Optimised plate transfer ballet?

[AlanAmbrose]

Hi,

I'm selling one car and buying another and I want to keep the 'private / cherished / vanity' plate from my current car and move it to the new one.

That's probably not an uncommon sequence for peeps on this forum. The question is:

... what's the best sequence of DVLA reg / log book / tax / insurance etc moves for least hassle, max speed, min headache and max legality - and how long should I expect it all to take once I press the go button?

Is that:

For the old car:

+ put current plate on retention with DVLA

+ get the new stock reg number for the old car and install plates to match

+ tell insurance the car is the same but the plate has changed. Do I need to re-tax on the new stock number for a few days while the car is in the process of being sold?

For the new car:

+ use retention certificate to assign the private plate to new car and install new plates to match

+ tax and move insurance to new car (which now has the same plate as the old car)

Wrap up:

+ will the tax on the old plate simply wash through or do I need to stop and re-start it? That is, does the tax belong to the VIN or the reg?

+ send in the two V5C 'log books' with the different owners on

 

I'm sure there are a few gotchas - anyone know what they are?

What's the timing look like for all this?

Short of keeping the both cars off the road for a week or so while the machinations proceed, what's the legality / practicalities of driving while the tax / plates / insurance / ownership don't quite match up?

TIA, Alan

 

[Pinewood]

For the old car:

+ put current plate on retention with DVLA (online and very easy)

+ get the new stock reg number for the old car and install plates to match (once  private plate on retention, the web site will advise on mounting original plates immediately)

+ tell insurance the car is the same but the plate has changed. Do I need to re-tax on the new stock number for a few days while the car is in the process of being sold? (no need to re tax)

For the new car:

+ use retention certificate to assign the private plate to new car and install new plates to match (again online, and it will say please mount this plate NOW)

+ tax and move insurance to new car (which now has the same plate as the old car) - yes 

Wrap up:

+ will the tax on the old plate simply wash through or do I need to stop and re-start it? That is, does the tax belong to the VIN or the reg? (if there is a refund due, then DVLA will send you that back, otherwise it will just wash through. New owners responsibility to tax the vehicle, as your contribution doesn't transfer over with vehicle)

+ send in the two V5C 'log books' with the different owners on (yes)

 

I'm sure there are a few gotchas - anyone know what they are?

What's the timing look like for all this? (if all above steps have been taken - around 7-9 days)

Short of keeping the both cars off the road for a week or so while the machinations proceed, what's the legality / practicalities of driving while the tax / plates / insurance / ownership don't quite match up? (if you do these steps on line or find a satellite DVLA office - no issues regarding the law)

click below - it's all explained

dvla website

[richardjjs]

AS been mentioned its all very easy
Get retention on old PLate (THis is OK unless the car has been off the road in last 12 months or recently acquired
In this case you have to do it on line but will  take a few days
DVLA DEal with the TAX and MOT

TAX will be refuned when you sell the car or declare it off the road

ADvise Insurance  if necessary

I personally would get my car  get it running on its old plate  then transfer the plate (Free) when its all sorted

(TEll the Insurance company what you are doing should be no charge)

Are you SELLING the car or SOLD it
Have you BOUGHT a new car or BUYING IT

[fat haggis]

Easy put on retention. Once done you can put. Old number back on instantly .. tax sorted by DVLA and mot also. Will take up to a week to get new v5 with old number on...  Tell insurance it's back on old number.. once your happy to put retention on newer car .again easy. Onile . You can put number on car instantly. Once again tax and mot sorted by DVLA.. again up to a week untill v5 is sorted.   Tell insurance..

[89rallye]

Just did this,

2 cars both with private plates

online retention to old plates instant books arrived 5 days later 

then put my numbers on

books arrived 5 days later

you can post it off and do it all in one go with the right forms

[richardy]

My favourite is 'Swan Lake'

[guest1]

@AlanAmbrose the others have given good advice.

My only pointer having just done this -- once you take the plate off the old car, you will need to wait for the new V5 to come through from DVLA before you sell it as -- strictly speaking -- the V5 showing your private plate becomes outdated.

[Jon61]

I don't want to derail this thread, but as the original questions seem to have been answered, perhaps I can ask a related one:

When a private plate is assigned to a car that had previously only had an ordinary number assigned at initial registration, my understanding is that the original number was effectively put into 'limbo' and not re-issued to a different vehicle. I had assumed that if the private plate was later taken back of the car, that the car might revert to the original registration, but the DVLA link above (on page 4) seems to say that it gets given a 'new' registration,  which I take to mean one never previously issued (of the same year-series), rather than the one it had originally held. Is that right? (It would seem to make more sense to reassign it the original registration, as the owner might still have those plates already made up, though of course common sense might not figure in DVLA's reasoning ...)

[fat haggis]

only time that happend to me as i put a pvt plate on a new car at first registration . all other cars have been given back the original plate issued to them at first registration .

[guest1]

@Jon61 -- I have two data points to your question.

On both, the cars did indeed revert to the registration that was applied when they rolled out of the dealers as brand new cars.

At some point in a few years, I will have a third data point when the Merc gets traded in -- however as our private plate was the first one applied to the car, I expect it will just be issued a generic plate.

[Menoporsche]

On 6/8/2018 at 7:07 AM, richardy said:

My favourite is 'Swan Lake'

I think OP wants to avoid 'The Nutcracker'.