Number Plates

paddy6789

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Aug 31, 2016
1,627
1,079
Preston, Lancs
I used newreg to buy my personal plate a year or so ago and then more recently, demon plates for 3D carbon gel plates of my personal reg :)

I've seen a few posts where the general consensus is that DVLA direct are cheaper and easier for new registrations.
 
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gurpz94

Active Member
Feb 12, 2019
167
72
I've used both Regtransfers and Plates4less, both companies are very good. However, now that the DVLA part can be done online, don't pay the extra for their "hand delivered" service. Put that £30 or so towards your number plates or other mods.

After purchasing the personalised reg, if you're after more "custom" number plates to be made up, I use full house customs. About £40 or £45 posted for a pair of liquid resin plates (yes they're legal) with the business number in the bottom corner and everything like that.

P.S - I found Plates4less to have the best search tool, it found some plates that other sites weren't coming up with
 

Husbandofstinky

Out from the Wilderness
Nov 8, 2007
1,515
12
Temperate Regions
My advice to anyone on number plates is to try and buy direct at the DVLA cherised plate auctions if you are going to spend proper money on a plate (dateless etc). Go through the hammer price history of those initials required (if possible) and set your reserve at the bottom end of those hammer prices. Don't forget to add a third on top (Vat plus commission).

I have bought a number of plates over the years and did use to sell them on via Reg Transfers and make a bit of money. Even with their massive commission, I did make a few bob. After a couple of buys that went sour (a lot of messing around with the punters), I jacked it in and kept the remaining six plates. Three on cars, two on bikes and one on retention.

That is what the trade does (DVLA auctions) and as long as you don't bid against another punter or get emotional with the process, you should end up quids in with a plate significantly cheaper than had you bought it through the usual sites. I often saw the same plate in a sale and then straight up on the RT site a week later.

Over the course of about three or four years, I was buying plates at £2800 or so (reserve) - £3600 total and then putting them on RT for about £7k. With a bit of haggling on the asking price plus their commission, I was coming out on average with about £1500 on top.

I only ever had six or so plates at any one time as obviously, it is quite a bit of money tied up.

Investment wise this was a great decision as I was buying just after the 2008 recession. The 'two and two' plates I have now would go on to RT for about £12k each. With fees and haggling, you would probably lose about £3k of that. You can, of course, stick to your SP but RT are like estate agents and will do anything for the sale.

Hopefully, this is of help to others but research hammer price history, put in your online bid and forget about it is my only advice on these. Ball park, strike rate was only about 1 in 15 bids.

Finally, I know all plates a different but if the last one was say 44 AB, you can almost put money on the next auction that 45 AB will come up. Options may be getting more limited now, but this is a good way for the government to make money so they will continue to add all different permutations and continue to milk that cash cow.
 
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