Originally, personalised number plates were viewed as something incredibly exclusive and luxurious – and a little on the decadent side. The automatic assumption was, that if someone had a private plate – they were wealthy. The reason for the association was that they could be incredibly expensive to purchase when they first came on the scene, particularly if you were going for a personalised plate that was especially unique. In recent years, they have become much more accessible, and it’s becoming a growing trend for people to put their own unique stamp on their vehicle with a private number plate. These are easy enough to buy from places like myreg.com.
Prices of private registration plates can still vary and go up to 6 figure sums depending on the requirements – however there are so many options available now that you can find some great ideas without having to spend a ridiculous amount. Although they are more readily available across the UK, the demand for private number plates is just as high as it ever was before.
In this article, we will discuss the main benefits of this particular product and things to look out for if you are purchasing a car that features one.
Be Unique
Personalised registration plates allow you to stand out from the crowd and be a little different. For those of you who value your car and think of it as an extension of you, this is important. The quality of vehicles in general has never been higher, which means without some special features such as a personal plate – there’s nothing that differentiates your car from any other. It can be a lot classier than some of the other add-ons, and sometimes not as expensive. DVLA Registrations are not that expensive anymore. Even when you have fallen in love with a unique combination over your budget with a one-time payment, you can check for the financial opportunities out there. Also, don’t miss the chance to contact a dedicated professional team to help you if you are still in doubt.
Be Creative
We all have a bit of creative flair, and personalised car registrations are perfect for displaying that. It provides you with a complete blank canvas that offers lots of different possibilities. Don’t get deterred if one of your choices has already been claimed – there’s literally tens of millions of options for you in terms of the combinations. This means that you can use your creativity to put together unique options for names, places, abbreviations – or essentially whatever you would like. Sites such as British Car Registrations even have a section on their site that will give you ideas for your creation that will help you on your way.
It will be One of a Kind
One of the main benefits of this is that your product can literally never be repeated. There can only be one private registration in circulation at any given time, so it’s not like someone can steal your idea. Once you have secured it, it is all yours. We all like to feel a little bit special, which is exactly what you will feel with something truly unique.
Appreciation of Value
In terms of investment – your private car registration plate could go up in value. It isn’t unusual for people to purchase ones that are relatively cheap in the knowledge that they will be worth more money at a later date. In fact, in some cases, they could be worth a small fortune more than what you pay for them as shown in this article. It isn’t something that’s naturally guaranteed. Just like with any investment purchase – you would need to do a bit of research in terms of combinations etc, but as well as a collectors-item, it could be a good investment opportunity.
Hide your Cars Age
When you have a standard registration plate – it makes it incredibly easy to deduct how old your car is, having a private one makes this pretty much impossible. This means if you have a fairly old car but have taken good care of it and it is in immaculate condition– you could make it look younger with a private plate. You could even convince people that your car was made that very year. It could also be a good benefit for those of you who have a classic car. With the right number plate, you could make the car look older than what it is – adding a bit of character. This is probably the best tool there is for hiding your car’s age.
A Better Price on Resale
For those of you who think they may sell their car on (use the advice on Money Advice Service before you do anything), this is one of the most important ones. If you have a private registration plate, you are pretty much guaranteed to have a car that will have a higher sale price when you put it out to market. It may be that you don’t want to sell the car complete with the registration plate, but this could still result in a higher value car. If it is featured as part of pictures in advertisements – it will give prospective buyers the idea that it is exclusive.
Things to Look out for When Purchasing a Car with a Private Registration
Talking about resale, if you are looking to purchase or lease a car that has a personalised license plate, although it may have all of the above benefits, there are a few things that you should look out for.
The Dealer is Hiding the Cars Identity
As well as disguising the age of a car, personalised plates can also do a good job of hiding the identity which can cause issues if you don’t do the appropriate check. For example, a rogue dealer could try to use a private plate on cloned cars (this is what happens when dealers try to hide the fact that a car has been stolen). We aren’t of course saying that this is the norm, but that it is something you should be aware of.
You can do things like history checks that will cross-reference the Vehicle Registration Mark or the Vehicle Identification Number. This will let you know if there are any discrepancies at all, or if everything is as it should be.
Vehicle checks tend to be good practice anyway. They will almost always let you know if the car has been recorded as stolen by the Police, if it still has some money owed on it – or if it is written off. By doing these checks you are reducing the risk of picking up a car that has a number plate that could end up causing you problems.
As you can see there are lots of benefits to you having a car complete with your own personalised number plate. Although it may be a little on the decadent side, it will make your vehicle different from anybody else’s, and there aren’t many other car features that can offer the same. Don’t worry about spending a fortune, with all of the combinations on offer – you will be able to find something that fits in with your budget. If you are looking to purchase or lease a new car that already has this – make sure you do the appropriate checks so that you don’t get caught out.