Common questions about private plates

The questions people ask us most about ordering a private plate, what it costs, how long it takes and what you can legally display, each answered in a paragraph.

Can I put any private plate on any vehicle?

No. A registration mark must never make a vehicle look newer than it is, so a dated one can only go on a vehicle first registered when it was issued or later. Dateless private plates fit any age.

Do I have to have a vehicle to order one?

No. The certificate holds it for you until you are ready.

Can I order one as a gift?

Yes. We can put the certificate in the recipient’s name, or in yours so you can hand it over. Tell us which when you order.

Will it fail an MOT?

Only if the number plate itself is not to standard. A correctly made number plate with the legal spacing passes. Altered spacing, an illegal font or a fixing that hides a character will fail, and can bring a fine of up to £1,000.00 with the registration mark withdrawn.

How do I know it is really mine?

The certificate names you as the person entitled to assign it, and the DVLA’s record is the proof. When it is assigned, a new V5C arrives showing it.

Is a registration cheaper here than from the DVLA?

Every registration on this site has never been assigned to a vehicle. Those the DVLA also offers are priced below the DVLA’s own published price for the same mark, currently by £1.00. The price includes VAT and the £80.00 DVLA assignment fee, as the DVLA’s does. Nothing else is compulsory: you can assign the registration yourself at no further cost. Checked against the DVLA’s price list on 16 Oct. 2026.

My car is on finance or leased. Can I put a private plate on it?

Usually, yes. On hire purchase or a personal contract plan you are normally the registered keeper, so you apply in the ordinary way; check your agreement in case your lender asks to be told. On a lease the leasing company is normally the keeper, so the application comes from them or with their written permission, and most have a form for it. Put the registration mark on a certificate before the vehicle goes back.

How long does the transfer take?

Your certificate is with you within 7 to 14 working days of us having everything we need. An assignment made online with the DVLA takes effect straight away and the new V5C follows in the post; a paper application takes a few weeks. Number plates can be made and displayed as soon as the DVLA confirms the assignment.

What if I change my mind?

When you order you ask us to begin at once, because that is what secures the private plate, and you tick a box saying so. That is what puts it outside the cancellation rights in the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013. Once the registration mark has been secured for you it cannot be cancelled: it is reserved and personal to you. If you change your mind, tell us in writing; for a £50.00 fee including VAT we refund any parts of your order not yet fulfilled and ask the DVLA once to cancel the documentation and refund the fee. Number plates are outside them for a different reason: they are made to carry one registration mark and nothing else. This does not affect your other legal rights, and cancellation and refunds sets out each case.

Age restrictions explains which private plates your vehicle can wear, transfers and retention covers holding one without a vehicle, a private plate as a gift covers ordering for somebody else, and the rules cover what passes an MOT.