Out of the 34.8 million people in the UK holding a driving license, one in eight have – or would like – personal number plates. And we don’t blame them! Adding personal number plates to your vehicle is an excellent way to customise it and show others it’s yours; for others, it’s a way to show status/success or commemorate a special occasion like a birthday, or an anniversary.
However, there comes a time when a car owner might decide to sell their private plate, whether it’s because the novelty has worn off, it’s time to make a return on their investment or another reason. When parting with anything, conducting thorough research before discussing further action with a buyer or a broker managing the transaction on your behalf is essential.
To simplify selling your personalised number plate, we’ve outlined several FAQs about the options available that will help you understand what you need to know and guide you throughout the process. From getting your old registration plate back and the best places to sell, keep reading to find out more.
Can I Get My Old Registration Back?
One main worry that crosses car owners’ minds when selling their private registration plates is whether they’ll get their old registration back after the transaction. So, if this worry has been plaguing your mind, you’ll be glad to learn that, in most cases, your old registration will be reassigned to your vehicle after selling your personal number plates.
Since you can sell your private number plate separately, many car owners choose to do so to generate a little extra money when their funds are low. Regardless of your reasons for selling your plates, ensure that you don’t forget to put the old registration plate back on your motor before you use it or finalise the sale, as it’s the law.
Where Are The Best Places To Sell Personal Number Plates?
You can sell your private plates privately or through a dealer, or finding a customer yourself. The best way to sell them is by enlisting the services of reputable car registration companies, which can help you get the best deal possible for your private plates and finalise it quicker.
With these companies, you can advertise your plates for sale, list them in their auctions, or sell them directly to them for their stock. Plus, car registration companies attract hundreds of visitors to their sites daily and do all the heavy lifting for you, meaning you’re more likely to find the right buyer through them than privately. Selling your number plates through companies like Regtransfers couldn’t be easier since their sales team will handle the whole transaction for you, including any paperwork, complications, valuations, and much more.
Could I Gift My Personal Number Plates To Someone Else?
If you’re struggling to sell your personal number plates or aren’t fetching as much as you’d hoped, you could always consider gifting them to someone else. So long as you assign the number plate to them online or by post before they start using them, giving them to someone else isn’t an issue.
Likewise, if you wanted to purchase a private number plate on behalf of someone else, so long as it is properly registered, you can gift someone your old personal reg’ or buy them a brand-new one and make their car journeys a little more special.
Where Can I Sell My Plates Privately?
Suppose you don’t fancy partnering with a dealer or using car registration companies to manage the transaction on your behalf. In that case, you could always sell your plates privately by finding a private buyer. Fortunately, several options are available if you choose this route. You could use online auction sites like eBay that allow you to sell your plates to the highest bidder and set a reserve price to ensure the plate doesn’t sell for less than your asking price or an amount you wouldn’t be happy with. However, if you choose to go down this route, you might find that most auction-style sites charge a selling fee, similar to online brokers/dealers, which can dent your overall earnings slightly.
Alternatively, suppose you’d like to go down a more traditional route. In that case, you could consider selling your plates by advertising in the newspaper or a car magazine, enabling interested persons to contact you directly instead of actively searching.
In any event, you will need to handle all the paperwork yourself and will probably find it far easier to use a reputable dealer.
Can I Sell My Personal Plates To DVLA?
Although DVLA keeps stock of brand-new, never-been-issued plates, they will not buy back registrations assigned to another vehicle. You can only sell personal number plates by selling them privately, or through a dealer.
