If you’re looking for a unique way to express yourself and stand out from the crowd, then a DVLA number plate is a great option. It can be an excellent investment, but it’s important to know how to get the best one for your needs. Here are some tips on how to get the best available for you.
Research Your Options
The first step in getting the best DVLA number plate is to research your options. There are 4 different types of plates available, so it’s important to understand what each type offers and which one will work best for you. You should also consider your budget when researching plates, as some can be quite expensive.
The first thing you need to realise is that you cannot make your vehicle look newer than it is by putting a registration number on it that was released after the car was first registered.
Choose a Plate That Suits Your Style
Dateless plates were released up to 1963 and are not tied to any one particular year of release and so these can be assigned to any vehicle of any age. Dateless plates are a mix of up to 3 letters and up to 4 numbers, such as
Suffix plates were then released up to 1983 and took the 3 letters and up to three numbers and added an additional suffix letter at the end such as
Prefix plates then were released from 1983 up to 2001 and they simply moved the year identifier to the start and so you have plates such as
And finally since 2001, we’ve had the current style which uses a number in between 5 letters such as
Any number below 50 indicates a March release and above 50 is a September release (51 being Aug 2001, 02, being March 2002)
Generally, the older the plate, the more valuable it is because it can go onto a wider variety of vehicles – a 23 plate has to go onto a vehicle that was released after March 2023 only. Also the shorter the plate is, the more valuable it is. And finally if it reads a specific word or has a set meaning, this can also increase the value. These increased values usually also means it’s less likely to depreciate over time.
Once you’ve done your research, it’s time to search.
We have access to the 60+million numbers available from the DVLA unissued stock (primarily prefix and current style numbers) and also tens of thousands of numbers either owned by us, or owned by people or companies that have asked if we can sell their existing registration number on their behalf. Having this many numbers mean the best way is to search for the “up to three letters” combination and see what we have available – so if your name is Sarah Jessica Smith, you can search for SJS or SAR to find some options.
Once you’ve found the registration of your dreams, simply order it online and we handle the rest for you. Remember, we are at the end of a phone or an email if you have any questions.
With these tips in mind, you should now have all the information needed to get the best DVLA number plate for yourself or someone else!
