You’re about to buy a new car. Dozens of decisions are made. You spend weeks deliberating over whether to go with a metallic blue or pearl white. You spend hours looking at trims and whether the panoramic sunroof is worth the extra fee. Then comes the interior, do you want leather or fabric? Black or grey? A navigation package or not?
But more often than not, someone spends three months configuring their ideal dream car, putting in all the details and then completely forgetting about what’s going to get bolted to the front and back. The registration comes as the random letters and numbers issued by the DVLA that day.
It’s strange if you think about it. You’re going to see the paint color when you walk up to the car, or wash it on a Sunday. Yet you’re going to see the registration every single time someone looks at your car, parked or driving by. It’s one of the most prominent things about it, and yet it’s treated as an afterthought.
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When are You Ever Asked About Your Number Plate?
Most buyers never get an opportunity to truly think about their number plate until they’re in the dealership, finalizing paperwork, suddenly reminded that their lovingly configured vehicle is about to be given the registration GF24 XYZ. It’s nothing personal. It’s nothing particularly memorable. It’s just a thing that could belong to anyone.
By this point, however, it feels like a lost cause. The registration is happening imminently, there’s no time to properly look, and it’s quickly put aside as “something to deal with later,” which ultimately means later comes in a few months or years, if at all.
Who Needs Registration Anyway?
The thing is – but they’ve had plenty of time to consider their private plate before, and they didn’t even know it. The wait time between ordering a car and having one delivered is usually a matter of months in itself. New cars take time anywhere from a few weeks to several months to arrive. That’s plenty of time to explore options without any pressure.
When buyers do their research for Private Number Plates in between ordering their vehicle and delivery, they have time to really consider something that works for them. Whether their initials are available, a memorable date or something connected to the car itself, there’s an opportunity to get it right as opposed to getting it done.
But there’s perfect timing because the plate can be ready for immediate application upon delivery and there’s no awkward waiting period to transfer from standard registration after driving with it for a while. It’s custom from day one.
What Goes into Choosing a Registration?
There aren’t seven options for paint that need to be selected from; there are actual decisions to be made, and they should be thoughtfully considered.
Some people want a plate with their initials. It’s fast and easy and makes sense it’s their car. Others want something connected to the car itself, some reference to the model or some sense of what it represents, and then there are plates connected with meaningful dates or significant numbers.
There’s also the format, older registrations have a different look than current offerings. Some work better on some cars than others. A classic registration can give a new car an interesting character, while a newer looking style can provide cleaner and more modern sensibility.
Cost is obviously a factor; some plates are surprisingly cheap, talking in hundreds of quid, not thousands, and others, mainly older style sought-after numbers, are significantly more expensive; there’s a much wider range than people expect.
Why You Should Choose Your Registration Early
Some practical considerations come into play about registration as well; they don’t depreciate in value as cars do, in fact, many appreciate, while the car loses value immediately when it rolls off the forecourt, the registration could potentially be worth the same amount or more years down the line.
Insurance is another consideration; many people believe that insurance goes up with private plates but that’s not the case; private plates typically don’t matter, insurers care about how much value is in the car itself, who is driving it, etc, but not whether Jack’s Car spells JACK across its plate; it’s good to mention during quoting however it hardly matters.
They weren’t always easy to transfer, but now with DVLA systems all online, plates can be purchased and quickly applied within days of buying a new car – in fact, it’s often quicker than expected so having something pre-emptively done before delivering works wonders.
What About When Standard Registrations Make Sense?
Not everyone needs or wants private plates. Fair enough, some people enjoy anonymity while others simply don’t care and their prerogative’s been established.
However, it’s not fair that a decision essentially gets made for someone when it’s an opportunity to make use of one of the few aesthetic modifications able to be applied to a new car without voiding warranties or affecting performance, and instead it’s treated as fixed when it’s actually one of the simplest changes possible.
When’s The Optimal Time to Make a Change?
It’s about timing, the sweet spot aligns when ordering the new vehicle; not necessarily beforehand, not unless someone wants their private plate to completely differ from what they’re registering, but once it’s all confirmed and they’re awaiting arrival, that’s when it’s an appropriate time to mention it.
It avoids last minute scramble and also avoids the issue of asking too soon and having no choice but to sit on it; instead, all parties should be able to time it right so at delivery it looks complete from day one.
Some dealerships will help facilitate the process if they’ve got relationships with number plate providers; others will leave it completely up to buyers. Either way, it’s important to bring it up early instead of closer to Collection Day when tensions are high and other paperwork is looming.
It’s All the Details That Count
When someone looks back on their experience buying a new vehicle, they’ll remember getting every detail right. That includes registration, not its own administrative snafu that’ll get dealt with down the road.
One of the most visible aspects will be the number plate on that car for as long as they own it. It’ll appear in photos taken beside and around it; it’ll be how someone identifies where they parked; it’ll go down as part of the identity, for no reason whatsoever? At least treat it like it deserves as much consideration as color, wheels or interior spec.
Someone will gladly spend extra money on upgraded alloys or better sound systems. Why not get a registration that actually means something for at least as much consideration? Those alloys could get kerbed in a month. The registration stays.