Transferring a private plate when buying privately

[Burgerbob]

Hi

hopefully this is in the right section...

I'm looking to buy a car privately. The car has a personalised plate on it now, which the current owner wishes to keep. I intend to put my personalised plate on it, and ideally would like to have my plate on it when I collect it.

This would be better for the insurance as I won't have to pay an admin fee to change the plate. Plus, I'd just like to have my plate on it from day 1.

My question is... How do I actually achieve this? do I have to wait for the DVLA to send a V5 out for each change (i.e. for when the current owner removes their plate, and then for the change in keeper)

Thanks for any advice on how to do this, I'm sure it's fairly routine, I'm just not sure on the steps to take.

[-Cappo-]

The previous owner has to remove their plate, the vehicle then reverts to (usually) its original plate, and then you will have to wait for the new V5 before you can apply your plate. There’s no way to go private plate > private plate (at least there wasn’t last time I tried, I actually spoke to someone at DVLA about it).

[snuffy]

-Cappo- said:

The previous owner has to remove their plate, the vehicle then reverts to (usually) its original plate, and then you will have to wait for the new V5 before you can apply your plate. There s no way to go private plate > private plate (at least there wasn t last time I tried, I actually spoke to someone at DVLA about it).

Yes, I think that is correct.

You will need to new car's new V5 with the original plate on before you can put your plate on.

Last year, I did this when selling my old car (trade in):

Took my plate off the car I was selling, online, which is immediate. That cost me £80. Then I had to update my insurance, which was £5.50. Then I collected the new car, drove it home. Then I could change it to my plate, so I had to update my 1 day old insurance to the new plate, for another £5.50. There's no additional DVLA fee to pay, the initial £80 fee covers both removing it and re-assigning it when you are ready.

[Burgerbob]

Thanks both. So really I need the seller to take off his plate asap so the V5 is available for when I collect it.

[snuffy]

Burgerbob said:

Thanks both. So really I need the seller to take off his plate asap so the V5 is available for when I collect it.

Yes, that's right.

It only takes a few days for the V5 to arrive in the post, about 5 as I recall.

[Nath911t]

Hopefully the seller will be able to assign the number online otherwise it'll have to be done by post which will take longer.

Having done this some years back where I had to fill out the forms and post the application, I now always sort the plate out so the car is ready to go when a sale has been agreed. It save the hassle.

[Pincher]

-Cappo- said:

The previous owner has to remove their plate, the vehicle then reverts to (usually) its original plate, and then you will have to wait for the new V5 before you can apply your plate. There s no way to go private plate > private plate (at least there wasn t last time I tried, I actually spoke to someone at DVLA about it).

I registered my car new with a private plate and then swapped it for another without taking the old one off - so my original is still 'underneath' the new one according to DVLA.

Slightly different scenario to the OP but it can be done. Downside is that when I come to sell, I'll need to pay to get the current plate put on retention, wait for the V5 with the original plate and then pay to put that on retention as well, at which point I assume it will get a previously unallocated age-related plate.

[UK_Scat_Pack]

It took 6 weeks last time I had to take a plate off a car. It was a very frustrating wait for the new buyer of the car.

[Dog Biscuit]

UK_Scat_Pack said:

It took 6 weeks last time I had to take a plate off a car. It was a very frustrating wait for the new buyer of the car.

Really?

Did you do it online?

[UK_Scat_Pack]

Yes.

[Vegasphil]

UK_Scat_Pack said:

It took 6 weeks last time I had to take a plate off a car. It was a very frustrating wait for the new buyer of the car.

I took a plate off a car yesterday at 5pm, paying the £80 online. I’ll let you know when it comes through as 6 weeks seems a bit extreme! They are normally pretty quick these days.

[BMR]

I’ve just been through similar, bought a car from a dealer with a private plate, I put it on retention as I’m going to attempt to sell it on.

V5 an all arrived within a week so I went private plate, to original plate, to my own plate, so took a few weeks all in.

[AndyAudi]

(Back in the day, it was possible in a DVLA office if visiting)

Now we take off plates in the run up to selling & put on retention. £80
(we tell insurance at this point but ours don’t charge)

Buying a new vehicle, can usually assign the new plate pretty quickly. (New new we hand the cert to the Garage to register, otherwise it’s a couple of days before telling the insurance again)

[Dog Biscuit]

UK_Scat_Pack said:

Yes.

That, as you say is a long time! It's usually 4 or 5 days.

[IAN1967]

I recently got a new bike, new V5 received after a few days then I put a different plate on it, all online, and the updated V5 was received 2 days later.

Pretty quick service I thought.

[Andy665]

Plate and / or V5 change by post is typically 4 weeks or so

Online - I have always had V5 back within a max of 5 days

[UK_Scat_Pack]

Dog Biscuit said:

UK_Scat_Pack said:

Yes.

That, as you say is a long time! It's usually 4 or 5 days.

Well within their time frames they stayed on the times I called.