Changing private plates back to original ones
Discussion
I want to take the private number plates off my car and put the original ones back on. I understand I can take the plates off the car through the DVLA online, but when I go through that process and switch the plates on the car, am I legal to drive on the road immediately, or do I have to wait for some period of time for the change to go through the system?
al78 said:
I want to take the private number plates off my car and put the original ones back on. I understand I can take the plates off the car through the DVLA online, but when I go through that process and switch the plates on the car, am I legal to drive on the road immediately, or do I have to wait for some period of time for the change to go through the system?
The online system is instantaneous, (used it myself), but sometimes the system might require you to go through a manual process, which involves sending paper documents to DVLA by post.I don't know which specific circumstances trigger the manual method, but something about SORN or previously untaxed periods have been mentioned on prior threads on here.
In my experience when you put the private plate on retention it will happen immediately and you will receive an email with the details and paperwork will arrive in a few days. Your vehicle will be immediately be assigned a generic registration number which is usually the original generic plate for the vehicle but there is no guarantee of that.
Your insurance certificate is based on the registration number so you will need to inform your insurance company to get a new insurance certificate and for the MID database to be updated so that you don't get stopped by the police for not being insured.
Your insurance certificate is based on the registration number so you will need to inform your insurance company to get a new insurance certificate and for the MID database to be updated so that you don't get stopped by the police for not being insured.
I think there is an unspoken grace period for swapping plates over - I mean, if one uses the DVLA postal option and is unaware of the online MOT / Tax check webpage, the change will have been made at the DVLA but one would not know until the post arrived X days later... meaning the current plates would be showing and insured but the vehicle would be on the new (old) plates at the DVLA.
I think as long as you have the plate that is on the car insured, you should be just fine - after all, there are people out there with fake 1x1 plates they just made up and put on their car with no supporting paperwork at DVLA, but presumably they are insured on those plates and they don't flag the MID database system in Police vehicles because they never seem to get pulled... lol
I think as long as you have the plate that is on the car insured, you should be just fine - after all, there are people out there with fake 1x1 plates they just made up and put on their car with no supporting paperwork at DVLA, but presumably they are insured on those plates and they don't flag the MID database system in Police vehicles because they never seem to get pulled... lol
al78 said:
paul_c123 said:
The change will be immediate but you need to have the correct plates on the car, and it needs to be insured.
I have the original plates ready to be installed and the insurance has recently renewed, do I have to tell them about the change in number plate?If you were insured for a (random car) 1.4 Corsa on KN51ORA and then you sold it & bought a 1.4 Corsa on NK51 ARO, do you think you would be insured without telling the insurance company?
E-bmw said:
Just to put this question into perspective look at it a different way.
If you were insured for a (random car) 1.4 Corsa on KN51ORA and then you sold it & bought a 1.4 Corsa on NK51 ARO, do you think you would be insured without telling the insurance company?
That is not the same as it would be a different car, changing the plates does not change the car, but I agree I was being thoughtless with that question given the reg number is how a vehicle and the driver are identified.If you were insured for a (random car) 1.4 Corsa on KN51ORA and then you sold it & bought a 1.4 Corsa on NK51 ARO, do you think you would be insured without telling the insurance company?
al78 said:
If I take the private plate off via the DVLA website, physically swap to the original plates on the car and notify the insurance company, I should be good legally?
Yes and no.In theory, but I can't see anyone ever getting caught for it, if you fit a plate to a car it needs to comply with BS AU 145e. If your old/existing plate isn't the latest standard....
I did this only 2 weeks ago. Remove plate using the DVLA site. Change is instant and previous plate assigned. Then tell my insurance company (via their website), and then removed the plates and stuck the old ones back on (having kept them in my garage). Then 2 days later, the car was traded in.
That was on a Monday evening. The new V5 came by the end of the week.
That was on a Monday evening. The new V5 came by the end of the week.
al78 said:
If I take the private plate off via the DVLA website, physically swap to the original plates on the car and notify the insurance company, I should be good legally?
Have you confirmed with DVLA that you will get the original registration number back, when you take off the private plates?Yellow Lizud said:
Have you confirmed with DVLA that you will get the original registration number back, when you take off the private plates?
No I haven't, it says on their website that happens most of the time but isn't guarenteed. I have tried phoning someone but found it impossible to get through the maze of automated menus to talk to a real person (par for the course in this day and age).paul_c123 said:
Yes and no.
In theory, but I can't see anyone ever getting caught for it, if you fit a plate to a car it needs to comply with BS AU 145e. If your old/existing plate isn't the latest standard....
Technically I am not putting the originals back on, I am putting a recently purchased version of the originals because I have lost the originals. Fortunately I still had the original log book with the former registration.In theory, but I can't see anyone ever getting caught for it, if you fit a plate to a car it needs to comply with BS AU 145e. If your old/existing plate isn't the latest standard....
snuffy said:
In almost all cases you will. It even tells you that before you click the button.
Go on, take a chance, live dangerously for once!
I intend too. I didn't have any issues putting the private plate on, it is just whether going the other way the original is automatically reassigned.Go on, take a chance, live dangerously for once!
As it happens, I've just been to Halfords to get a new set made (I got the them out of my garage this morning that I took off my old car a couple of weeks ago and they looked a bit manky).
I've just come to do the transfer and it says:
And yet, when you go to the remove private plate section, it says:
So when you assign your private plate, the DVLA tells you that the original number will be re-assigned when you take the PP off again. And yet, when you come to take it off, it says the original one will usually be automatically re-assigned.
I've just come to do the transfer and it says:
And yet, when you go to the remove private plate section, it says:
So when you assign your private plate, the DVLA tells you that the original number will be re-assigned when you take the PP off again. And yet, when you come to take it off, it says the original one will usually be automatically re-assigned.
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