The specialty of private numbers for vehicles in the UK

There are several things you need to learn before you decide that you would like to buy a personal plate for your car. In the UK, just like in any other country things go a bit different. Let’s see how the process of getting a personal licence plate happens and what you generally need to know about it before you get started.

It’s called both a personal registration numbers, personal plates and it means the same thing

No matter how you name it, it’s what is shown on your licence plate and in your car’s documents. It’s called several names but it still means the same thing. The one thing you need to differentiate is its paper form from its physical form. Once you buy your personal plates they won’t get delivered to you.

This is a long-term misunderstanding. But the fact of the matter is, that you may buy the right to own the number, the price will not include the price and the work that it takes to actually create the licence plate according to British standards.

There are many types of number plates in use in the UK

While the old ones only contain letters and numbers, the new ones, called Prefix and Suffix types have certain other qualities to them, for instance that they contain a reference number, that’s referencing the age of the vehicle through the year of the making of the number plate. Today, the number plate has the following format: 2 letters (signifying the region) 2 numbers (pointing at the year of making) 3 letters which are randomly chosen. In two differentiating terms the modern type of number plates are called Prefix or Suffix (depending on the positioning of the 2 letters which signify the region) and Dateless, referencing the older number plates.

You cannot get a personal plates made up for you

At least not on a car that you want to drive legally on the road. While in other countries there is the chance to make your own personal plates, in the UK, it’s not possible. Clients get the chance to browse from among millions of previously made registration numbers and choose the combination they are looking for. Search options on websites, such as the DVLA Registry or licenced dealers’ websites is very much available. This would give you a clue as to what possibilities they are and what these would cost. The most cherished number plates are those which contain only a very few letters and numbers which can go down to show only one letter and one number. Some dealers also deal with stars’ former registration plates.

This is a million Pound business

Indeed the rare number plates can cost millions of British Pounds especially at DVLA’s exclusive auctions where you can easily spot stars, millionaires and celebrities too who are on the lookout for cherished numbers. Sometimes, one needs to wait for years, to find the combination he or she is looking for.

All your car documents must be at hand to get the licence plate done

After purchase, you need to take all the car’s and registration number’s documents to get the physical plate done for an extra fee. Other rules may apply, so contact DVLA for more information.