Personal number plates are a special type of number plates issued for the Driver by Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in the UK. There are certain types of number and letter combination in a number plate that match certain names or characteristics. 

These types of combinationation are pretty rare and heavily desired among the automobile owners. They usually go for the ones that match their name or a family member's name or to commemorate something special in their life. In this article we will talk about the procedures of procuring one such number plate and what it could mean for your car insurance.

Where might you get a personal number plate

A personal number plate can be bought from anyone who owns it and wishes to sell it. Usually people get their serials at random from the DVLA. Later on, they can swap among themselves to get the desired numbers.

DVLA also has a method of selling such rare number plates. It's a major source of revenue for them. These are sold on their website at a fixed price. Some are sold through special auctions.

There are various companies out there who specialize in finding out personalized number plates, you can contact these companies for these number plates too. A simple number plate search could provide you with your desired number plate. Sometimes these companies hold auctions too, so keep an eye out for those.

Criterions

Having a desired personal number plate may mean a lot to an automobile owner. But before buying personalized number plates, one should check if they meet at least one of these two criterions-

• V750 certificate of entitlement, or

• V778 certification of retention

If  you have one of these two, then you can have your own personalized number plates. You can check out the procedure of filling a V750 certificate online if you find it difficult. 

How to register your personal number plates

Registering number plates was a hassle once. But at present it is a thing of the past.. Now you can register your number plates using two methods.

First one is the digital method. Now the whole registering process can be done online. Once you have your V750 certificate of entitlement or V778 certificate of retention for your new registration, transfer it online at the personalized vehicle registration  service website. After that you will need to upload VC5 or the logbook of the car on the site. The online service is very swift and smooth. Your transfer will be done instantly. So, you can keep your license plate ready or at hand.

The second method is pretty analogue. You can send the physical copies of the VC5 log book or one of the certificates via the post office. This process is very lengthy. It could take from a few days upto  weeks.In that case online methods are way more convenient . It's hassle free and you get to use the number of your desire instantly.

How it could affect your car insurance policy

The possibilities here are diverse.

First of all, any car number plate modification can increase the cost of your insurance policy. As the item may become more attractive to thieves and vandals. But here's the confusion. Will it be considered a mod or more attractive, if someone gets a new, personal number plate?

There are opinions on both sides of the fence. If someone gets a personal name based number plate, it may not hold any significance to a thief. Sometimes some word combination is desired by many and cars with those number plates may look lucrative and increase the value. It could be either.

Then again, you could argue that having a personal number plate increases the chance of finding the car , more than before in case of theft.. Because now it's easily traceable and retrievable. 

So, as it was stated above, there are arguments on both sides. The best idea is to contact  your insurance company and ask for the details. They can provide you with all the  information regarding number plate change. But if you want to haggle, you can raise the points mentioned above and negotiate for a better price if needed. 

Why you should always inform you insurance company about changing number plates

Whether you get a better price or not, you need to inform your insurance company for any change you make on your number plates. It's very important you do this.

When your car gets stolen and you report it  to the insurance company, they gain ownership of the car. They are responsible for it hereafter and search for the car with their resource. If you don't give the license number beforehand, it becomes a  complicated process for the insurance company to handle the search of the car. 

Not just that, if this information has not been provided earlier, complications may arise regarding your favorite number plate as well. If they are informed beforehand, they will try to find the number plate for you and help you use it on another car. They  will also inform the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency that they have no interest in the number plate. Hence, clearing it for your name. 

One more thing about a personal number plate is the tax for the time period when the car was stolen. The procedure is somewhat different from the normal number plates. In case of normal number plates, you get an automatic refund. But in case of a personal number plate you will have to apply to DVLA for a tax refund.

How your insurance company will react to you changing the number plate, depends on each company. So before spending a bunch on personal number plates, it is recommended that you contact your insurance company first.