Removing personalised number plate

[JohnW2]

I have actually done it but you seem intent on ignoring people with experience. As usual

As I asked, how can I be 'ignoring' things that I haven't seen?

If you have 'actually done it', perhaps you could tell me what you did ....
.... - in particular, whether you carried on driving immediately after you had requested retention of the private plate, how long it was before DVLA informed you of the new plate number they had assigned, when did you physically change the plate, when did you inform your insurer and, probably most important, whether you believe that you acted legally by driving the car on public roads before the plates were changed?

 

[robinbanks]

I do sometimes wonder how (if) you actually ever get anything done, John

Never have I known someone drive a conversation in such circles, exploring every inanity

I don’t particularly mind what you do to resolve this latest first world problem you’ve fallen into, but I don’t think your “I never bothered to contact the DVLA your worship, as I wanted ignorance to be my defence” will wash, if you find yourself in court

I might have added ... if it were the fourth vehicle of your "MS" person, they could have started the plate with "MS4" (rather than "MS04"), thereby invoking no implications about the age of the vehicle.

No, because we haven’t got there yet. The first MS4… registered vehicle will be in early 2040. Absent them being able to procure a very old reg there isn’t any modern available pattern that matches your suggestion

I know a couple, Julian and Helen, who drive a 2018 Tiguan with JO04HEL as a number plate; they regard “Joo for Hel” as a declaration of affection for each other, another valid reason for having 4 in that position on a plate.

Having a plate 14 years older than their car doesn’t seem to offend their sense of vanity either..

 

[JohnW2]

I do sometimes wonder how (if) you actually ever get anything done, John .... Never have I known someone drive a conversation in such circles, exploring every inanity

That may well be true of some of my writings, but I really don't think it is a fair accusation in this case. In my OP, I asked two simple questions ...

"Does this really mean that there is a 4-6 [week] period during which one theoretically cannot drive the car legally, because the 'previous' plate is 'invalid' and the new one not yet available?"​

".... and ..."​

"Furthermore, if one does use the car during that period, when should one inform one's insurer in order to ensure that the vehicle remains covered?"​

The first of those questions is easily the most important one, and no-one has yet attempted to answer it, and no-one has really given a usefull answer to the second one.

I don’t particularly mind what you do to resolve this latest first world problem you’ve fallen into ...

... I've told you what I (personally) will 'do'- either 'nothing' (i.e. keep the private plate) or else apply common sense and carry on driving the car immediately after requesting retention of the private plate.

.... but I don’t think your “I never bothered to contact the DVLA your worship, as I wanted ignorance to be my defence” will wash, if you find yourself in court

It certainly wouldn't 'wash' if I worded it like that! However, it might stand a much better chance of 'washing if it were along the lines of "... like countless people before me, I applied commen sense and assumed that I was allowed to carry on using my car after requesting retention of the private plate (whilst that plate was still being displayed) until such a time as DVLA provided me with the means of replacing the plate"

No, because we haven’t got there yet. The first MS4… registered vehicle will be in early 2040.

I wrote "MS4", not "MS4...". There will never be a plate in the current series with the first part of (just) "MS4" ... come 2040, the first one will be MS40, followed by MS45, MS41, MS46 etc. etc.

I know a couple, Julian and Helen, who drive a 2018 Tiguan with JO04HEL as a number plate; they regard “Joo for Hel” as a declaration of affection for each other, another valid reason for having 4 in that position on a plate. ... Having a plate 14 years older than their car doesn’t seem to offend their sense of vanity either..

Fair enough. I'd overlooked the possibility that the 4 could be taken to phonetically represent "for" and for the zero to phonetically represent an "O"-sound - so, yes, I suppose that the plate currently sitting on my car could have, to someone, represented "Smo for XYZ", where "Smo" was some or of 'pet name'/whatever and XYZ was someone's initials/whatever (it is an essentially unpronounceable group of three consonants, so unlikely to be representing 'a word').

However, as I've written, that's all just about curiosity, and nothing to do with my questions - the private plate which I have is the private plate which I have, regardless of how it came about.

 

[JohnW2]

Check on the dvla database whether the car is taxed and mot¡d - that should tell you if everything is legal and above board.

Sorry, I somehow missed this one!

Needless to say, on the basis of the current private plate, the databases show that the vehicle is taxed, MOTd and insured.

What I do not know (and cannot know without trying, unless some 'experienced' person tells me!) is what the situation will be immediately after I request removal/retention of the private plate. However, since the DVLA seem to be saying that the changes are 'immediate', I would imagine that, very soon after my request, their database would show the car to be untaxed (and maybe not MOT'd, depending upon whether it looked at VINs) ... and may well show some new plate (which I would not necessarily know) to be taxed (and possibly MOTd).

If that's the case then I imagine that (unless their system is 'more clever' than I suspect ) an ANPR camera would pick up my car as being untaxed (and maybe without an MOT) - with the attended hassle that could result in - until the plates could be, and were, replaced?

Unless there is a lot more 'cleverness' in these systems than I suspect, I imagine that the insurer will continue assuming that the car I have insured bears the private plates unless/until I tell them otherwise?

 

[Mottie]

That may well be true of some of my writings, but I really don't think it is a fair accusation in this case. In my OP, I asked two simple questions ...

"Does this really mean that there is a 4-6 [week] period during which one theoretically cannot drive the car legally, because the 'previous' plate is 'invalid' and the new one not yet available?"

You should be asking the DVLA, not random people on the internet if you want the correct legal answer to this.

"Furthermore, if one does use the car during that period, when should one inform one's insurer in order to ensure that the vehicle remains covered?"

You should be asking your insurance company, not random people on the internet if you want the correct legal answer to this.

That’s it, I’m done on this thread.

 

[JohnW2]

You should be asking the DVLA, not random people on the internet if you want the correct legal answer to this.

I very probably will ask them, but only IF I decide to keep the private plate for the duration of my ownership OR if I effect the change and have changed the physical plates - but, for reasons I have given I would not ask them whilst there was a possibility that I might want to change the plate in the future.

You should be asking your insurance company, not random people on the internet if you want the correct legal answer to this.

I have already asked them to confirm (but have not yet had a response) that, if I request removal of the private plate, my insurance cover will remain valid whilst the car is still displaying the private plate, until such a time as the DVLA enabales me to physically change the plates. If I did that, I obviously would tell them, once the plates had been physically changed.

 

[Old Salt]

I have done it.
I have told you how to do it.
I dont often agree with mottie but he is right you are rude and intent on dragging this out.
I am done.

 

[JohnW2]

I dont often agree with mottie but he is right you are rude and intent on dragging this out.

With the best will in the world, and with all respect, I really can't see anything I've written in this thread which is remotely 'rude' - and I might add that some other contributors have probably not been quite as 'courteous' than they could have been. Anyway ...

I have done it. I have told you how to do it.

You wrote ...

As far as I am aware the V5 with personal plate will have your address on as the new owner. Once that arrives you can go online and “remove” the personal plate and get sent a new V5. When that arrives you get your plates made then go online and “changeover” the registration.

Indeed, as I wrote in my initial post. However, according to the DVLA, although the 'removal' (of the personal plate) occurs 'immediately' when one makes the online application, that "when it arrives" (with the newly-assigned plate number) may not be until 4-6 weeks later - and, until that new V5C arrives one will not usually even know what the newly-assigned number will be, quite apart from the fact that one theoretically cannot have new plates made up legally in the UK without having the V5C bearing that number. However, DVLC also say ..

• Before you can drive your vehicle, you must:
  ... put the original or new number plates on the vehicle before you drive it

I'm not sure what people here are doing - are you all perhaps trying to use 'common sense' to over-ride what DVLC have actually written? If so, it is surely the case that attempts to 'over-ride with common sense' do not necessarily work in terms of the law, isn't it?