Car wrapping and DVLA
Discussion
A random question popped into my mind whilst watching Archie Hamilton wrap his R8 in that horrendous purple chrome. What happens with the DVLA? On the v5 that particular car is blue, as far as the DVLA are concerned that car is blue, the police will have blue on their records. If that car gets stolen, the police will be looking for a blue car? So when people wrap their car, do you inform the DVLA?
hondansx said:
No you don't, because it is temporary. Just tell your insurance company.
Actually as of 2014 that's no longer the case:DVLA said:
The register maintained by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) essentially exists to assist in revenue collection, road safety and law enforcement. The Police and other enforcement agencies rely on the DVLA record for all vehicles-related investigations. It is therefore paramount that the information stored on the vehicle register is accurate and up to date.
DVLA records details given by vehicle manufacturers at first registration. Any changes to the vehicles details must be notified to DVLA by law.
By covering the entire vehicle in a coloured adhesive/vinyl wrap, it is DVLA’s view that the colour change should be recorded. To notify a change of colour you should complete section 7 of the registration certificate V5C and return it to DVLA Swansea SA99 1BA. You should receive a replacement certificate within two to four weeks.
We would advise that any owner of a vehicle that has had a full colour change wrap should now inform the DVLA immediately by completing and sending the necessary paperwork as specified.
Thursday, 3rd April 2014
DVLA records details given by vehicle manufacturers at first registration. Any changes to the vehicles details must be notified to DVLA by law.
By covering the entire vehicle in a coloured adhesive/vinyl wrap, it is DVLA’s view that the colour change should be recorded. To notify a change of colour you should complete section 7 of the registration certificate V5C and return it to DVLA Swansea SA99 1BA. You should receive a replacement certificate within two to four weeks.
We would advise that any owner of a vehicle that has had a full colour change wrap should now inform the DVLA immediately by completing and sending the necessary paperwork as specified.
Thursday, 3rd April 2014
Durzel said:
hondansx said:
No you don't, because it is temporary. Just tell your insurance company.
Actually as of 2014 that's no longer the case:DVLA said:
The register maintained by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) essentially exists to assist in revenue collection, road safety and law enforcement. The Police and other enforcement agencies rely on the DVLA record for all vehicles-related investigations. It is therefore paramount that the information stored on the vehicle register is accurate and up to date.
DVLA records details given by vehicle manufacturers at first registration. Any changes to the vehicles details must be notified to DVLA by law.
By covering the entire vehicle in a coloured adhesive/vinyl wrap, it is DVLA’s view that the colour change should be recorded. To notify a change of colour you should complete section 7 of the registration certificate V5C and return it to DVLA Swansea SA99 1BA. You should receive a replacement certificate within two to four weeks.
We would advise that any owner of a vehicle that has had a full colour change wrap should now inform the DVLA immediately by completing and sending the necessary paperwork as specified.
Thursday, 3rd April 2014
DVLA records details given by vehicle manufacturers at first registration. Any changes to the vehicles details must be notified to DVLA by law.
By covering the entire vehicle in a coloured adhesive/vinyl wrap, it is DVLA’s view that the colour change should be recorded. To notify a change of colour you should complete section 7 of the registration certificate V5C and return it to DVLA Swansea SA99 1BA. You should receive a replacement certificate within two to four weeks.
We would advise that any owner of a vehicle that has had a full colour change wrap should now inform the DVLA immediately by completing and sending the necessary paperwork as specified.
Thursday, 3rd April 2014
You make a good point. I can't find it either, and the DVLA don't set the laws.
The DVLA website says you have to notify them in the event of a colour change, the implication being a respray, and I believe pre-2014 they made an exception for "temporary colour changes", which wraps were, probably with sign-written vans like Sky etc in mind rather than single colour jobs.
It could just be that their 2014 guidance rescinds this exemption and therefore that the exising law then applies?
The DVLA website says you have to notify them in the event of a colour change, the implication being a respray, and I believe pre-2014 they made an exception for "temporary colour changes", which wraps were, probably with sign-written vans like Sky etc in mind rather than single colour jobs.
It could just be that their 2014 guidance rescinds this exemption and therefore that the exising law then applies?
There is no mention of it on any government website, let alone the DVLA one.
Bear in mind the likes of BT and Sky vans have technically had their colour changed for years and year, well before the craze to change the colour of your car. I work with some wrapping companies and they've never suggested it be done.
Bear in mind the likes of BT and Sky vans have technically had their colour changed for years and year, well before the craze to change the colour of your car. I work with some wrapping companies and they've never suggested it be done.
Colour and the DVLA will always be a difficult one - there is an assumption on their documents that a car is a single colour, not taking into consideration:
- coach built classics which are two tone (or modern Rolls / Bentley equivalents)
- classics / older cars with a replaced panel where the owner doesn't bother respraying it (c.f. half the classic landrovers running around!)
- weird more modern cars like the polo harelquin where there are a number of colours from the manufacturer
- cars painted in fancy paint that changes colour as you look at it
- vans / cars / etc. that are wrapped (e.g. in a photo - what colour is it?!)
the only value in accuracy at the DVLA is for example when a car is stolen the police can look for a fancy orange R8 not the white r8 which was originally registered... can't see any other reason for colour being important
- coach built classics which are two tone (or modern Rolls / Bentley equivalents)
- classics / older cars with a replaced panel where the owner doesn't bother respraying it (c.f. half the classic landrovers running around!)
- weird more modern cars like the polo harelquin where there are a number of colours from the manufacturer
- cars painted in fancy paint that changes colour as you look at it
- vans / cars / etc. that are wrapped (e.g. in a photo - what colour is it?!)
the only value in accuracy at the DVLA is for example when a car is stolen the police can look for a fancy orange R8 not the white r8 which was originally registered... can't see any other reason for colour being important
akirk said:
...the only value in accuracy at the DVLA is for example when a car is stolen the police can look for a fancy orange R8 not the white r8 which was originally registered... can't see any other reason for colour being important
Or perhaps the police following up on a hit and run involving a fancy orange R8Durzel said:
The DVLA website says you have to notify them in the event of a colour change, the implication being a respray
That's your inference, rather than their implication."in the event of a colour change" seems fairly unequivocal to me.
Let's take some random examples from a random wrapping company's website...


Would you say those cars had changed colour or not?
Durzel said:
and I believe pre-2014 they made an exception for "temporary colour changes", which wraps were, probably with sign-written vans like Sky etc in mind rather than single colour jobs.
Define "temporary"? If you're wrapping something for a very short term, say a Le Mans trip or a specific ad campaign, then that would make sense. If you're wrapping for months or even years, then it's hard to credibly argue that's "temporary".Sticking an orange wrap over the entirety of a white car is clearly changing the visual/identifiable colour of the car to orange.
However, sticking a second hand orange bumper, or single door on a white car obviously isn't a total colour change.
I would have thought I was pretty common sense and I am therefore a little surprised to hear the assertions on here that it has been a grey area for years.
However, sticking a second hand orange bumper, or single door on a white car obviously isn't a total colour change.
I would have thought I was pretty common sense and I am therefore a little surprised to hear the assertions on here that it has been a grey area for years.
WokingWedger said:
'The register maintained by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) essentially exists to assist in revenue collection, ....................safety and law enforcement'
Good to see the priorities are right !
What did they catch you at.Good to see the priorities are right !
Parking, Speeding, RFL, or something else/worse?
akirk said:
- weird more modern cars like the polo harelquin where there are a number of colours from the manufacturer
I think that they are registered on the DVLA records as whatever the colour of the shell is.TooMany2cvs said:
Durzel said:
The DVLA website says you have to notify them in the event of a colour change, the implication being a respray
That's your inference, rather than their implication."in the event of a colour change" seems fairly unequivocal to me.
Let's take some random examples from a random wrapping company's website...


Would you say those cars had changed colour or not?
thebigmacmoomin said:
akirk said:
- weird more modern cars like the polo harelquin where there are a number of colours from the manufacturer
I think that they are registered on the DVLA records as whatever the colour of the shell is.akirk said:
Colour and the DVLA will always be a difficult one - there is an assumption on their documents that a car is a single colour, not taking into consideration:
- coach built classics which are two tone (or modern Rolls / Bentley equivalents)
- classics / older cars with a replaced panel where the owner doesn't bother respraying it (c.f. half the classic landrovers running around!)
- weird more modern cars like the polo harelquin where there are a number of colours from the manufacturer
I once registered an imported US police car which was black and white. I entered "black/white" on the form and it was registered as black.- coach built classics which are two tone (or modern Rolls / Bentley equivalents)
- classics / older cars with a replaced panel where the owner doesn't bother respraying it (c.f. half the classic landrovers running around!)
- weird more modern cars like the polo harelquin where there are a number of colours from the manufacturer
I checked a few Harlequin Polos and there were all like:
Registration number P850 OHE
Make VOLKSWAGEN
Colour MULTI-COLOUR
Also interestingly, all I found on Google Images are all still either registered or SORN.
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