Do Private Number Plates Affect Insurance?

Once you have bought and assigned your cherished number plate, there are some areas which you need to be careful in, as your insurance may be compromised. Not many people know about this, as it can sneak up on you pretty easily.

It’s a pretty good question. And it’s one which not many people actually think about when they purchase a private registration. As the excitement of putting their prize possession on their vehicle can get the better of them! However, the plate could be in danger when it comes to stolen or written-off vehicles.

Once you have purchased your private number plate, it is crucial that you tell your insurance provider that you have assigned it to your vehicle. Otherwise consequences could come in hard and fast. Let’s have a look at what can happen if you don’t….

Insurance… affected?

The Sun stated that “GoCompare revealed that out of 302 comprehensive car insurance policies, just 19 specifically cover loss of a personalised plate”.

However, in the case of the car being written off, the insurer will own the car and the number plate registered with it! This means that in the unfortunate event you write off your motor, you will find that buying the registration back off of your insurer is the only choice – at a settled or negotiable price.

If the insurance company discarded the car  (i.e. scrapped), then retrieving the plate means finding the car! 

Remember that even if you own the registration, it belongs to the assigned vehicle, not yourself.

So, Is my number plate at risk?

If your insurance provider isn’t informed, there is a chance that when the car is written off, the number plate will disappear along with it! It is up to you to track down the vehicle and retrieve the plate off of it (as we have discussed above).

Somebody stole my car – can I get my private registration back?

If somebody steals your vehicle with your private registration on it, unfortunately the car is the registrations ‘owner’, not you. This means you will have to contact the DVLA and explain. You could be waiting up to 12 months before you are able to retrieve the registration itself. It can be a long process.

Your insurance will also have to contact the DVLA to notify them of the theft, and that you want to keep the registration number. Either you or they will have to prove to the Vehicle Agency that the car had a valid MOT and tax in order to be allowed the registration back. 

Once you receive your registration back, it’s quite simply a case of assigning it to another vehicle. If you have one that is. If not then you will have to put the registration on a retention, paying a fee. The DVLA website offer this service!

 

A very difficult situation. If you do find yourself purchasing a private registration, then please inform your insurance company. This is so that they can help you and do the utmost to protect the registration itself. Otherwise, as we have mentioned, consequences can be big.

Apart from notifying your insurance provider, it’s best to take all precautions to avoid any of the above happening. I,e, theft, crashes which result in -written off’ vehicle. 

If you have any further questions regarding the safety of your vehicle, or registration please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected] and one of our friendly customer service representatives will be happy to answer any questions you may have.