Original Registration when fitting a private plate?

[Soupie69uk]

I have never had a private plate before. Bought one for my 106 as I fancied one.

Curious as to what happens to the original when the private plate is on the car? Does it get held until the plate is taken off the car again?

I doubt I would remove the plate if I was selling the car but just to have the option do I need to apply to keep it too?

[Slushbox]

Soupie69uk said:

I have never had a private plate before. Bought one for my 106 as I fancied one.

Curious as to what happens to the original when the private plate is on the car? Does it get held until the plate is taken off the car again?

I doubt I would remove the plate if I was selling the car but just to have the option do I need to apply to keep it too?

If you sell the car but want to keep the plate you put it on a retention certificate.

Private plate is a bit of a misnomer, reg nos belong to DVLA forever.
See:

https://www.gov.uk/personalised-vehicle-registrati...

[AyBee]

I think, in theory, the DVLA are able to issue any age related plate to the car once your personalised plate is removed, however, in practice, the original plate goes back one once the personalised one has been removed.

[ian_uk]

If you want to guarantee being able to put back on the exact number you are taking off then you have to put it on retention at the time you put your personal plate on and then keep it on retention but that costs money. If you don't put it on retention it gets put back into the general DVLA pool of numbers. At the time you want to remove your personal plate you can ask for the original to be reallocated to the car and the DVLA will generally do this if it is still available. If not you will be allocated another correctly aged number from the general pool.

[750turbo]

ian_uk said:

If you want to guarantee being able to put back on the exact number you are taking off then you have to put it on retention at the time you put your personal plate on and then keep it on retention but that costs money. If you don't put it on retention it gets put back into the general DVLA pool of numbers. At the time you want to remove your personal plate you can ask for the original to be reallocated to the car and the DVLA will generally do this if it is still available. If not you will be allocated another correctly aged number from the general pool.

I have always had the original Reg No back without going through any of this.

[B'stard Child]

750turbo said:

ian_uk said:

If you want to guarantee being able to put back on the exact number you are taking off then you have to put it on retention at the time you put your personal plate on and then keep it on retention but that costs money. If you don't put it on retention it gets put back into the general DVLA pool of numbers. At the time you want to remove your personal plate you can ask for the original to be reallocated to the car and the DVLA will generally do this if it is still available. If not you will be allocated another correctly aged number from the general pool.

I have always had the original Reg No back without going through any of this.

Exactly - as long as you know what the original plate is and tell DVLA what it was the original one goes back on when the vanity plate comes off - While the car has a vanity plate on it the original plate is in limbo.

Frequently when I've got a car back on the original plate it has "Reg not transferable" on the log book so I'm guessing that's how DVLA make sure it stays available.

[AyBee]

B'stard Child said:

750turbo said:

ian_uk said:

If you want to guarantee being able to put back on the exact number you are taking off then you have to put it on retention at the time you put your personal plate on and then keep it on retention but that costs money. If you don't put it on retention it gets put back into the general DVLA pool of numbers. At the time you want to remove your personal plate you can ask for the original to be reallocated to the car and the DVLA will generally do this if it is still available. If not you will be allocated another correctly aged number from the general pool.

I have always had the original Reg No back without going through any of this.

Exactly - as long as you know what the original plate is and tell DVLA what it was the original one goes back on when the vanity plate comes off - While the car has a vanity plate on it the original plate is in limbo.

Frequently when I've got a car back on the original plate it has "Reg not transferable" on the log book so I'm guessing that's how DVLA make sure it stays available.

I don't think you need to tell them what was on it originally, they know that and it automatically goes back on in my experience. Not ever heard of a different reg being assigned after the removal of a personalised plate. It's always just the one that was on there before.

[Jaguar steve]

AyBee said:

B'stard Child said:

750turbo said:

ian_uk said:

If you want to guarantee being able to put back on the exact number you are taking off then you have to put it on retention at the time you put your personal plate on and then keep it on retention but that costs money. If you don't put it on retention it gets put back into the general DVLA pool of numbers. At the time you want to remove your personal plate you can ask for the original to be reallocated to the car and the DVLA will generally do this if it is still available. If not you will be allocated another correctly aged number from the general pool.

I have always had the original Reg No back without going through any of this.

Exactly - as long as you know what the original plate is and tell DVLA what it was the original one goes back on when the vanity plate comes off - While the car has a vanity plate on it the original plate is in limbo.

Frequently when I've got a car back on the original plate it has "Reg not transferable" on the log book so I'm guessing that's how DVLA make sure it stays available.

I don't think you need to tell them what was on it originally, they know that and it automatically goes back on in my experience. Not ever heard of a different reg being assigned after the removal of a personalised plate. It's always just the one that was on there before.

Same here everytime I've transferred my plate from car to car - original registration goes back on when my own plate comes off.

[B'stard Child]

AyBee said:

B'stard Child said:

750turbo said:

ian_uk said:

If you want to guarantee being able to put back on the exact number you are taking off then you have to put it on retention at the time you put your personal plate on and then keep it on retention but that costs money. If you don't put it on retention it gets put back into the general DVLA pool of numbers. At the time you want to remove your personal plate you can ask for the original to be reallocated to the car and the DVLA will generally do this if it is still available. If not you will be allocated another correctly aged number from the general pool.

I have always had the original Reg No back without going through any of this.

Exactly - as long as you know what the original plate is and tell DVLA what it was the original one goes back on when the vanity plate comes off - While the car has a vanity plate on it the original plate is in limbo.

Frequently when I've got a car back on the original plate it has "Reg not transferable" on the log book so I'm guessing that's how DVLA make sure it stays available.

I don't think you need to tell them what was on it originally, they know that and it automatically goes back on in my experience. Not ever heard of a different reg being assigned after the removal of a personalised plate. It's always just the one that was on there before.

Not always..... I have seen it before

[Ozzie Osmond]

ian_uk said:

If you want to guarantee being able to put back on the exact number you are taking off then you have to put it on retention

Yes. Although they usually re-allocate the old number these days this is the ONLY way to guarantee it.

[iva cosworth]

In 1996 I didn't get back the original plate for a car I wanted to sell.

In 2009 I did get back the original plate and without having to do anything.

[cat with a hat]

It sounds like in the highly unlikely event that you remove your original plate CL10 CUP to put on a private plate and decide not to put it on a retainer, you may find that someone else decides they want the plate and the DVLA may sell it.

If you've got a crap plate e.g T349 TEP then its highly likely you will get it straight back. Just because you've got the original plate back doesn't mean its guaranteed.

[Ozzie Osmond]

cat with a hat said:

you may find that someone else decides they want the plate and the DVLA may sell it.

I'm not 100% sure about this in 2015, but I don't think DVLA re-issue any plate once it's been "handed back". They didn't used to.

[Soupie69uk]

Thanks for all the comments chaps, the original plate is very generic so I wont apply to keep it and save myself £80.

[P2DJX]

750turbo said:

I have always had the original Reg No back without going through any of this.

^^^ This , and I have changed plates at least 30+ times. Its nice to see your old car driving about ( recognised by original number ). Never had to do a thing , orig number has always been re-attached to the vehicle.

[TA14]

B'stard Child said:

Frequently when I've got a car back on the original plate it has "Reg not transferable" on the log book so I'm guessing that's how DVLA make sure it stays available.

That was introduced because people could sell the plate on a pre age related reg car (pre 1963??) and then get another plate suitable for that car, also not age related then sell that one so DVLA put a stop to that.

[TA14]

Ozzie Osmond said:

Yes. Although they usually re-allocate the old number these days this is the ONLY way to guarantee it.

Not always. I had a car which was on a private plate from new so there wasn't an old number to re-allocate; the car was issued with an age related plate which had previously been on a Merc. I got tired of explaining this to parts guys who had a computer saying that I had a Merc.

[B'stard Child]

P2DJX said:

750turbo said:

I have always had the original Reg No back without going through any of this.

^^^ This , and I have changed plates at least 30+ times. Its nice to see your old car driving about ( recognised by original number ). Never had to do a thing , orig number has always been re-attached to the vehicle.

It may have happened to you 30+ times and it maybe that DVLA has improved the process but it doesn't mean that a car will always get back the original plate.

One of my old cars had had a number of vanity plates and I'd put mine on it when I got the car and as usual kept the original plates on the garage wall

When I took mine off it was allocated a random age related plate - I complained to DVLA and asked for the original plate to be allocated as the windows were etched with the original number plate.

They declined to re-issue the original plate.

[Davel]

P2DJX said:

^^^ This , and I have changed plates at least 30+ times. Its nice to see your old car driving about ( recognised by original number ). Never had to do a thing , orig number has always been re-attached to the vehicle.

^^ ^^ ^^ ^^

That!

[mikey P 500]

Bumping an old topic, I want to remove a personalised plate and give to the previous owner, (understand I remove off car £80 and can then gift it to past owner) however I am not too keen to have the cars original plate (last 3 letters are CUM) can I request a random age related plate that doesn't cause offence for no extra cost?