Unlucky for Some – 13 Registrations Announcement from DVLA

Following suggestions from the Vehicle Remarketing Association (VRA) that the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) were to offer superstitious car buyers the option of a 62 plate alternative, we decided to seek clarification. I sent a tweet to the official Twitter channel of the DVLA:

@DVLAgovuk Regarding the issue of 13 registrations and speculation about a possible 62 plate alternative, can you clarify the situation?

— James Saperia (@JamesSaperia) July 31, 2012

We didn’t have to wait long for a reply:

For those asking, all new #vehicles registered with #DVLA from 1 March 2013 to 31 August 2013 will carry a 13 series #numberplate

— DVLA (@DVLAgovuk) August 1, 2012

So this seems to confirm the current situation. There is no mention of any plans to accommodate superstitious buyers by offering them an alternative to the ‘13’ number plate. Some commentators have pointed out that DVLA could use the situation to promote sales of their off-the-shelf £250 Personalised Registrations. If you want a new car between 1^st March 2013 and 31^st August 2013, buy a private number plate to avoid having your car labelled ‘unlucky 13’.

I wonder if we will we ever find out whether the DVLA were indeed looking into alternatives for 13 registrations? There are seven months to go until the launch of the 13 registration series. That provides plenty of time for more speculation and I am sure we haven’t heard the last of this story yet.