Cherished number retention/change of vehicle

[andygo]

In the not too distant past, it was possible to pop down to a 'local' DVLA office and put a cherished number on retention or swap it to a different vehicle.

It appears that it's changed now and you can do it online. Amazingly the price has changed from £20 x2 ( take off a car and reassign to your new one) to £80 I think. Whilst the DVLA say the service is now instant, still takes up to 6 weeks to get the paperwork back.

Am I missing something?

I want to swap my car soon and would like to swap the reg over more seamlessly.

[Roo]

It's been £80 for years to swap a number.

If trading it in ask the dealer to do it. They may well ask for a retainer until you get the V5 back.

If you're selling and buying privately put yours on retention, sell the car and transfer onto new car when you get it.

[andygo]

Well I think we are both wrong, says £25 to retain for a year and £25 to assign to a different vehicle on my retention cert.

[anonymous-user]

The £80 is the transfer fee, to put it on a vehicle when you obtain the number, or to transfer it to another vehicle. The £25 was the retention fee but is no longer charged, since March this year.

It can be a little confusing because you have to pay the transfer fee when you reserve a number or when you put a number on retention but there is then no fee to put it on a vehicle because it's already paid.

So until March if you put a number on retention you paid £105; £25 for retention and £80 prepaid transfer fee. Now retention is free (and for up to 10 years) but you still prepay the transfer fee when the number is retained, regardless of when it goes on another vehicle.


BTW the transfer fee has indeed been £80 for many years.

Edited by anonymous-user on Tuesday 9th June 09:36