Personal Registration And Change Of Cars

[Truthseeker]

If you are thinking of changing your current car for a new one, and you have not changed cars in the last year or so, you may not be aware of the changes at DVLA, concerning personal plate transfers.

It can now take the dealer 4-6 weeks to arrange the transfer of a personal plate to a new car, which is most frustrating.

My advise is to just put your current personal registration on a retention certificate (£105 instead of £80 transfer fee), then take delivery of your new or used car on it's new/current number, and transfer yourself when relevant paperwork issued. Most dealers are happy with this arrangement, as saves them the trouble and they get your money quicker.

Nothing more frustrating than deciding on a new car and have it sitting at the dealers for a month or so waiting for DVLA. Could also affect p/ex price as well, as the dealer may well value the trade on next month's guide price, knowing there will be a delay.

Apologies to those in the know, but have read other threads where delivery is held up because of this.

[Heidfirst]

I thought that they had got this back under control now (i.e. ~2 weeks)?

It takes about 2 weeks to put your existing reg. on retention/issue a replacement reg. & V5 for old car (at least it did in November 13) & then it would take the same again to issue a new V5 for new car with personal reg. replacing the original.

& of course your insurance company may make a charge each time for changing the details of your policy (probably ~£25x2).

[Truthseeker]

If you are lucky it can go through in 2 weeks, but that can go to 6 weeks at new registration plate change (March/September). The following quote is from a main dealer in response to my above post on another forum -

"Just a quicker pointer on the plate change Truthseeker. If the reg is on retention it can go straight on to the new car (as long as the keeper has a retention certificate), if however the plate is currently on a vehicle this is where it will take up to 6 weeks and yes it is easier for the customer to take the car on the current plate and await the transfer to go through.

Why they ever dropped the local offices is beyond me, a plate change then was all of about 10 days, now 6 weeks, 6 !Removed! weeks "

[Heidfirst]

They dropped the local offices for cost- saving.

I used to just go to the Glasgow office - plate change in a couple of hours (mostly waiting time in the queue).

[FROSTYBALLS]

Reasons for closure were reducing costs and moving more of DVLA's business on-line. We already know of the changes to the car tax system from October of this year (no tax disc, motor dealers no longer paying an indemnity to DVLA to ensure secure storage of tax discs, wider role for Post Offices, etc). Personalised registrations will be going on-line, probably by sometime in 2016 - the present system is interim until then.

[Truthseeker]

That will make life so much easier.

[Truthseeker]

They dropped the local offices for cost- saving.

I used to just go to the Glasgow office - plate change in a couple of hours (mostly waiting time in the queue).

I remember these times fondly.

Queuing up in a grubby DVLA office.

You hope and prayed that you was not behind a dealer with a wad of new registration/tax applications to deal with for the new registration letter.

[Truthseeker]

Reasons for closure were reducing costs and moving more of DVLA's business on-line. We already know of the changes to the car tax system from October of this year (no tax disc, motor dealers no longer paying an indemnity to DVLA to ensure secure storage of tax discs, wider role for Post Offices, etc). Personalised registrations will be going on-line, probably by sometime in 2016 - the present system is interim until then.

That will make life so much easier.

[Unklian]

Or......
Simply change your name by deed poll to match your car registration.

Much cheaper.

Yours Faithfully.

Mr. V997 SWT
Sheffield.