changing a Q plate to a private plate

[jasondixon02]

Have just bought my 1st kit car which has a Q plate. Am I stuck with having a Q plate or can I swap it over to a private plate ?

[jacko lah]

You are stuck with it.

[big bad ben]

jacko lah said:

You are stuck with it.

Wot he said:

www.dvla-som.co.uk/home/en/FAQ/?id=Q_PREFIX#q_prefix

[jith]

That is not the case.
You cannot buy or transfer a "Q" plate, but there is nothing to stop you buying a personalised plate and transferring it to the "Q" vehicle.
The link you showed clearly states this.
See this one, :- www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/BuyingAndSellingAVehicle/PersonalisedRegAndNumberPlates/DG_4022576

[njwc]

Unless they've changed the rules recently you cannot change a 'Q' to a non-'Q', because Q implies unknown age and non-Q implies known age.

In other words you could take a Q-plate vehicle (such as a kit car made up of various parts from various donors, or an import of unknown origin) re-register it and pass it off as something newer than it actually is.

ISTR the DVLA did look into whether it would be possible to re-register a Q-plate cars with an age-related plate based on the known age of the oldest major component(s) (engine/chassis etc) but as far as I know it wasnt proceeded with.

[pdV6]

Also, the DVLA can impose a Q plate as a punishment for misrepresenting a non-Q plate, so being able to simple change it to another plate at will would rather defeat the object.

[big bad ben]

jith said:

That is not the case.
You cannot buy or transfer a "Q" plate, but there is nothing to stop you buying a personalised plate and transferring it to the "Q" vehicle.
The link you showed clearly states this.
See this one, :- www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/BuyingAndSellingAVehicle/PersonalisedRegAndNumberPlates/DG_4022576

You're partly right - the link I put up was not entirely appropriate. However:

1) You CANNOT put a non-Q plate on a Q-registered vehicle: www.dvla.gov.uk/media/pdf/consultations/060620_consultation.pdf (page 8, point 37)

2)The link in my original post showed that you cannot buy a personalised Q-plate.


Ergo, you cannot put a personalised plate on a Q-registered car.

Edited by big bad ben on Thursday 22 March 11:52

[JonRB]

You can't misrepresent the age of a vehicle by using an age-related plate newer than your vehicle (ie. you can't put "V8 ABC" onto your 1997 Chimaerea)

And given that a Q-plate is an inteterminate age, it suggests you can't put ANY age-related plate onto a Q-plated vehicle.

But what about non-age plates like "TVR 200"?

[jith]

big bad ben said:

jith said:

That is not the case.
You cannot buy or transfer a "Q" plate, but there is nothing to stop you buying a personalised plate and transferring it to the "Q" vehicle.
The link you showed clearly states this.
See this one, :- www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/BuyingAndSellingAVehicle/PersonalisedRegAndNumberPlates/DG_4022576

You're partly right - the link I put up was not entirely appropriate. However:

1) You CANNOT put a non-Q plate on a Q-registered vehicle: www.dvla.gov.uk/media/pdf/consultations/060620_consultation.pdf (page 8, point 37)

2)The link in my original post showed that you cannot buy a personalised Q-plate.


Ergo, you cannot put a personalised plate on a Q-registered car.

Edited by big bad ben on Thursday 22 March 11:52

This is NOT the case!
The link states that you cannot transfer a number that shows the vehicle to be newer than it is: you cannot transfer a number to a "Q" plate unless you can prove the age of the main components like the body and chassis.
This is actually very simple to do unless the car has been stolen and this information deliberately obliterated, im which case you have a serious problem anyway!
If you can prove the chassis or body is of a certain age with a VIC, you can transfer a number of that age or earlier.
Show me the regulation that says you cannot.

[pdV6]

jith said:

If you can prove the chassis or body is of a certain age with a VIC, you can transfer a number of that age or earlier.

Assuming the Q plate is on a kit car or similar, you would expect the builder to have done that at the time.
Therefore if on a Q is was probably impossible then and unlikely to have become easier over time!

[jith]

pdV6 said:

jith said:

If you can prove the chassis or body is of a certain age with a VIC, you can transfer a number of that age or earlier.

Assuming the Q plate is on a kit car or similar, you would expect the builder to have done that at the time.
Therefore if on a Q is was probably impossible then and unlikely to have become easier over time!

Not the case again.
I have built literally dozens of kit cars based on Jaguar components over the years, and always managed to get the registration process completed using the original VIN number from the bodyshell.
After you do so it is then possible to change it to a private plate.
Granted it was a fight sometimes with the DVLA, but so is virtually every single simple procedure with them!!
People give up far too easy with this kind of bureacracy, you have to insist that they adhere to the rules the same as the rest of us.
I have owned two XKSS replicas and a D type replica, none of which had the original donor body, which was an XJ6, but did have the VIN plate attached and had the original registration number.
These cars had the engine, transmission, front a rear suspension systems, gauges and switches from the dash, wiring looms, fuel pumps, etc from the donor vehicle.
So all that was left of the original car was a stripped shell, so there was absolutely no doubt about the origins and age of the donor vehicle, I think that is important to stress and prove.
If you can prove it, they cannot legally impose a "Q" plate on you.
If you have rebuilt a written off vehicle from say two or three cars, it is simple to prove the origin of the main shell, as long as you bought it with the chassis numbers intact.
If they have been removed or tampered with, there is usually a criminal reason for this and you should avoid it like the plague!

[pdV6]

I realise that. I think you'd have more trouble if many of the main parts came from different vehicles though.

[pdV6]

Just checked and the rule is:

DVLA said:

A rebuilt vehicle may keep its identity provided it retains enough of the original components, including the unmodified or new chassis/monocoque body-shell. It must also contain at least two major components from the original vehicle. The major components are currently considered to be the suspension (front and back), axles (both), transmission, steering assembly, engine. If a second-hand or modified chassis/monocoque body-shell is used, a "Q" registration mark will be issued and the vehicle will be subject to type approval.

Also, once a "Q" is allocated to a vehicle, a new VIN is also generated and must be fixed to the chassis. Therefore once a "Q" always a "Q".

[Big Bad Ben]

jith said:

The link states that you cannot transfer a number that shows the vehicle to be newer than it is...

The link actually states:

DVLA said:

‘Q’ numbers are therefore non-transferable and must remain with the vehicle unless documentary evidence confirming its origins/age comes to light.

I am arguing arguing this point:

DVLA said:

‘Q’ numbers are therefore non-transferable and must remain with the vehicle unless documentary evidence confirming its origins/age comes to light.

You are arguing this point:

DVLA said:

‘Q’ numbers are therefore non-transferable and must remain with the vehicle unless documentary evidence confirming its origins/age comes to light.

Slightly different. Anyway, it doesn't matter - the OP said:

jasondixon02 said:

Have just bought my 1st kit car which has a Q plate. Am I stuck with having a Q plate or can I swap it over to a private plate ?

"Have just bought" not "Have just built" and "which has a Q plate" not "which isn't yet registered"


What's the first thing you do when you've finished one of your XK replicas? Scrap the donor? Personally I couldn't wait to get the thing off my driveway. Presumably the person who sold the OP his new kit car did the same - where will the OP get the original chassis number from now? It'll be long gone, unless he has a rebodied MR2 or similar - in which case, why would it be on a Q plate in the first place?

The OP might be able to reregister the car onto an age-related plate by proving that the engine and gearbox came from the donor vehicle. It seems like a lot of trouble though, and I'm not even sure if a car can be reregistered once it has been assigned a 'Q' mark - the DVLA quote above ("'Q' numbers...must remain with the vehicle" ) would suggest not.



As an aside, I'm surprised you managed to get your classic replicas on the same VRN as their donors - the DVLA site says:

DVLA said:

If a new monocoque bodyshell or chassis from a specialist kit manufacturer is used (or an altered chassis or bodyshell from an existing vehicle) together with two major components from a donor vehicle, an age related mark will be assigned. The mark will be based on the age of the donor vehicle.

Or maybe the rules have changed?

www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/BuyingAndSellingAVehicle/RegisteringAVehicle/DG_10014246

Edited by Big Bad Ben on Thursday 22 March 16:45

[MR2Mike]

I can't understand why people are so opposed to having a Q plate, its just a bunch of numbers and letters. Then again I don't understand the vanity of people that spend thousands on private plates.

Keep the Q plate and smile at MOT time when you only have to pass a visual smoke test.

[shuvitupya]

MR2Mike said:

Then again I don't understand the vanity of people that spend thousands on private plates.

Most drivers of cars with private plates tend to be very slow or rubbish drivers, or is it just because they stick out like a car with a dildo on the roof.

I think it's far better to have a normal plate that is not easily remembered.

[Fat Richie]

MR2Mike said:

I can't understand why people are so opposed to having a Q plate, its just a bunch of numbers and letters.

Exactly - you can't see your numberplates from the driver's seat!

[JonRB]

shuvitupya said:

Most drivers of cars with private plates tend to be very slow or rubbish drivers

Any more sweeping generalisations completely ungrounded on fact that you want to pull out whilst you're at it?