Personal plates on a trashed car?

[JS2004]

Now then chaps,

 

Is anyone familiar with the rules regarding personal plates and their transfers?

 

We have a car, which had a bit of a bump a while back - so the back end is in a bit of a mess. It has personal plates on that we would like to take off.

 

The car currently has no MOT, hence no tax or insurance and is currently SORNd. We cant put an MOT on it because of the damage and because its not insured etc its hard to get it to a repair shop without getting it transported there and being a captive audience of whichever bodyshop we get it to.

 

We would like to sell the car, but with the damage on it we are not sure if its better to try and get it fixed (mostly cosmetic, she reversed into something, but not sure of any other damage) or to try and sell it 'As is'.

 

If we can move the plates off of it without forking out to get it fixed, taxed and insured then thats a big plus - but so far it seems like thats the only option.

 

Book value if it was fixed is about £2.5k - 105k 2002 honda civic. At a guess the damage looks in excess of £1k. If a breakers yard wanted it for around 1500 she would probably sell it to them, but we really do want to keep the plates.

 

 

Has anyone dealt with this type of thing before? ideas?

 

Cheers

[shaky]

I'm sure you need an m.o.t to get the pp off

[Kev.O]

Correct, you can only transfer a plate on a car that has valid M.O.T

[JS2004]

Cheers guys. I was kind of hoping that wasn't the only way of doing it.

 

Ah well its on to plan B then.. digital camera pics of the damage and quotations from various repair shops.

[Guest cossiedave]

needs mot and i think it has to have been taxed within the last 6 months , whats the plate mate

[JS2004]

Its one that belongs to her mom, as she loaned her the car.. which she then reversed into something (and blamed the clutch..). Cant remember it offhand but its nothing too car specific. I think its partly her initials and then 4000 or something..

 

And yeah it does seem it needs tax, or has had tax in the last 12 months.. it has been that way for a bit longer than that unfortunately!

[Abz]

As mentioned above, it needs MOT & Tax.

 

I take it the MOT has ran out since the accident?

 

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/PersonalisedRegAndNumberPlates/DG_4022576

[JS2004]

Aye mate, it ran out quite a while ago. it became one of those "ill fix it next month" things for a bit too long. I had hoped that theres was another way around it, but it seems like we will have to get it fixed, MOTd and 6 months tax on it. Mind you that will make it easier to sell hopefully.

[l33wgn]

have you phoned the dvla? im pritty sure i was able to remove the plates from my car but that was after an accident and i scrapped it so dont no if that makes a differance

[Guest MikeKennedy223]

There is a way to get the plates of a car that's scrapped/crashed etc

You can get a retention certificate as well if you don't want to put it straight onto another car, but its like £120 for a year or something.

Your best going in or speaking to them, probably just be a form to fill in

[Kopite]

Had this exact same issue and as a few others said, it has to have an MOT and be taxed. Had a few conversations over the phone and in person with the DVLA about it. Was told I could fill out a plate transfer form and it would be rejected, and then I could launch an appeal which would have very little chance of working. I went about it another way, PM'd

[mr lover]

How to retain a registration number

 

 

Putting a number plate on retention

 

 

 

Under the DVLA Retention Scheme, the DVLA allows you to remove a registration number from a vehicle, without assigning it to another vehicle. The registration number is kept on a document called the V778 Retention Document (or Retention Certificate).

 

This is often referred to as putting a registration number on retention. You can choose to hold a registration number on retention for one, two, or three years.

 

 

 

What is a number plate retention certificate (V778)?

 

 

 

 

 

Before you apply

 

 

 

Check our guide Can I retain my number plate?

 

 

 

 

 

How to apply for a number plate V778 Retention Document

 

 

 

You can apply to retain a registration number using the DVLA form V317 “Application to Transfer or Retain a Vehicle Registration Number”. You can pick up a V317 form from your local DVLA office. Or you can download the V317 form here.

 

 

 

Complete the V317 form. Then either take it or post it to your local DVLA office, with the following documents:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Original Vehicle Registration Certificate (V5 / V5C). If you’ve just acquired the vehicle, see instructions on the V778/1 form for alternative documentation

 

 

 

 

 

Original MOT certificate (if the vehicle requires one).

Your vehicle may not be old enough to need an MOT certificate. See Can I retain my registration number? for more information on vehicles that qualify for the DVLA Retention Scheme.

 

 

 

 

 

Photocopy of vehicle licence disc (tax disc).

The DVLA requests the disc expiry date and serial number. However, we would advise that you enclose photocopy to be on the safe side!

Don’t include the original tax disc as you will need this while your retention is being processed.

 

 

 

 

Can I retain my number plate if MOT or tax has run out?

 

 

 

 

 

Will I get a Retention Certificate straightaway?

 

No. The V778 Retention Document will be posted to you.

 

Before approval, the DVLA office may decide to inspect your vehicle. This will be to confirm the vehicle’s entitlement to the registration number. In particular, they will check the VIN number and chassis plate. The DVLA office will inform you if they wish to inspect the vehicle.

 

In our experience, older vehicles in particular are often inspected.

 

If you are asked to produce the vehicle for inspection and the MOT / tax has expired, you will need to have it transported to the DVLA office! Don’t drive it there.

 

Note that you may not get all of your fee back if your application to retain the registration number is turned down.

 

 

 

 

 

How do I get a new registration number?

 

When your application to retain the registration number is approved, the DVLA will allocate a replacement registration number that reflects the age of the vehicle. If possible, the DVLA will try to reissue the vehicle's previous registration number.

 

Replacement registration numbers are issued on a non-transferable basis. That means you will not be able to sell the replacement registration. You can, however, replace it with another private registration number at a later date.

 

 

 

 

 

What happens when the retention is approved?

 

When your application has been approved by the DVLA, you will receive a V778 Retention Document. Don’t sell or scrap your vehicle till you receive this document!

 

The DVLA will also issue a replacement V5 registration document, and MOT certificate and tax disc (if applicable), reflecting the replacement registration number.

 

 

 

Your Retention Certificate is valid for one, two, or three years. If you haven’t assigned the registration number to a vehicle before the expiry date, you will need to apply to extend the certificate. You will find instructions on how to do this on the back of the V778 Retention Document.

 

 

 

 

 

DVLA number plate retention fees

 

Application to retain a registration number: DVLA fee £105 for one year, £130 for two years, £155 for three years.

 

Application to make an amendment to a retention certificate: DVLA fee £25

 

Application to extend a retention certificate: DVLA fee £25.

[mr lover]

DVLA rules for retaining number plates

 

 

Can I retain my registration number?

 

 

 

If you are putting your registration number onto a DVLA V778 Retention Document, here are a few things you should know before you apply.....

 

 

 

 

 

You must be the Registered Keeper

 

 

 

Only the registered keeper of the donor vehicle can apply to retain a registration number. That is, the person named on the V5 log book of the vehicle.

 

There’s also room for another name on the Retention Certificate – the nominee. You can nominate another person on the retention certificate, whose vehicle you may wish to assign the registration number to.

 

 

 

You can specify a nominee at the time you apply for a retention certificate. Alternatively, you can add a name later. The DVLA charge a fee for amendments to the retention document.

 

The nominee cannot sell the registration number. See Can I sell a number plate?

 

 

 

 

 

The registration number should be transferable

 

Some registration numbers may be marked as ‘non-transferable’. Check your V5 / V5C Registration Document (log book), before applying to retain a number plate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The vehicle should be licensed

 

the number plate you want to retain should be on a vehicle that is taxed. If the tax disc on the donor vehicle has expired, you may still be able to transfer the registration number without renewing the tax – if it expired less than 12 months ago, and was declared as SORN straightaway. If you applied for a tax refund, however, then you cannot retain the number plate.

 

 

 

 

 

The vehicle should be MOT’d

 

Before applying for a DVLA Retention Document, make sure the vehicle has an MOT. The DVLA may decide to inspect your vehicle before approving the transfer. So expect to be asked to produce your vehicle at the nearest DVLA office.

 

 

 

if your vehicle does not have a current MOT, you may still be able to apply to retain the registration number (you will be asked to produce the last MOT certificate). Contact your local DVLA Office for advice.

 

 

 

You don’t need an MOT if your vehicle is not old enough to be tested.

 

 

 

 

 

The donor vehicle should be ‘testable’

 

Some vehicles do not fall under the MOT testing scheme, such as tractors and electrically propelled vehicles (for example, milk floats). But they do still carry a number plate. You cannot sell a number plate from this type of vehicle.

 

 

 

 

 

What about motorbikes?

 

You can retain a number plate that is on a motorbike or moped - the rules are the same as for other vehicles.

 

 

 

 

 

Q and NIQ registration numbers

 

 

 

These registration numbers can not be retained.

[JS2004]

Thanks for the input guys - as mentioned I have been on the DVLA website etc and had been looking prior to posting at the options - but it just seems like they like red tape, expensive red tape.. for a simple transaction which is moving a plate from one to the other. Im sure theres lots of legitimate reasons for the red tape but as a few people have told me - they wont budge.

 

The retention certificate appears to need an MOT - If an MOTd vehicle is involved in an accident its technically still MOTd, so even if trashed you can get the plate on retention or transferred from what I can follow on the DVLA website. the opposite is not true though if you have a perfectly mechanically sound vehicle lacking an MOT.

 

Im exploring an alternative route that was kindly suggested so hopefully I will make some headway with that - fingers crossed.

[Rob]

I just did it on my old Audi which was SORNed with no MOT. The fee to put it on retention is about £80, plus £20, then its £20 a year from then on. As you will have already paid the transfer fee in the first place, its then no extra cost to put it on a car in the future.

[JS2004]

The cars not had an MOT for over a year though mate, they wont do it if the MOT ran out over a year ago - we did try that a while back, and the MOT had ran out 1 year and 17 days at that point, and they simply wouldnt budge.

[Rob]

I wonder if there is a time limit before the DVLA take the number back as their own then. I once saw an old Landy pickup with a tree growing through it, on that farm near the Medway where the Wings West dealer was/is and it had a plate like 1 FG or something. I pondered the idea of offering to buy the wreck for a few hundred just to snag the plate and sell it on. But there was no way that landy would have had any documents, it had been there for years.