Enter your car's registration number to find out which car has a special private (personalised) number plate right now. This service verifies private registration allocations to guarantee accuracy and avoid abuse. It's also helpful if you want to do an owner check or check my vehicle details before making a purchase.
What is a Number Plate Change?
A number plate change is the process of putting a private (personalised) plate on a vehicle instead of its existing registration number. This gives you a way to personalise your vehicle with a unique number. You can shift your private plates from one car to another when you buy or sell a car. This gives you freedom and lets you keep customising your car. You can also give your private number plate to someone else's car, as long as all the law and paperwork requirements are met.
Process of Changing a Number Plate on a Vehicle
If you want to change a car's number plate, the steps you need to take will depend on what you want to do. A form V317 is available to help you move a private number plate from one car to another.
You can also do the process online in just two easy steps:
- Remove the Private Plate: First, fill out an application to remove the private number plate from your present car.
- Assign the Plate to a New Vehicle: Once you have removed the number plate, you can give it to your new car whenever you want.
This makes sure that the transfer of registration between cars goes smoothly and follows the law.
How Much Does It Cost To Change A Number Plate?
You have to fill out an application to get a private number plate for your car, but there is no fee for this service.
For £80, you can remove a private plate from a car and put it on hold for later use.
Also, if you want to move a private plate straight from one car to another, you will need to fill out a different form and pay the £80 transfer fee. These steps make sure that the license plate is officially registered and given.
How to Buy a Private Number Plate
You can buy private number plates from different places, such as:
- DVLA Personalised Registrations
- DVLA Number Plate Auctions
- Licensed Private Plate Dealers
- Individuals Selling Their Own Private Plates
When you buy a private number plate, you will get a Certificate of Entitlement (V750). This document is legal proof that you own the plate, and you can change the registration to any other car at any time.
Selling a Private Number Plate – What You Need to Know
You have a few choices if you no longer want to keep your private number plate:
- Sell Through a Private Plate Dealer: You should hire a licensed agent to handle the sale for you.
- Sell Privately: Through a private deal, give the registration straight to someone else.
- Surrender the Plate: You can officially give up your rights to the plate by calling the DVLA if you no longer want to use or keep it.
- Assign It to Another Vehicle: If you take the right steps, you can also give your private number plate to someone else's car using the proper transfer plate process.
To make sure your transfer or release is legal, you must follow DVLA rules for each way. Doing an owner check and using a check my vehicle details service can help you avoid any surprises during a sale or transfer.
FAQs About Plate Change
How Can I Assign a Private Plate to My Vehicle?
Through the DVLA, you can give your car a private number plate for free. If you are removing the plate from one car and putting it on another, you have to pay a fee. This is a standard £80 transfer fee.
Keep in mind that private number plates cannot start with "Q" or "NIQ," since those letters are only for cars whose history is not clear. A private plate also cannot be used to make a car look younger than the date it was first registered, which is against DVLA rules.
How Do I Remove a Private Plate from My Vehicle?
You can put your private number plate on retention if you no longer want any vehicles to show it. So, the plate will not be given to a specific car. Instead, it will stay registered in your name. You own the number plate while it is on retention, and you can give it to another car at any time in the future. This method lets you keep ownership of the plate without actually using it on a car.
How Can I Check If a Vehicle Has Undergone a Plate Change?
A car history check service can tell you if a car's number plate has been changed. This service gives a lot of information about a car's registration history, such as any recorded plate changes.
You will need to switch to a paid report to see this information. By including the vehicle's current registration number, the report will show you all of its past registration numbers. This will help you be sure of the vehicle's name and history.
Is 74 plate 2025?
No, the "74 plate" does not mean that the car was registered in 2025. Vehicles registered between September 1, 2024, and February 28, 2025, are what it really means. The UK's vehicle registration system uses a number style to show the year of registration, with one exception for cars registered in September. If you registered in March, the number will directly match the year, like "25" for March 2025. For September entries, add 50 to the year to get the number. For example, "74" is September 2024.
What year is the 74 plate?
Vehicles registered in the UK between September 1, 2024, and February 28, 2025 have a "74 plate." This registration style is part of the UK's number plate update scheme, which adds new registration numbers every six months, in March and September. The method uses the date of registration to help figure out how old a car is.
What year is a 24 plate?
Vehicles registered in the UK between March 1, 2024, and August 31, 2024 have a "24 plate." For this time period, the number "24" on the number plate shows the driver's age. As part of the UK's every-other-year car registration cycle, the registration style will change to the "74 plate" on September 1, 2024.
