Feed: Personalised number plates - AggScore: 79.1

There's a lot of confusion out there about what is or isn't a legal number plate.

The biggest area of confusion has been the legality of flags on car number plates. Are they legal? Are they not? Which ones are ok, and which are not? The one we see most often is the Euro / GB badge. This is, of course, perfectly acceptable. There was less clarity about other (more patriotic!) flags. This year all was clarified by Geoff Hoon (Transport Secretary). All four flags... Scotland, England, Wales, and the Union Jack are now fully legal.

"I look forward to seeing our national symbols on cars around the country"

said Mr Hoon.

Motorists in England, Scotland and Wales can now display the Union flag, Cross of St George, Cross of St Andrew (also known as the Saltire) or Red Dragon of Wales. And one of these identifiers can also be displayed: GREAT BRITAIN, Great Britain, GB, UNITED KINGDOM, United Kingdom, UK, CYMRU, Cymru, CYM, Cym, ENGLAND, England, ENG, Eng, SCOTLAND, Scotland, SCO, Sco, WALES or Wales.

The image must be on the left side. No other image is not allowed. That means no football emblems, cartoon characters, or anything else!

The DVLA are very specific about what is or isn't legal. Letters and spaces on car number plates are defined down to the last mm. As are background colours. Fancy fonts and background images are definitely not legal on a number plate.

Just a few weeks ago, the fine for an illegal number plate doubled to £60. It's an awful lot of hassle fighting the number plate fine after the event.

Incorrect fonts or manipulated letters and numbers make it difficult for any automated number plate recognition (ANPR) system to read the number plate. Even the car mot test has become more stringent this year.

The problem is that many people don't really understand what is or isn't a legal car number plate. If you have number plates made up by a reputable company they will know the rules. And should refuse to provide a number plate that doesn't comply. You will also be asked to provide full documentation to prove you are entitled to that registration number - that's likely to include your V5 log book and proof of ID.

Increasingly, there are a number of online car number plate manufacturers. Buying number plates online is easy and popular. Many offer the option of 'legal number plates' or 'show plates'. Show platesusually allow you to move letters around, add images, etc. Be warned - these are not legal. And you run the risk of being stopped and fined if you have an illegal number plate.

It's that time again. Another 1600 personalised number plates will be for sale at the next DVLA number plate auction in August.

The next DVLA auction will be at the RBS Williams F1 Conference Centre, Wantage, Oxfordshire on 5th, 6th, 7th August 2009. The three days will see the sale of 1600 number plates, with reserve prices ranging from just a few hundred pounds to several thousands of pounds. There are six DVLA auctions each year, taking place at prestigious venues around the country. On average, the DVLA sell over 4m pounds of number plates at each auction.

The feature registration number for sale next month is 4 O, which will be offered for sale on the final day of the auction. Or take a browse through the DVLA number plate auction catalogue... and see if there's anything you fancy.

Of course, you don't need to attend the number plate auction to make a bid. You can put in an absentee bid by telephone or internet. Just register, and get your bids in by 29th July.

Although, if you can go along in person, this would be a great opportunity to take a tour of the Williams F1 Grand Prix Collection while attending the auction.

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Have the number plates been stolen from your car?

It doesn't matter that they're not personalised number plates. The number plates themselves are of no real value to you or me - whether they're personalised, or just standard number plates. BBC Ulster Radio DJ Stephen Nolan was stunned when he was a victim last week.

Why would someone steal your number plates?

So if the number plates are of no value, why would someone want to steal them? It's quite simple. Since the DVLA introduced new rules that require you to prove you are entitled to a registration number, it's become more difficult to have number plates made up fraudulently. So it's easier to steal them.

The stolen number plates are then attached to another vehicle (probably the same model & colour as the original vehicle). And used for petrol drive-offs, or to avoid fines from speeding cameras and illegal parking. They're also used to hide the fact that a car is stolen, or simply to avoid congestion charges. It's known as car cloning.

An 86 year old lady from County Durham was the victim of car number plate cloning. The lady received fines for illegal parking and use of bus lanes... accompanied by letters from various council authorities. The result was unnecessary stress, though fortunately this is now resolved.

What to do if your number plate are stolen

If your number plates are stolen, the first thing you need to do is tell the police. It may not seem worth reporting, but it helps should your number plates be used fraudulently.
You will, of course, need to have another set of number plates made up. You will need proof of your identity, as well as your log book to prove you are entitled to the registration number. So take these along with you.

Theft resistent number plates are available - they break when the thief is attempting to remove them.

Number plate theft is not exclusive to the UK. It's reported as a major problem in Australia too - number plate theft accounts for as much as 12% of items stolen from vehicles. So much so that the police are fitting irreversible number plate screws free of charge.

Today it was announced that on-the-spot fines for illegal number plates are to double from £30 to £60.

The DVLA are very specific as to how a legal number plate should be displayed - including font, letter size, and spacing.

This includes failure to conform with rules on font, size and colour of number plates. The use of illegal number plates can have a significant impact on criminal investigations and crime detection.

say the DVLA.

The fine could be in addition to a 3-point penalty on your license. Repeated offence could even lead to the registration number being confiscated.

The increase in fine also applies for failing to use a seatbelt.

For those of you not 'in the know' the DVLA holds the occasional sealed bid number plate auction. There's no need to sit in an auction room... just send in a bid for cherished registrations you want to buy... and wait for the deadline to pass.

In a nutshell, the DVLA are offering around 1000 number plates for sale. Sealed bids are invited for any of these. Bids opened on 22nd June - you must get your bids in for your selected personalised number plates by Fri 10th July. The DVLA have given guide prices, but this does not necessarily reflect the final selling price. The registration number will be sold to the highest bidder.

Our tips for bidding on a number plate:

When considering your bid for a number plate, make sure you allow for:

1. Vat @ 15% - this will be added to the accepted bid price
   
2. Buyer's premium @ 7.5% +vat - this will be added to the accepted bid price
3. Assignment fee @ £80 (no vat)

So the final cost will be the value of your bid, plus the charges listed above.

How to apply for a DVLA number plate auction by sealed bid

Take a look at the full catalogue of number plates for sale. Each cherished registration number has a reserve price, starting from £130 (plus fees). Though it's possible the number plate you're interested in could sell for a lot more. If you would like to bid for one or more, you will need to register, and complate your application online.


Sealed bid DVLA number plate auctions are in addition to the usual main DVLA number plate auctions held 6 times a year, at various venues around the country.

Last night I popped across to Melton Mowbray for an informal gathering of cars and motorbikes. It was a stunning evening - so it had to be top down, shades on, loud music... as i whizzed along the country lanes down to Melton in my little MX-5. Fab :)

I'm not really a petrol head, but I do love cars. I see cars as works of art - with lots of character and amazing shapes and lines. Being a girlie, what goes on under the bonnet doesn't really push any buttons (pardon the pun!) for me.

As usual, there was a mix of classic and modern cars, as well as some bizarre and quirky vehicles. There are no rules...
As a regular, I see many of the same vehicles each month. So it's a great chance to meet the owners & have a chat about some of the cars. I'll probably feature one or two as time goes on.
Last night I spied an Austin Healey frogeye sprite, and a Hillman Imp - neither of which I'd seen before.

Needless to say, many of the classic cars have their original (dateless) number plates. Not too many caught my eye particularly - though I liked this FAB number plate on an early police car.


Melton Mowbray is an informal gathering, that takes place every month (April to September), on the last Friday of the month. Generally speaking, the majority of the attendees live within 20 or so miles of the town. The good wetaher brought out quite a lot last night - many of the vehicles rarely see the light of day, and have probably never seen a raindrop for a couple of decades. But it doesn't really matter what car you've got - my little MX-5 is pretty uninteresting in the great scheme of things.

Yesterday I was poking around some photos of interesting personalised number plates on flickr, and came across what I thought were some fabulous ones on vans belonging to London plumbing company Pimlico Plumbers spotted by eagle-eyed fellow number plate enthusiasts.



I've seen company related number plates before... so why have I picked out these ones in particular? Simple... I couldn't resist sharing them on here as I feel this is a fantastic example of a company with a great sense of humour. And that will always be memorable.

I read a comment on one of the photos expressing the opinion that the registration numbers were a "waste of money", and that they should give the money to the staff as a bonus instead. I'm afraid I would have to disagree with that. Any 'marketing' type activity that increases potential customers' awareness of a company (and therefore increases business) has got to be a good thing. And, ultimately, will create more jobs.

Until yesterday I'd never heard of Pimlico Plumbers - as they're a London based company, so that's no surprise.

Says themadhiker:

One of the many cherished plates on the Pimlico Plumber vans. I've not had a chance to capture one before but I'll try and get as many as I can

His comment demonstrates my point - by assigning number plates that grab attention, the company makes itself more memorable.

If you look closely you'll personalised number plates DRA 1N, BOG 1 and BOG 2, as well as LAV 1. You'll also find BOILER number plate B101 LER on one of their vans. I've no doubt there are more of these...they'll appear on flickr at some point. If you spot one, please add it to group UK personalised number plates.

What happens to your personalised number plate if your car is written off?

This week a close friend of mine was unfortunate enough to be involved in a major car accident. Thankfully, she walked away in one piece. Aside from the obvious shock, whiplash injuries, and consequent headaches, she's OK.

The car accident was severe enough, though, for her car insurance company to write off a one-year old Mercedes SLK. Ouch.

Being into cars, this friend of mine also has a personalised number plate. Once it was established that the car was beyond economical repair (i.e. the car was a write-off), the first thing she needed to do was rescue her personalised number plate. Owners often don't realise how important this is... and the personalised registration number plate can easily be lost if they don't inform the insurance company.

I sent her this guide to what to do with a personalised number plate if your car is written off.

A personalised number plate, when assigned to a vehicle, does not (technically) belong to a person. It 'belongs' to the car. By virtue of the fact that a person is the 'registered keeper' of the car, the personalised registration belongs to the person.
If the ownership of the vehicle transfers to another person, so does the personalised number plate. Unless, that is, the personalised registration number plate is either retained or transferred to another vehicle first.

When a car is written off, and a settlement is agreed, ownership of the vehicle transfers to the insurance company, who may then sell it on to another party. Or they may decide to scrap the vehicle (in which case a Certificate of Destruction is sent to the DVLA).
The personalised number plate must be retained or transferred before that happens.

In summary, there are three main things you should do as soon as you are advised that your car is a write-off.

1. Inform your insurance company that you have a personalised number plate
2. Make sure the personalised registration number is placed onto a V778 Retention Document before you agree on a settlement
3. Make sure the insurance company doesn't sell the car on or issue a certificate of destruction until the retention of the personalised car number plate is complete.

It’s important to keep in contact with the insurance company. Don't assume everything is in hand - companies make mistakes. And personalised number plates have been lost as a result.

Yep - it's that time again. The next DVLA auction of personalised number plates is around the corner. It takes place at Wychwood Park, Weston Crewe, Cheshire CW2 5GP, from Wed 3rd - Fri 5th June 2009.

Click here for DVLA number plate auction venue details

I've had a browse through the catalogue - as I always do. So what's caught my eye this time?
The first one that jumped out at me was a fun one AO07 SPY. The new style registration numbers do seem to lend themselves to number plates that create a 'sentence' rather than just a word or set of initials. This is the kind of personalised number plate 'sentence' I mean. Number plate WH02 SEE or registration number GT02 POW.

So which other number plates are in the DVLA auction?
Day 1 highlights...
Registration number ASH 3Y has a reserve price of just 450. If it sells for close to that price, I'll eat my hat! I don't own a hat... but I'll buy one for the purpose.
FLU 555H... perhaps suitable for a plumber? FLO 55S for the Dentists out there? Though I quite like F4 KES... maybe a registration number that's just right for a cosmetic surgeon... or a cheeky one for Katie Price? Meow!

Day 2...
Just like any common name, James number plate JAM 35L, JON 11D, and JUL 14H are registration numbers that are bound to attract a lot of attention. If you're feeling macho, there's always 124 MBO (RAMBO for the uninitiated). My friends would suggest that this one is probably the perfect registration number for me: NUT 777Y

And finally Day 3...
2 OAP - any takers?! PET 5S for a veterenarian? Registration number SUE 600D would probably attract the occasional comment... and finally... anyone for TEN 11S?

The full DVLA number plate catalogue is available online, so feel free to poke around. Unlike the past, catalogues are free - and available to download as a pdf or Excel spreadsheet. As well as in online. Though the online catalogue is horrible & impossible to use. It keeps throwing the user out when they click on anything. All that budget - come on guys, make it more usable!

If you see something you fancy, why not have a go at bidding? Just keep in mind a few things:

1. The prices are reserve prices.
   A number plate may sell for much more than the reserve price. So, like with any auction, set your budget and don't carried away.
   
2. Factor in the additional fees.
   The hammer price is just start. You will need to add in vat, and buyer's premium. That can be a significant chunk on top.
3. Bids for number plates will be coming from within the auction room, by telephone, and online.
   

As usual, we've received 100's of requests for number plate valuations this week. Nothing new there. It's the same as any other week.

In response to valuations sent out, we often get a follow-up question...or perhaps even a challenge. As you would expect, not everyone agrees with the selling price we suggest for their personalised number plate. And some are none-too-polite about it too! But that's ok... we take it in our stride, and we're pretty laid back about that. After all, to some degree, it is subjective. We actively encourage clients to get 3 or more valuations before coming to any decision.
And it's our clients who make the final decision about the selling price anyway. After all, our clients set up their own account online, and are free to add / remove / change number plates 1n their portfolio as they wish. 24hrs a day.
And judging from the feedback, our clients like it. They like it a lot.

This week we received a polite query in response to a number plate valuation we sent out. And after a couple of emails back & forth, I decided it warranted a blog post. I'm always fascinated by what our clients need. After all, without them, we don't exist.

The query included a couple of questions....
"Could i ask what is different from your company compared to the others..?"

1. Sell for less...
   ... and still end up with more money in your pocket. In a nutshell, cut out the middleman. Selling direct to a buyer takes out the dealer's commission fees. So you can sell for a lower price to attract a buyer.
   
2. Complete control
   We put the seller in the driving seat. Our clients manage their own number plate portfolio 24/7 - whether that's 1 or 100's of personalised number plates.
3. Free insertion in the revolutionary new number plate price comparison site - the only place you can compare number plate prices.
   

Add to that a whole heap of independent advice and tips on how to buy number plates, sell personalised number plates... how to transfer or retain a registration number.

"Do you think you can sell plates quicker?"
I like this question. From our viewpoint (and this reflects the whole reason for the existence of this site) yes. After all, if you cut out the middle man, you cut out the commission fee. So there's room to sell for less as there's no dealer premium built in. And if you sell for less, you reach more pockets. And everyone likes to get the best price they can...don't they?

You see, in this case we suggested a selling price of £800-900. Other companies gave a much higher price. On investigation, the registration number is currently being advertised at £1925.

So what accounts for the difference? Commission fees, mainly. Work it out for yourself - what would you rather pay?

Personalised number plates always go up in value over time...
...don't they?

As you will probably have spotted, theplatemarket.com offers free valuations for personalised number plates. Literally 100's of number plates are valued each day. Occasionally, we get a query about the valuations we send out, asking for clarification or insight into how we've arrived at the valuation. And we're always happy to do that.

One such query this week has inspired this blog.

We valued 2 personalised number plates (which were very similar) for a client. Both prefix style number plates with the digit number 1. For the sake of keeping the details anonymous, let's say it was registration numbers C1 UUU and N1 UUU.

We valued one registration number at £900, the other at £800. Although the number plates are very similar, the C prefix attracted a higher valuation because it's an earlier prefix. Our client questioned the valuation, advising us that she had owned the earlier prefix for over 8 years, and the later prefix for just a couple of years. And was challenging the number plate valuations on the basis that she had owned one registration number much longer than the other. A reasonable question - one that often applies to so many other "investment" based spending decisions. Unfortunately, it doesn't necessarily work that way for personalised number plates.

So here's an insight into some of what counts when deciding how much a number plate is worth.
The value of a number plate doesn't necessarily increase over time. It's more about what's happening in the number plate market right now.

One of the factors is the popularity of the letters that sit alongside the prefix on the number plate. Some initials are more common than others... for instance, there are far more people with initials PJM than (let's say) FRW. That means there's more demand for PJM, and less of them available for sale... pushing up the value of the PJM number plates that are offered up for sale. There's less demand for FRW, and the market is currently flooded with prefix number plates for the initials FRW. Great if your initials are FRW - plenty of choice and a relatively low cost. Not so good if you later decide to sell the personalised number plate as it will take some time to sell. And won't go up much (if at all) in value.

In this particular instance, the initials that accompanied the prefix were not a common set of initials. There are around 90 single-digit prefix registration numbers with the same letters available for sale right now. And hundreds with 2+ digits - so plenty of choice for a buyer. Which means, if you're selling, there's a lot of competition. Low demand, lots of choice. Consequently, the number plate will not increase much in value... regardless of how long you've owned it.

Number plate investment is by no means straightforward.

There are, of course, other factors which we haven't covere. Like number plate styles, or word and name number plates.

This week sees another DVLA Auction of personalised number plates.

The DVLA auction again offers a number of highly sought after personalised number plates for sale directly to the public. Amongst the prestigious registration numbers offered this month are 1 D, with a reserve of £20,000. Though it's likely to sell for much more than the reserve, considering registration number 1 O sold at the last auction for an eye-popping £210,000.
Keeping it company in the DVLA auction catalogue is registration number 2 O (with a reserve of £8,000).
If your budget doesn't quite stretch to £10,000's, you may want to take a look at some interesting alternatives - such as HU57 LER (reserve of just £1,000), or KUR 7T (just £500)...and 1600 other registration numbers also up for sale. Bear in mind that these are reserve prices - the final selling price of these registration numbers plates could be much higher. There's no way of predicting the final hammer price. And don't forget to add on the vat, and buyer's premium.

The DVLA holds 6 auctions each year, bringing in around £4m at each auction. The next auction will take place over 3 days, starting 25th March 2009. It takes place at Ardencote Manor Hotel and Country Club, Claverdon, Warwick. Take a look at the DVLA Auction catalogue. You can grab a catalogue free of charge and register to bid if something catches your eye. You can either attend the auction yourself (and experience the buzz of the auction!)...or, if that's not an option you can choose to bid by phone, or even live on the Internet. If you can get to the auction, though, I highly recommend it...it's quite an experience to watch the bids coming in for some of the more sought after registration number plates.

Selling personalised number plates is a bit of a mystery to most of us. At any time, there are literally 10,000's number plates for sale. So how do you know whether your is going to sell? Who is going to buy it? And how do you go about trying to sell a personalised registration plate?

Here are our 5 tips for selling a personalised number plate:

1. Can you sell your registration plate?
   First step is to check whether you can actually sell your personalised number plate. There are some circumstances that prevent you from selling the registration number. For instance, registration plates on most tractors and milk floats do not generally qualify. See Can I sell my number plate? for full details.
   
2. Get valuations
   Get lots of valuations. At least 3. If there's a wide variation in the number plate valuations, get a couple more.
   Some personalised number plates are relatively easy to value. Like a row of houses that are all the roughly the same so it's easy to compare number plates against another. Others are more difficult, so it's likely these valuations will vary more.
   Number plate valuations are basically based on other similar number plates are for sale right now, and actual selling prices over the past few years...and the current economic climate.
   
3. Decide how you want to sell your registration plate
   Do you want to sell quickly, or are you prepared to wait for a good price? Price your registration number for sale accordingly.
   Are you prepared to pay large commission fees, or would you prefer to cut out the middleman and sell direct to a buyer?
   If you're in a hurry, in some circumstances, you may be able to sell to a dealer. You may need to a lot of legwork to get the best price.
   
4. Decide on your selling price
   If you're selling privately, you have control of the selling price.
   If you're selling via a dealer, make sure you understand how the price is structured. The dealer should give you a 'net' price, and advise you of the commission fee they will add to that. Bear in mind that there's no guarantee that you will achieve the 'net' price - it depends on the offers made.
   
5. Spread yourself around
   Don't just advertise in one place. Add your number plate for sale on any forums you're subscribed to (especially motoring or other relevant forums), write a blog article if you have one, or add to free advertising sites. Add a link to wherever you're selling your number plate so you don't have to publish you personal details on the internet.
   

Above all, you will need to be patient. Some personalised numer plates will sell quickly, but many can take months to sell. As with anything, if there are just a few similar number plates for sale and yours is competitively priced it should relatively quickly. More expensive number plates take a little longer to sell.

Read more on how to sell a personalised number plate...

Own a personalised number plate? Trying to decide whether it's worth selling? Or should you just let it go with the car?

It's a dilemma faced by thousands of owners. Usually when they come to sell their car. They decide they don't want to keep the personalised number plate, but are left wondering whether it's worth retaining it.

If your number plate is worth a £1000+, it's usually a no-brainer. Retain the personalised number plate, and sell the car. Then sell the number plate separately. It may take a while to sell it, but probably worth holding on to.

See the problem is....the DVLA retention fee of £105. An upfront cost, which is prohibitive. If the personalised number plate itself is worth around £300-500, the DVLA fee to retain it seems quite high in proportion. And, generally in this price range, it's a buyer's market. There's loads of choice for the buyer, so it may take some time to sell yours. And if you don't sell within 12 months of retention, there's the added cost of extending the number plate Retention Document for a further 12 months - another cost of £25.

As a seller, you would of course look to recoup the cost of retention from the buyer. That has to be balanced against the upfront cost of placing the number plate on retention. On the plus side, though, it is possible to get some of the £105 back should you decide to give up on selling the personalised number plate after it's been placed on retention. If the registration number is not assigned to a vehicle it is possible to claim a refund for the assignment fee portion of the fee (i.e. £80). So all is not lost.

It's not an easy decision to make. The key is to not just look at the valuation...but think about how likely the number plate is to actually sell. If there are lots of similar personalised number plates for sale think carefully about how much demand there's likely to be for yours. What's special about your number plate? If you decide to retain the number plate and sell it, then be realistic about the asking price. Price it competitively against similar number plates to make sure yours gets chosen ahead of others for sale.

You can improve your chances of selling your personalised number plate if you sell privately, because there's no number plate dealer commission fee inflating the selling price. That puts you in a strong position to compete with others for sale.

Personal number plate valuations can vary a little, and sometimes a lot. And that can be a bit confusing when you’re planning to sell your cherished registration number plate.
Number plate valuations can vary for all sorts of reasons.

How are you selling your personal registration plate?

The main difference can be depending on how you’re selling your cherished registration number plate.
If you sell your cherished registration number direct to a buyer, you cut out the middle man and save on commission fees.
If you’re selling via a dealer, the amount you receive from the sale of your personal number plate will be lower because you must take into account the dealer commission fees.
You can sometimes sell your personal number plate direct to a dealer. This option will give you the lowest amount, as the dealer doesn’t know how long it will take to sell the number plate.


Number plate dealer commission fees

Dealers’ commission fees will vary.
You can ask dealers how much commission fee they will be charging. Check whether the valuation you are given is net of commission fees.
Don’t forget that the number plate valuation you are given is not a guaranteed amount. Buyers do almost always negotiate on the asking price, so the amount you receive will be affected. The dealer will discuss any offers with you, naturally.


How unique is your cherished number plate?

Some personal number plates are difficult to value. Especially very high value private number plates, and cherished registration numbers that can’t easily be compared with other number plates.


Our advice?

1. Consider how you would like to sell your personal registration plate.
2. Get some number plate valuations
3. Look around at what else is on the market – price yours accordingly.