How To

Support & Information

This page is to explain the different scenarios in to do with Buying, Selling and Transferring a personalised number plate.

Information contained here along with our FAQ’s should provide all you need depending on your situation.

How To - Buy A Private Number Plate

Decide on an approximate budget.
Find out what type of private number plates are available for your budget. You can do this online via dealers websites (well established approved dealers have a great choice) You may choose a registration that corresponds with your name, initials, birthdate, ages or interests.
Select your chosen private number plate, you can buy it online (or you may need to enquire for the agent to verify availability. (CarReg.co.uk offer online discounts and also finance)
Pay deposit / or in full depending on the Reg type. You will receive a confirmation email. You can choose to hold your new number plate on a government certificate or transfer it directly to your vehicle. Either way, the dealer should help you through the process. If you decide to hold the number, you will receive the certificate with your selected name allocated as nominee.
If you are purchasing for a gift, all you require is the government V750 (or V778) certificate, which can be given to the recipient.
Sit back and wait for your document to arrive by post or communication from the agent regarding next steps.

How To - Sell A Number Plate

Find out what your number plate is worth. (You May already have a figure in mind that you would like to achieve) Try a well established and reputable number plate dealer (look for trade associations).
The DVLA do not buy or help sell number plates.
Most dealers will have a section or page for those looking to sell a number plate or a facility to have your registration valued by them. The valuation should be with you within a day or two.
Once you have your valuation, you can agree for the dealer to sell the number for you on a commission basis (most dealers will only offer an agency basis sale, CarReg.co.uk may offer to buy the number outright, into stock). If the valuation is too low, CarReg will allow you to change the figure (higher/lower). Normally the lower the price, the quicker the number plate will sell.
Reputable dealers should always be the preferred method when selling, making sure that the transfers are conducted efficiently and payment made upon completion.

How To - Transfer a Reg onto a Vehicle

Transfer a registration from a Certificate to a vehicle. This is the most common way and the process completed by CarReg many times each week and by customers who have just purchased a new private number from us. It is very easily done online using both documents 1. DVLA Certificate (document reference number and associated postcode from the same document) and 2. V5C receiving vehicle document registered in name & address. (A V5C/2 new keeper supplement cannot be used)

This process can be done online on the GOV website.

Transfer from one vehicle to another This can be done online also using the DVLA digital service. Firstly you must “retain” (take off) the reg off the current vehicle paying the £80 DVLA fee where you will be then given a confirmation of the Retention Certificate number (which you may later receive by post) Secondly you can assign the same reg to the new (receiving) vehicle at no extra cost.

How to - Transfer a registration from a vehicle onto Retention document

Transfer from a motor cycle to car
car to motorcycle

How To - Fit Actual Number Plates

Equipment, screwdriver (to remove existing plates) Pair of new number plates with appropriate fixings , which can either be double sided sticky pads , screws with coloured caps (yellow/white for rear/front) or anti-theft fixings which are also widely available.

Preferably fit in dry warm weather or do under cover in a garage. Cloth , Water, Papertowel.

To fix the new number plates onto your car, follow these 4 simple steps:

a. Remove the old number plates: Use a screwdriver if necessary to unscrew the existing number plates from your vehicle. Keep the screws safely aside (if you plan on using them again)

b. Clean the mounting area: Thoroughly clean the area where the new number plates will be fixed. Remove any dirt, residue, or remnants from the previous number plates.

c. Line up the new number plates: Hold the new number plates against the mounting area and make sure they are aligned correctly. The registration should be clearly visible and not obstructed by any part of the vehicle.

d. Secure the number plates: Insert the screws through the holes in the number plates and into the corresponding holes in the mounting area. Tighten the screws securely, but be careful not to overtighten and damage the number plates. Alternatively you may use the purpose made double sided adhesive fixings supplied with our plates, which alleviates the need for drilling/screwing them.