The personalised number plate industry is now worth over £2 billion as more people try to differentiate their vehicles. A standard number plate contains seven digits; however, a custom one can include less. They are often used to create a word or phrase that is comedic or means something to the vehicle owner.
Personalised number plates can cost up to £200k and can increase in value over time. So, you could lose a very expensive asset by not retaining your number plate after a crash. If you are involved in a crash, you do have rights when it comes to keeping your plate.
What to do if your car has been written off?
If your car is damaged to the point that it needs to be written off, you should contact your insurer as soon as possible to inform them that you want to keep your personalised number plate. Ask for the confirmation in writing to make sure this request will be fulfilled, and inform the DVLA.
Your insurer will then send a letter of non-interest to the DVLA so that you continue owning that private registration number. A fee will then be required to pay the DVLA to keep the plate on a retention certificate if there isn’t another vehicle to transfer it to directly.
What happens if you don’t act
If you don’t act when your car is written off, then you risk losing your personalised number plate. The registration belongs to your vehicle, so it will be transferred to your insurance company. From there, it is either sold on to a new owner when your car is scrapped or scrapped with the car, so it’s important that you act and comply with the DVLA’s rules.
What to do if your car is stolen and then crashed?
You will again need to inform the DVLA and your insurer that your car was stolen and you want to keep your personalised number plate. Further on, you should prove to the DVLA that your vehicle had a valid MOT and road tax when it was stolen. You will also need to tell them that you have reported the stolen vehicle incident to the police.
If your car is never recovered, then you may have to wait six months to transfer the private registration number to another vehicle.
On the other hand, if your vehicle is recovered, then you can transfer it to another vehicle as soon as possible, as long as you’ve applied to the DVLA to keep it. You must go through this process before your returned car is scrapped or sold.
