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Ugly Number Plates

We have had a busy few weeks here at Simply Registrations. We are receiving a steady level of enquiries and several of our stock personalised registrations have left the portfolio recently. We recently found new owners for the registrations 997 EMY, 10 SDM, 9 MGM, 9 JBT and just today have completed the transfer of 82 RF onto a rather nice Jaguar XJR for a local gentleman.

One of my tasks whilst at the DVLA Local Office in Leeds today was to dispose of a personalised number plate. The owner recently bought a car, a 2007 Vauxhall Astra and wanted to display a standard registration mark rather than the registration J15 SMY that it came with. We are constantly helping motorists transform the appearance of their vehicles through the addition of a personalised registration plate. It isn’t every day someone contacts us as asks “can you get me a normal number plate?”.

Just in case anyone else is faced with a similar predicament, I will explain the procedure involved. The Astra obviously belonged to someone previously who liked the registration J15 SMY. It may have been bought direct from the DVLA for around £250. For whatever reason, whoever owned the cherished number plate J15 SMY decided to let it go with the car, rather than transfer it to their next vehicle.

The new owner of the Vauxhall Astra did not particularly like J15 SMY on his car as it had no personal relevance to him. In this scenario it is possible to request a replacement registration number which is appropriate for the age of the vehicle. In the case of the Astra the owner wanted a 2007 standard issue registration number.

To request a replacement registration number,  you should send the V5C Registration Certificate (log book) to DVLA, Swansea. Enclose a covering letter requesting an age-related registration and acknowledge you are giving up all rights to the current personalised registration. If everything is approved you will receive a replacement V5C (showing your new registration) by post from DVLA Swansea. Remember to notify your motor insurer, tracker provider and recovery organisation whenever you change number plates.

Our Vauxhall Astra owner was delighted at the prospect of removing the ‘ugly’ number plates from his car and replacing them with a ‘proper’ registration number. It is not what we originally set out to do when Simply Registrations opened for business, but if it is what the customer wants we are always happy to help out.