Tracking down a number plate owner?

[Mwn11]

The initial message was deleted from this topic on 10 October 2023 at 21:22

[Muzzer79]

It might not be on retention.

Worse case, it's on some wreck that's in a field somewhere, forgotten about for the last 40 years.

You can ask the DVLA for details of the registered keeper of that registration, but they are under no obligation to provide them to you and, IINM, will only do so if you have 'reasonable cause'.

[Mwn11]

Agh didnt even think about that...

Guess they dont have a rule like if its not been used or sorn in X amount of years it gets repurposed?

[carl_w]

Mwn11 said:

Guess they dont have a rule like if its not been used or sorn in X amount of years it gets repurposed?

No, in case it's a "barn find" and gets re-registered.

[Hol]

carl_w said:

Mwn11 said:

Guess they dont have a rule like if its not been used or sorn in X amount of years it gets repurposed?

No, in case it's a "barn find" and gets re-registered.

More often with dateless plates, the plate disappeared when the car disappeared into a scrapper 50 years ago.

Sadly, for everyone who would like one.

[LunarOne]

Hol said:

carl_w said:

Mwn11 said:

Guess they dont have a rule like if its not been used or sorn in X amount of years it gets repurposed?

No, in case it's a "barn find" and gets re-registered.

More often with dateless plates, the plate disappeared when the car disappeared into a scrapper 50 years ago.

Sadly, for everyone who would like one.

Wouldn't the DVLA know that the car has been scrapped and then put the plate back into circulation?

[carl_w]

LunarOne said:

Wouldn't the DVLA know that the car has been scrapped and then put the plate back into circulation?

Pretty sure there was no need to notify DVLA 50 years ago.

[CRA1G]

LunarOne said:

Wouldn't the DVLA know that the car has been scrapped and then put the plate back into circulation?

Once a Car is scrapped with a plate the plate is lost for good DVLA will not put it back into circulation.

[Mwn11]

CRA1G said:

Once a Car is scrapped with a plate the plate is lost for good DVLA will not put it back into circulation.

Surely this is dumb af?!

Could be a huge source of revenue for them...

[DickyC]

Thinking off the plate - which is a bit like out of the box - how about a prefix letter plate with 11 MWN?

[DickyC]

[WIWs]

Will the DVLA release 11 MWN?

looks like they only sent MWN 1 to MWN 8 through the auctions though so might have already been release in history times, sadly not a good enough autonumeroligist yet to tell you if its been issued

[smithyithy]

Mwn11 said:

Surely this is dumb af?!

Could be a huge source of revenue for them...

It does seem like a bit of a no-brainer for them given how much they probably earn from reg sales already, I bet there's some very valuable (potentially) dateless plates they could reissue for auction..

[CRA1G]

WIWs said:

Will the DVLA release 11 MWN?

looks like they only sent MWN 1 to MWN 8 through the auctions though so might have already been release in history times, sadly not a good enough autonumeroligist yet to tell you if its been issued

It's the other way round 1 MWN to 8 MWN are Auction numbers MWN 1 is an original issue and still registered.

[Hol]

Mwn11 said:

CRA1G said:

Once a Car is scrapped with a plate the plate is lost for good DVLA will not put it back into circulation.

Surely this is dumb af?!

Could be a huge source of revenue for them...

I’m afraid you are out of luck if you have been assuming that every plate that was ever issued came back up again for sale when a car was scrapped. That’s never been the case.

Their revenue has always come from previously unissued plates that they sell on the primary market, or plates that private owners put into retention themselves and sold on the secondary market.

Otherwise, we would all have dateless number plates on our cars, instead of ones with a letter or number identifer as they would be plentiful and cheap.

Edited by Hol on Tuesday 25th April 19:03

[undred orse]

I agree and I suspect some sort of scheme will eventually emerge to keep the easy cash rolling in. Perhaps backed with a guarantee to return the then current value of any plate bought that is successfully challenged by the owner of a barn find with the original issue of the number. The buyer then knows it may get taken back but has financial certainty. Would work for me.

[Sir Bagalot]

MWN <n> were issued in Swansea 1955

By all means request 11 MWN to auction but I'd say it will reach at least £5K + fees

[CRA1G]