Like bumper stickers and fluffy dice, private number plates are becoming more and more sought after.
Question is: can you change the number plate on a lease car that doesn’t technically belong to you?
Turns out it is perfectly fine for you to add your own personalised number plate onto a lease vehicle. However, there are a few caveats involved, and the process can be slightly different with leasing when compared to other types of car finance or just buying outright.
What is a Private Registration Plate?
Sometimes called a personalised number plate or a ‘cherished number plate’, a private registration plate is one that’s uniquely designed and doesn’t follow the usual format. No mysteries there.
However, the legal significance of private registration plates is that, sort of like copyright or intellectual property, you’re buying the rights to use that particular combination of letters and numbers on a specific vehicle.
Think of it like a unique username on a website or a gaming server. Chances are that the exact username you want may already be taken, so it's a case of finding the closest match.
And similar to property in real estate, a private registration plate can sometimes be seen as an ‘asset’, because certain ones can be worth a hefty amount in cash, and the buying and selling of them for profit has becoming something of a big business in itself.
How Much Does a Private Number Plate Cost?
It varies depending on the specific combination of letters and numbers, but generally you’re looking at a price of between £50 and £100. Rare or highly sought-after ones can cost more.
Where Can I Get a Private Registration Plate?
You’ll usually have to visit a personalised number plate website like Click4reg (plus many other number plate dealers), or you could try an auction. The DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) also have their own website where there’s over 40 million unique number plates up for grabs.
Can I Get a Private Plate Made?
Certainly can.
It's a simple case of proving your identity (usually by providing a passport or a driving license) and the right to have the plate made. There’s just two main restrictions:
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You can’t assign one beginning with ‘Q’ or ‘NIQ’.
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You can’t use one that makes the car look newer than it is (for example, by putting a ‘17’ registration on a vehicle that was registered in 2016).
Fun fact: the UK’s most expensive private number plate (“25 O”) cost somebody a whopping £400,000 back in 2014!!!
Do I Need Permission from my Finance Company?
Unfortunately, yes.
In the case of leasing, only the registered keeper of the car has the authority to change the number plate, and since the finance company is the registered keeper, you’ll need to seek their permission first before you even think about buying a private number plate.
That’s less convenient than owning a car outright and having the power to do anything you want straight away, but given the other general benefits of leasing, we think it’s a pretty small price to pay.
Four Steps to Adding a Private Plate to your Lease Car
All things considered, the whole process can take up to six weeks. You’ll need to:
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Like we say, obtain permission from your leasing provider (who are the registered keepers of the vehicle), then add them as a nominee on your Certificate of Entitlement (V750), with the finance company named as the nominee or Grantee. This can be done online or by post.
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Send your provider the Certificate, along with a brief covering letter and an administration fee payable to the DVLA for the cost of assigning the number plate (this can vary from funder to funder, but the cost is usually around £35 plus VAT).
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Once they’ve received your documents, you'll be sent an acknowledgement of receival, after which they’ll then send the documents forward to the DVLA in order for them to process the transfer.
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The registration number will then be assigned to the vehicle by the DVLA who will send you the necessary documents via Special Delivery. It’s only at this point that you can fit the vehicle’s new number plate (be warned that doing so prior to this point is illegal).
Note that step 2 can differ if your number plate has previously been registered to another car, in which case you’ll need to fill out either a V317 or a V778 form instead of a V750.
What is a V750 Form?
The V750 Certificate of Entitlement is a pink A4 document used by the DVLA to prove who is the owner of a private or personalised number plate.
Does a Private Number Plate Increase Insurance?
Generally not, no.
However, for some insurers, a personalised registration plate may be seen as a ‘car modification’, in which case your premiums will be negatively affected.
In other cases, it could actually lead to cheaper premiums due to the fact that a unique registration plate actually makes a car easier for the police to locate, thereby deterring potential thieves. And of course, less chance of theft means less risk in the eyes of insurers.
Private Number Plate Pros and Cons
Pros
Unique and distinctive: Helps make your car stand out from the crowd. No surprises there.
Personal or business branding: Could serve as a form of cheap advertising and marketing (perhaps as a bonus to complement any decals and sign writing on the body of the vehicle). Assuming you’re able to find a number plate that matches your company name, of course.
Deter criminals: The bad guys of the world are less likely to want to nick easily-recognisable vehicles with features like personal number plates. That’s because it increases their likelihood of being noticed and caught.
Cons
Expensive: Number plates relating to first names are typically in high demand, so the chances of finding one on the cheap can be relatively slim as they’re few and far between.
Easily recognisable: A private number plate may help deter thieves due to being more recognisable, but it may also attract extra attention out on the roads, which could be a bad thing. For example, police might be more likely to take you for a boy racer.
Traffic stops: Related to the previous point. Depending on the country that you’re driving in, strict traffic laws could lead to the police or other authorities stopping you in order to carry out additional plate checks.
What Happens When My Lease Contract Ends?
Long story short, you’ll have to remove the private number plate from the vehicle. This should be done at least six weeks prior to the end of your lease contract. Once again, you must arrange this directly with the finance provider.
Even if you don’t want to keep the plate for future use, it’s likely that the finance company will refuse to collect your vehicle until the plate has been removed. So you’ll need to de-register it from your car, and there’s a few steps you need to follow in order to do that. The following documents must be sent in the post directly to your finance provider:
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A cheque for £105 made payable to the DVLA.
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A covering letter confirming the nominee details (usually the keeper of the new vehicle on order).
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An administration fee (again, this can vary from funder to funder, but it’s usually in the region of £35 plus VAT).
Transferring a Number Plate from One Vehicle to Another Vehicle
If you want to hold onto your private number plate for future use, you can either have it transferred to another vehicle or the DVLA can put it onto a V778 Retention Document which you can then use at a later date. It’s important to keep hold of this as it identifies you as the registered keeper of the plate, making it easier to put on your next car.
In both of the above scenarios, there will be a fee of £80 payable to the DVLA in order for them to carry out the transfer.
Summary
So, now you know the steps to take for buying and putting your very own personal number plate onto your lease car. There can be a myth at times that you’re not allowed to change anything once you’re behind the wheel of a lease car, and that’s not entirely true.
Yes, while you won’t have as much freedom than if you owned the car outright, there’s still a lot that you can do to add your own personal touch, which can be much-needed.
As always, happy leasing!
FAQs
Do you have to own the car to put a private plate on?
No, although you will have to jump through a few administrative hoops.
How long does it take to transfer a private number plate online?
If you choose to complete the process by post, you'll probably have to wait for between two and five weeks for the transfer to go through.
How long does it take to transfer a private number plate online?
On average, it takes around 3 to 5 weeks.