transfer car has to have valid mot.

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Tue 24 Aug 2021 17:51
Personalised plate buying - Miniman777

A V750 Certificate of Entitlement is valid for 10 years, as is a V778 Retention certificate.

I've used two companies, both efficient, no leeway on price, but one insisted as T&C of sale I had to buy a pair of plates from them which added a small extra cost. Never used the plates, created my own online.

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Tue 24 Aug 2021 23:04
Personalised plate buying - Grenache

I bought mine and my wife's plates direct from the DVLA site, their prices include the initial transfer fee. Once you've put it on a car there's no extra to pay unless you later want to swap the plates to another car or put 'on retention' which means you hold the plate on paper until you put it on a car.

Watch however that you cannot use a plate which would make the car look newer than it actually it, so if you have a car registered in 2015, say, you cannot put a '16 plate on it.

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Thu 26 Aug 2021 10:04
Personalised plate buying - JonestHon

Some related cost: most insurers will charge you their standard admin fee to swap the plate numbers on the policy, usually at their inflated prices which I have seen at £25 to £75.

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