Selling a car with private plates - everything you need to know

Love them or hate them, personalised licence plates are a common sight on UK roads. Private plates give drivers a way to express themselves through clever word play or extremely specific in-jokes related or, often, unrelated to their car.

But considering how most private plates only hold meaning to a very specific few - not to mention the cost of some of them - it's no wonder that most people want to keep a hold of their plates when they upgrade or trade in their car.

The good news is that it is pretty easy to remove private plates and we're going to talk you through exactly how to do it. This is our step-by-step guide to selling a car with a private plate. It is very important to follow these steps - missing out any of them might result in you losing your right to your private plates.

What are licence plates?

This might seem a bit obvious, but it's best to go over the basics to make sure we're all on the same page.

In the UK, we have been using the current licence plate form since 2001. This type of plate is made up of seven letters and numbers: the first two letters denote where the car was first registered, the two numbers inform the car's age, and the last three letters are random.

What are private plates?

Private plates, personalised plates or vanity plates, as they are also known as, are also used to identify specific cars. However, they use the numbers and letters to spell something meaningful to the driver and don't offer any information about the car itself.

While private plates are more 'free form' than typical licence plates, there are still some rules they have to follow, such as being easily legible (so no reflective surfaces) and of the correct font. On top of this, private plates must not be used to 'lie' about your car's age by pretending your private plate is a regular registration number. This means that, in order to get your ideal private plate, you may need to get a little creative.

How to sell a car with private plates

Private plates can hold a lot of sentimental value and can cost a lot of money at point of purchase; therefore, many drivers look to retain their private number plate when it comes the time to sell.

You can put your private plate on retention online or via post. It takes around 10 minutes if you apply online. Once you apply online and your application is successful, your plate is disassociated from your car.

Can I sell my car while waiting for number plate transfer?

You can't sell a car while waiting for a number plate transfer. In this case, you'll need to wait for your retention certificate (V778) and V5C to arrive via post from the DVLA. This can take up to six weeks. During this time, you won't be able to prove the ownership of the plates without this documentation.

What if I'm in a hurry to sell my car? If this is the case you'll want to get this admin done as quickly as possible. Also, before starting the retention process, it's best to check that your car is eligible for a plate transfer. There is a list of criteria outlined by gov.uk which includes things like:

• The vehicle must be registered in the UK with the DVLA.
• The vehicle must be in proper working order, i.e., can be driven on its own power.
• The vehicle must be the type of vehicle or HGV that requires an MOT test certificate to be driven.
• The vehicle must be readily available for inspection if contacted by the DVLA.
• For the last five years continuously, the vehicle must have been taxed or had a SORN in place.
• At present, the vehicle must have tax or a SORN in place (if the vehicle's SORN has been in place for more than five years, it must also be taxed and have an MOT in place).

How to put a private plate on retention when selling a car

Taking a private plate off a car and putting it in retention when selling it is relatively easy if all the above is in place. Here is how you do it:

• Go to gov.uk and complete the registration process which will officially 'retain' your licence number. Make sure you have your most up-to-date V5C (logbook), as you will need these details to complete the process.
• As part of this, private plate retention cost is an £80 fee.
• The government will then send you your V778 document (which can take up to six weeks to arrive) that proves you still have the right to use that licence number.

Once you have completed this, your car's original licence number will be automatically reassigned to it, you don't need to complete any further forms before reapplying the original licence plates to the car before selling it. It's also important to remember that, if your private plate is on retention, you'll need to renew your V778 document every 10 years.

How do I take my private plate off when I sell my car?

There are several different methods for attaching licence plates, including screws, pop rivets, tape, and more. We would recommend visiting your nearest Arnold Clark dealership, where one of our technicians will be happy to help you with removing or attaching a private plate. This is the easiest and safest way to ensure they are removed and attached correctly.

If you need to replace your physical number plate you will have to go through a registered supplier. We are officially recognised by the DVLA as a number plate supplier, so all of our number plates are road legal. You can order number plates from Arnold Clark Autoparts.

How to transfer private plates to another car

After selling a car, you may already have another one lined up for your private plate. If that is the case, you can apply to have it assigned to another vehicle at the same time as requesting to remove it.

• First, remove private plates from the first car with the steps above. If you do this online, you'll immediately be given an online reference for your V778 document. If you do this by post, you'll have to wait for your V778 document to arrive.
• Using your V778 document reference, you can now complete the registration on the Gov.uk website.
• This a free process! As soon as you've finished, your number will be immediately assigned to the new car, so you will need to add your private plates to the new car before you can legally drive your new car out and about.

Who to inform about a change of licence plates

Finally, once you've completed all retention admin and exchanged the licence plates that need changing, there are some organisations you must update about the change. Make sure to inform:

• Your insurance company
• Your auto-pay accounts, such as:
• Congestion charge payments.
• LEZ and ULEZ payments.
• Any Clean Air Zone payments.

What happens if I sell my car with a private plate?

The process for selling a car with private plates is exactly the same as if they were normal plates. Private plates are legal and identify individual cars, so there is no reason you can't sell your private plates along with the car.

This can be handy, as you'll save yourself some admin hassle by avoiding registering your plates and removing them and so on.

Not only that, but if you find the right private buyer, your personalised plates might boost the value of your car - though of course the opposite is true as well. On the other hand, if you decide to sell your car to a dealership like us, it won't affect the selling price at all.