Private Number Plate - What happens to your original car number plate?

Posted 28th Feb 2023

Had a private car number plate recently bought for me and a transfer certificate.
Just wondering what happens to my old reg number? Do I keep this and then if I sell my current car I can transfer my private reg to the new car and then put the old one back on the original car it came from? Can I sell the original number plate but if I did that what would happen when I eventually buy a new car and want to keep my private plate?

Hope that makes sense?

Thanks

13 Comments

sorted by

CalmerChameleon
28th Feb
The original gets stored away in the DVLA databanks and when you transfer the private plate off to the new car, the old car will revert back to it's original registration number. (edited)
oddsandmods
28th Feb
Answered a question I had in my mind thanks. So if you haven't got another car to move the private plate onto what happens then? Also what fee's are required??
steevieboy4u Author
28th Feb
Cheers all.
The transfer fee thing has been paid and I've got a certificate number I need to enter online to swap my plate over.
So just to clarify do I then need to pay this retention fee as well so my original plate can still be used if I decide to sell my current car?
CalmerChameleon
28th Feb
You need to pay a retention fee for every time you take it off a car to transfer. (edited)
wpj
28th Feb
I was amazed how easy the change is now; it was done online within 10 minutes.
I had retained the old plates and the same number was just transferred back. 10 years ago it was going to a local office with the documents and waiting about 6 weeks for the transfer. The new documents also arrived within about a week.
jnrcocobean
28th Feb
I have a private number plate, cost £80 to change it to another car or to retain it, if taking off a car.