If you want some information on the subject of personalised number plates, you could ask a number plate dealer or maybe the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). A poor choice would be to ask someone who knows very little on the topic. It is the same for any subject really; if you want the real facts make sure you speak to someone who absolutely knows what they are talking about.
An increasing number of people turn to the internet when searching for answers. There is so much information available online and with hand-held portable devices such as mobile phones and tablets, it is now easier than ever to access the world wide web. The challenge when researching a topic online is again to ensure that the author of the content is suitably qualified to provide you with accurate information.
To illustrate my point, I could write a blog post today claiming that the government has decided to allow British motorists to choose their own car registrations and they no longer have to follow the standard format of letters and numbers. Personally, I wouldn’t allow such a statement to appear on any pages of the simplyregistrations.co.uk website as it is pure fiction and completely made-up. Along with other website owners, I have a responsibility to ensure that the content published here is useful and factually correct.
If you perform a search for the term ‘personalised number plates’ using the Google search engine, within the first few pages of results you will find articles published on websites belonging to Drivers Edge UK and Privilege.
Drivers Edge UK is an online community for new & young drivers whilst Privilege provides online quotes for car and home insurance.
What you need to ask yourself is; would you expect both websites to be trustworthy sources of information on the subject of personalised number plates?
Unfortunately, both companies fall very short of my expectations on what constitutes good information on their chosen subject. Let’s first of all take a look at the article provided by Drivers Edge, titled: Personalised Number Plates Explained.
Quote: “Be warned that you should only apply for your personalised registration through companies who are recognised by the DVLA as a registered number plate supplier.”
Registered number plate suppliers are exactly that; businesses that sell or make number plates and are registered with the DVLA. Most registered suppliers are car dealerships and motor spares retailers, not to be confused with dealers of personalised registrations. This blog post explains how to buy a set of number plates. If you are looking to buy a personalised registration, the DVLA provides links to several cherished number dealers on this page.
Quote: “There are believed to be approximately 30 million recognised number plate suppliers in the UK…”
DVLA provides a list of registered number plate suppliers of which there are currently 38,576. There is a big difference between thirty-eight thousand and thirty million. Let’s be honest, it would be unusual to have 30 million suppliers of any product amongst a population of 60 million people.
Quote: “…purchasing the right to the registration will usually cost you from £255, and, you will also have to pay a £80 assignment fee.”
Entry-level personalised registrations can be purchased direct from the DVLA for £250 which includes the £80 fee.
I wish I could say the article improves after the first four paragraphs but unfortunately it is not the case. Anyone visiting the Drivers Edge website and reading the article on personalised plates is not going to increase their understanding of the product. If anything they are likely to end up being confused having read a poorly researched article.
Let’s move on to the article provided by Privilege, simply titled: Personalised Number Plates. This article is presented further down the same results page from Google, even though the information contained within it is much more accurate. There is still room for improvement however as these quotes demonstrate.
Quote: “…DVLA also has a telesales service”
The DVLA closed its telesales service in October 2010. The only way to buy a registration direct from DVLA is via its e-commerce website.
Quote: “…when you buy a personalised plate, you need to contact the DVLA to get a Certificate of Entitlement, also known as a V750.”
This statement requires clarification. If you purchase your registration direct from the DVLA you will automatically receive a V750 Certificate of Entitlement by post. If you buy from a dealer or from an individual you may receive a V778 Retention Document. In a private sale it is the seller or vendor who is responsible for providing you with the documentation, not the DVLA. This article explains the difference between a V750 and a V778.
Quote: “The Certificate of Entitlement will allow a registered number plate supplier to physically make up the plate for you…”
Again just to clarify, whilst you can go to a number plate supplier to get the plates made, you have to apply via a DVLA Local Office to assign a registration to your vehicle. It is not just a case of buying a set of plates and attaching them to your car.
In fairness to both Drivers Edge and Privilege, the subject of personalised number plates is not an easy one to explain, especially in the form of a single-page article. There are lots of different scenarios to consider such as; how to assign, transfer or retain a personalised registration, understanding the associated DVLA application forms and of course knowing which documents need to be submitted when carrying out any of the above tasks.
One of the best sources of accurate, online information covering the many aspects of personalised number plates is the recently launched GOV.UK website. You can access the personalised vehicle registration numbers section here. If you can’t find the answer you are looking for, there are several ways to contact DVLA.
If you are going to search for answers online, make sure the website you visit is a trusted source of information. Answers to some of the most frequently asked personalised number plate questions can be found here.
What Does Your Car Number Plate Say About You?
Big brother is watching – are you at risk of being ‘named and shamed’ using your registration plate as identification?
As modern technology becomes ever more sophisticated, many people are now feeling that ‘Big Brother’ is closing in. First we had CCTV recording our every move, then Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras (ANPR) and now motorists have another arch enemy in the shape of that well-known car enthusiast, Jeremy Clarkson. Never known for his lack of opinions or shy and retiring ways, the Top Gear presenter has now taken to tweeting the registration plate details of bad drivers on the roads of Britain – but is he right to publicly declare both your bad driving habits and your unique car number plate?
Registration details are by their very nature in the public domain, used to put an individual identification stamp on every car on the road – but how would you feel if you checked your Twitter account one day to see that this well-known figure had declared you a terrible driver to all of his followers? Admitting to getting instant satisfaction from shaming drivers who commit a driving faux pas around him, Clarkson takes to the popular social media platform, Twitter, to point out their mistakes and publish the make of car and its number plate – often alongside his own pearls of wisdom on how their driving could be improved.
Some examples of his tweets include:
“Are you in Roehampton driving a yellow van reg M******? Oh dear, you’re not very good at it are you.”
“Silver Lexus P***** on the A3 this morning. Drop back from the car in front and you won’t have to brake every three seconds.”
According to Clarkson, this is the perfect way of outing stupid drivers while avoiding libel laws, something he admits that he can’t do in his magazine column – but does he really have the right to target individuals in this way? Clarkson feels that humiliating these drivers will make them think twice about their poor performance behind the wheel, especially when it could be dangerous to other road users. However, it also means that over 995,000 people who follow him on Twitter will know that you’ve irritated this defiant TV personality so much that he felt the need to vent his grievance publicly.
From a legal point of view, everybody is entitled to express an opinion online even if it also includes details of your registration – but it certainly won’t stop the drivers that he targets feeling pretty fed up at having been outed! This off-road rage also comes at a time where motorists whose cars are fitted with dash-cams are also taking it upon themselves to upload video footage of bad driving onto YouTube.
Do you agree with Clarkson?
The Internet has seen the world become a much smaller place and with the possibility of having your poor driving habits highlighted across the World Wide Web, could this actually act as some kind of deterrent to those who take unnecessary risks with their own and other drivers lives? Where do you stand on this latest development? How would you feel if a video or tweet was published, pulling you up on your driving performance? Is this a case of Big Brother going one step too far? Or is it a reasonable reaction to being tailgated or pressured on the road? Also, if you own a personalised registration plate, does this make you feel more vulnerable, due to you being more easily recognised through this kind of defamation?
You can follow Jeremy Clarkson via: https://twitter.com/JeremyClarkson
The End of the Road for the Paper Tax Disc?
A consultation launched by the government is looking at how improvements can be made to the way motoring services are delivered. Removing the need for unnecessary paperwork is included within the report, which mentions the possibility of abolishing the paper tax disc.
At present motorists are required by law to display a valid tax disc on most road-going vehicles. The proposal to abolish the paper disc does not mean road tax is going to be scrapped altogether; motorists will continue to pay their road fund licence, but the necessity to display a paper disc may be removed.
Tax Disc
This latest consultation continues the trend of updating the products and services provided by government organisations with a view to embracing technological advances. Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras situated by the roadside, on motorways and fitted to police cars can detect if a vehicle is fully road legal. The camera reads the registration from the number plate and compares it against various databases to make sure road fund licence (car tax), insurance and MOT are all valid and in place.
The plans have provoked a mixed response with some suggesting it may encourage drivers to avoid paying their car tax. In rural areas where APNR cameras are not as common, some believe many motorists will be able to avoid detection by sticking to local roads. Other have said that car tax should be done away with completely as British motorists already pay enough tax at the forecourt when buying petrol or diesel. One rider claimed not to have displayed a tax disc on his motorbike for nearly ten years. He, like many motorbike owners, was fed up of having his paper disc stolen so he continues to pay road fund duty but chooses not to attach the disc to his bike.
The changes could also have implications for the Post Office following the recent award of a £450m contract for the supply of tax discs at the counter. The seven year contract was seen as vital for keeping Post Offices open, but yesterday’s announcement may give members of the National Federation of Sub-Postmasters cause for concern.
One of the other suggestions within the consultation is the proposal that the paper counterpart of the UK driving licence could also be made obsolete. The entire consultation document can be found by clicking on the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/motoring-services-strategy
Please add your own comments and tell us what you think of the plans to kill off the paper tax disc. You may also want to read this recent article which highlights the possibility of the insurance check being removed when a vehicle is taxed.
UPDATE: From 1 October 2014, the paper tax disc will no longer need to be displayed on a vehicle. Read the official announcement: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/vehicle-tax-changes
Will 13 registration plates spell trouble for car dealers?
As the DVLA confirms that all cars registered between 1st March and 31st August 2013 will carry a 13 series number plate, the motor industry waits anxiously to see if superstition will slow sales.
It’s no secret that the number 13 is shrouded in a reputation of bad luck; but as car number plates bearing the inauspicious number are released on pre-order, prior to the official launch in March, car dealers question the potential effects that this could have on sales for the subsequent six months.
There has been plenty of speculation recently as to whether or not the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) would offer drivers the opportunity to substitute 13 registrations for a possible 62 plate alternative, but a recent announcement confirmed that number plates would follow the conventional format, regardless of the superstition surrounding this particular number.
So what’s the big problem? Will buyers really hold off from purchasing a new car purely because of a number on their registration plate? As is always the case with any contentious issue, it will come down to personal preference – but it is true that some buyers may prefer to wait until the next release in September 2013, giving them a 63 registration instead.
James Saperia from personalised number plate company Simply Registrations says: “While some people might avoid the 13 number plates, for others the number 13 could be just what they’ve been waiting for. Lots of options are opened up with combinations such as AL13 ERT, RO13 ERT and SU13 ARU all becoming available.”
So is the DVLA being audacious in ignoring the concerns of the motoring trade, or are the fears of a drop in sales unfounded? James comments: “Motorists who religiously change their cars every three years will have been looking forward to their upgrade and may choose go ahead regardless of the number on their registration plate, while others who may not be superstitious themselves could be concerned with resale values of cars carrying a 13 number plate. They may decide to hold off for 6 months before buying that new car in order to protect their investment. Then, of course, there are buyers who genuinely feel that the number 13 will bring them bad luck.”
Whether or not people decide to shun this number and refrain from buying new cars remains to be seen, but opinions remain divided as to the reasons behind DVLA’s decision. The cynics feel it may have been a calculated move to encourage motorists to buy a personalised registration, to get rid of the number 13 on their car’s registration plate – especially because DVLA recently reduced the price of its most affordable selections to £250 ahead of the 13 registrations launch. Others understand it to simply be a case of following form and retaining consistency. Wherever you stand on the argument, let’s hope for the car retailers’ sakes that sense will reign over superstition.
If you are planning on buying a car after the new registration comes into effect, attractive combinations of 13 registrations will be available to buy from the 4th of December 2012.
###
Notes to editors:
Contact James Saperia for further information
Contact email: james@simplyregistrations.co.uk
Contact telephone number: 0113 288 7553
Website: https://www.simplyregistrations.co.uk/
Warning following theft of blank DVLA Personalised Registration Documents
The Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) today warned motorists to be on their guard following the theft of hundreds of blank personalised registration documents. The incident occurred at DVLA’s stationery supplier on the 20th of November 2012 and is being investigated by Northumbria Police.
Nine hundred blank V750 Certificate of Entitlement forms were stolen. The V750 is issued by DVLA to the purchaser of a personalised registration. In the wrong hands the certificates could be used to obtain false number plates, or more worryingly sold on to unsuspecting buyers who may believe they are buying the rights to a valuable private number plate. With the lowest price DVLA registration costing £250 a large-scale fraud could net the criminals a minimum of £225,000. The stolen V750’s have the serial numbers 5930101 to 5931000 but may have been altered to avoid detection.
The easiest way to make sure a Certificate of Entitlement is genuine is to use the ‘check validity’ feature via the DVLA Personalised Registrations website. To get access to the tool you must first register for an online account. After you have logged in, click on ‘check certificate validity’ and enter the registration and certificate number as shown on the from the V750.
The V750 Certificates weren’t the only items to be taken as part of the theft. Two thousand blank counterpart driving licences (D740) were also stolen at the same time. The D740 Counterparts are the documents that accompany the Photo Card Licence. DVLA has contacted vehicle hire companies to make them aware of the theft. Read the official announcement from DVLA.
Personalised Number Plates – Are You Getting the Right Information?
If you want some information on the subject of personalised number plates, you could ask a number plate dealer or maybe the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). A poor choice would be to ask someone who knows very little on the topic. It is the same for any subject really; if you want the real facts make sure you speak to someone who absolutely knows what they are talking about.
An increasing number of people turn to the internet when searching for answers. There is so much information available online and with hand-held portable devices such as mobile phones and tablets, it is now easier than ever to access the world wide web. The challenge when researching a topic online is again to ensure that the author of the content is suitably qualified to provide you with accurate information.
To illustrate my point, I could write a blog post today claiming that the government has decided to allow British motorists to choose their own car registrations and they no longer have to follow the standard format of letters and numbers. Personally, I wouldn’t allow such a statement to appear on any pages of the simplyregistrations.co.uk website as it is pure fiction and completely made-up. Along with other website owners, I have a responsibility to ensure that the content published here is useful and factually correct.
If you perform a search for the term ‘personalised number plates’ using the Google search engine, within the first few pages of results you will find articles published on websites belonging to Drivers Edge UK and Privilege.
Drivers Edge UK is an online community for new & young drivers whilst Privilege provides online quotes for car and home insurance.
What you need to ask yourself is; would you expect both websites to be trustworthy sources of information on the subject of personalised number plates?
Unfortunately, both companies fall very short of my expectations on what constitutes good information on their chosen subject. Let’s first of all take a look at the article provided by Drivers Edge, titled: Personalised Number Plates Explained.
Quote: “Be warned that you should only apply for your personalised registration through companies who are recognised by the DVLA as a registered number plate supplier.”
Registered number plate suppliers are exactly that; businesses that sell or make number plates and are registered with the DVLA. Most registered suppliers are car dealerships and motor spares retailers, not to be confused with dealers of personalised registrations. This blog post explains how to buy a set of number plates. If you are looking to buy a personalised registration, the DVLA provides links to several cherished number dealers on this page.
Quote: “There are believed to be approximately 30 million recognised number plate suppliers in the UK…”
DVLA provides a list of registered number plate suppliers of which there are currently 38,576. There is a big difference between thirty-eight thousand and thirty million. Let’s be honest, it would be unusual to have 30 million suppliers of any product amongst a population of 60 million people.
Quote: “…purchasing the right to the registration will usually cost you from £255, and, you will also have to pay a £80 assignment fee.”
Entry-level personalised registrations can be purchased direct from the DVLA for £250 which includes the £80 fee.
I wish I could say the article improves after the first four paragraphs but unfortunately it is not the case. Anyone visiting the Drivers Edge website and reading the article on personalised plates is not going to increase their understanding of the product. If anything they are likely to end up being confused having read a poorly researched article.
Let’s move on to the article provided by Privilege, simply titled: Personalised Number Plates. This article is presented further down the same results page from Google, even though the information contained within it is much more accurate. There is still room for improvement however as these quotes demonstrate.
Quote: “…DVLA also has a telesales service”
The DVLA closed its telesales service in October 2010. The only way to buy a registration direct from DVLA is via its e-commerce website.
Quote: “…when you buy a personalised plate, you need to contact the DVLA to get a Certificate of Entitlement, also known as a V750.”
This statement requires clarification. If you purchase your registration direct from the DVLA you will automatically receive a V750 Certificate of Entitlement by post. If you buy from a dealer or from an individual you may receive a V778 Retention Document. In a private sale it is the seller or vendor who is responsible for providing you with the documentation, not the DVLA. This article explains the difference between a V750 and a V778.
Quote: “The Certificate of Entitlement will allow a registered number plate supplier to physically make up the plate for you…”
Again just to clarify, whilst you can go to a number plate supplier to get the plates made, you have to apply via a DVLA Local Office to assign a registration to your vehicle. It is not just a case of buying a set of plates and attaching them to your car.
In fairness to both Drivers Edge and Privilege, the subject of personalised number plates is not an easy one to explain, especially in the form of a single-page article. There are lots of different scenarios to consider such as; how to assign, transfer or retain a personalised registration, understanding the associated DVLA application forms and of course knowing which documents need to be submitted when carrying out any of the above tasks.
One of the best sources of accurate, online information covering the many aspects of personalised number plates is the recently launched GOV.UK website. You can access the personalised vehicle registration numbers section here. If you can’t find the answer you are looking for, there are several ways to contact DVLA.
If you are going to search for answers online, make sure the website you visit is a trusted source of information. Answers to some of the most frequently asked personalised number plate questions can be found here.