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DVLA Number Plates

With a DVLA number plate, you can personalise your vehicle with your name, initials, hobby or favourite football team! They’re a great way to add a personal touch to your vehicle, and they’re a great investment too, as they often increase in value over time.

Absolute Reg is a widely recognised reseller of DVLA private plates. We pride ourselves on our outstanding stock of over 50 million registrations, which are accessible through our state-of-the-art free number plate check function.

So, let us help you find the perfect DVLA private number plate for you and your car.

Cherished DVLA Number Plates

In 1989, the DVLA began to auction off car registrations that are special or valuable.

Some of these plates are the very closest possible likeness to names, and as such, they can command high prices. These plates are the so-called cherished plates.
Explore what styles of DVLA number plates are available.

How Do I Buy a DVLA Number Plate?

1. Search For A DVLA Number Plate

Use our search bar to find out to search over 50 million DVLA number plates. Whether it is for your business, to match your name, or to simply something more personal, you can find a cherished private number plate that is as unique as you couldn’t be simpler.

2. Check to see if it is Suitable for Your Vehicle

When you’ve found your ideal DVLA number plate, you can check to see what private registrations are suitable for your vehicle. For example, you cannot attach a registration number to your vehicle that is younger than your vehicle (other than Northern Irish registration numbers).

3. Click “View and Buy” and Checkout

Once you’ve found the DVLA number plate of your dreams, simply click the “View and Buy” button and checkout.

DVLA Private Number Plates Styles

At Absolute Reg, we supply every type of DVLA number plate you could think of. This means you have a variety of styles and prices to choose from when buying a DVLA private plate.

See for yourself which number plate style best suits you and your car.

Current/New Style

Current style number plates, also known as new style number plates, were first issued by the DVLA back in 2001. This happened once the DVLA had exhausted the prefix age identifier options.

The current style uses 2 letters at the beginning, representing the area of the issuing plate. This is followed by 2 numbers (either a 0 or a 5) and the year date.

Suffix Style

Suffix style registration plates were first issued in 1963 and ran till 1982. They use a letter at the end of the registration plate as an age identifier.

Letters were used at the end of the registration as an age identifier. For example, registrations that ended with an A represented 1963 and registrations ending in Y represented 1982.

Prefix Style

Prefix DVLA number plates were first issued in August 1983 after seeing the suffix registration marks expire from the issue. Prefix registrations are most popular across the private number plate market.

Similar to suffix registrations, the first character in a prefix number plate relates to the issue year. For example, if A is the first letter of the registration, it represents 1983.

Dateless Number Plates

In 1904, the DVLA decided to fit a registration mark on every vehicle, so they have been around for a while.

The first dateless private number plates were issued in 2 batches. The ordinary dateless number plate, and then a reversed dateless number plate.

Northern Irish Number Plates

Northern Ireland registration marks are an outstanding way to hide the age of your vehicle. You can display your initials, lucky numbers or even your name for as cheap as possible.

All Northern Irish registrations are dateless, too. Meaning they’re highly sought after and often soar in value as time goes on.

How to Assign a DVLA Number Plate

Once you get your plate, you’ll need to assign it to a vehicle. This process differs depending on a number of factors:

The Vehicle Is…	Action
Registered to you	Apply via post or online
New	Give the V750 or V778 document to your car dealer who will then contact the DVLA
Used	Wait for the DVLA to send you a V5C form, then apply via post or online
Registered to someone else, but you want to transfer the registration number to them	Apply via post or online

How to Transfer a DVLA Number Plate

If you’re transferring a plate from one vehicle to another, you’ll need valid MOTs and V5 registration forms for both vehicles. Once you have this, complete the V317 form (you can do this easily online) and pay the £80 fee. If the DVLA have all the information they need, the transfer will usually take 4–6 weeks.

Read our guide on Transferring Private Plates to Another Car for further information about this topic.

How to Retain a DVLA Number Plate

Selling your car but want to keep your registration plate? You can retain your plate via the DVLA number plate retention scheme. If you don’t do this, then you risk losing the right to your registration number.

Simply apply online or via post to get your V778 Retention Document. If you’d like to learn more about this, read our guide to the V778 Retention Document, which includes step-by-step instructions.

Why You Should Buy Your Private Number Plate from Absolute Reg

Largest Stock

With over 50 million registrations, we’ve got more plates than any other dealer – including the DVLA!

Price Promise

Our price promise ensures that you are getting the best deal on the best selection of private registration plates at Absolute Reg.

Lifetime Customer Service

It doesn't matter if it is two weeks after your purchase or two years down the line, our friendly after-sales team is always happy to help.

Rated Highest On-Time Delivery in 2020

Reviews.co.uk has awarded Absolute Reg the highest rating for on-time delivery in 2020.

Find out why private number plates are so popular by purchasing your private number plate online or by phone today!

Certificate of Entitlement

As soon as you purchase a brand new DVLA number plate, you will receive a V778 or V750 certificate of entitlement from the DVLA.

When a new registration number is being used for the first time, it’s usually a V750 certificate.

Selling Your DVLA Personalised Registration

As a recognised reseller of DVLA registrations, no one is better at selling your personalised number plate than Absolute Reg.

We advertise it across our socials and advertising platforms, national newspapers and more! Ensuring your private number plate is sold to the right buyer.

We go out of our way to actively find someone to buy your DVLA number plate and sell it at a great price. You have nothing to lose!

Apply for Finance for your DVLA Private Number Plate

See a DVLA number plate that is perfect for your vehicle, but is too expensive?

Absolute Reg allows you to buy your dream cherished number plate, without paying everything upfront. At checkout, you can select the preferred option to finance your number plate.

You can opt to finance anywhere from 2 months to 48 months without paying a deposit. This is just one more way we go the extra mile to be as helpful as possible!

DVLA Number Plate FAQs

What is the DVLA?

The Driver Vehicle Licensing Agency, or DVLA, is a government agency tasked with assigning car registrations. They’re also responsible for maintaining a database of drivers and vehicles, issuing driving licences, and conducting road safety initiatives. In many ways, DVLA private number plates, are the gold standard of personal number plates.

How do I put a DVLA number plate on my car?

Here’s how to put a DVLA number plate on your car:

Remove your existing plate by unscrewing it
Clean the area where the new plate will be attached
Align the number plate and screw it in place so it’s secure
Update the V5C to reflect the change in your number plate, and send it to the DVLA
Update your insurance policy if required

Can the DVLA create a number plate?

The DVLA are responsible for the creation of all registrations in the UK. This includes private DVLA number plates. However, you can only use DVLA number plates on taxed UK vehicles.

Can I put my DVLA number plate on straight away?

Before putting your brand new DVLA private number plate on, you need to get it approved. When you purchase any new number plate, you need to send an application, so your plate is approved for use. Once the application has been approved, you are good to go.

Do you have to pay to put DVLA number plates on a car?

It's completely free to apply to change your number plate. You just need to complete the application form and send it away.

Don't forget to apply to remove your old number plate through, or it will not be deemed as valid.

Can I put my DVLA number plate on any car?

Since registration numbers are issued from the DVLA they must meet the correct format they set for all registration plates. For example, a DVLA number plate cannot make the vehicle seem newer than it actually is.

Can I sell my number plate back to the DVLA?

You can’t sell your number plate back to the DVLA. Instead, you can sell it to another individual or a specialist dealer. At Absolute Reg, we can advertise your plate for you, so you can find a buyer in no time.

If you're interested in learning more about the restrictions surrounding number plates, read our number plates laws page now.