With over 30 million number plates on the market at any one time, people looking for a private reg are having no problem finding the perfect plate. Most personalized registrations read peoples names and initials yet there are countless other options to choose from.
Many businesses are now buying private number plates as a catchy form of advertising and investors are even turning to dateless registrations to add to their portfolios. Personal plates add a classic finishing touch to vehicles and can be a gift that lasts a lifetime.
There are many formats of registration plates that are available including suffix, prefix and our current style of number plates. Other formats include dateless number plates and Irish registrations. The later are becoming an increasingly popular choice for motorists looking for a cheap dateless number to hide the age of their vehicle.
The first car registration numbers were issued in 1903 with the introduction of the Motor Car Act. The registration A1 was the first number plate issued by London Council and was assigned to Earl Russell who set up camp outside the offices to secure this prestigious mark. A similar mark, M1, was sold in 2006 for £ 330,000 at an auction in Cheshire. It is broadly speculated that A1 would fetch £ 1,000,000 if or when it ever appears on the market again.
Private number plates can be submitted on DVLA certificates, which are valid up to 12 months, or transferred directly onto your vehicle. Certificates are a popular option for people buying number plates as a gift or for those who do not have a vehicle to put them onto yet.
When assigning a private number plate to your car you will need your V5 logbook, MOT certificate (if your vehicle requires one) and the car must be taxed. Applications can be sent to your local DVLA office or handed in by yourself for service as you wait. In return you will receive an update tax disc and MOT and a new V5 document will be sent out from DVLA Swansea.