Glossary

Acrylic Numer Plates: These are the physical plastic plates you attach to your vehicle.

Autonumerology: The study of number plates.

Age Identifier: Current style number plates display two numbers (age identifiers) that let us know when they were issued.

Assignment: The process of transferring a number plate on to your car.

Assignment Fee: When a number plate is taken of a car, or assigned to a new one, the DVLA charge an assignment fee of £80.00.

Certificate of Entitlement: The Certificate of Entitlement, either a document numbered V750 or V778 which entitles the owner the right to display the registration.

Current Style: The current style of registration was introduced on the 1st of September 2001.
Each current style registration consists of seven characters. The first two letters are called “local memory tags” and represent the area code of the local registration office. The letters “I”, Q” “Z” are not used as local office identifiers. The two numbers that follow are the age identifiers and change twice a year, once in March, and again in September. The last three letters are completely random and are the vehicles’ unique identification. It is possible to have a “Z” in the random 3 letter combination, however, “I” and “Q” are not. It has been estimated that the current style of registration will run out of combinations in 2050.

COA: Please see the ‘Certificate of Entitlement’.

Cherished Transfer: The process of transferring a number plate from one vehicle to the other.

CNDA: Cherished Numbers Dealers Association

Dateless: Dateless registrations were the first to be established all the way back in 1903.
A dateless registration is one that doesn’t contain any age or year identifiers and can be
transferred to any vehicle, regardless of age.

DOT: Department Of Transport

DOT fee: The Department Of Transport fee to retain or transfer a number plate.

Donor Vehicle: When assigning or transferring a number plate to a car, the car that is is being transferred to is known as the ‘donor vehicle’.

DVLC: Driver & Vehicle Licensing Centre

DVLA: Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency is the governing body that handles all registrations of vehicles, motorists and personalised registrations.

DVLANI: Norther Irelands equivalent to the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency.

DVLA Registrations: Previously unissued personalised registrations made open to the public for purchase directly by the DVLA.

Entitlement: When you purchase a number plate, you are effectively purchasing the entitlement to display it on your vehicle. All number plates belong to the secretary of state.

Grantee: The Grantee, which can be found on V778 documents, is the person with the right to assign and transfer the number plate.

Log Book: Also known as the V5. This is the vehicles registration document.

MOT:/ Ministry of Transport certificate issued annually to confirm the cars roadworthiness.

Nominee: The nominee does not have any rights to the registration but may display it on a vehicle registered to their name.

Northern Irish: These are great value registrations and can be assigned to any UK vehicle regardless of age. Northern Irish registrations will always contain the letters “I” or “Z”. Northern Ireland continues to use the national system initiated for the whole of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1903. Two-letter County and city codes either commenced or are followed by the letters “I” or “Z” representing Ireland. As in Great Britain, each code originally ran from 1 to 9999 until combinations ran out in 1957 and the sequence was reversed.

Phonetics Alphabet: Where words commencing with the same letter and are used in place of an alphabet sound to describe a letter. We will use these over the telephone when reading out a registration number so as to avoid any misunderstandings.

Prefix: Prefix registrations are our most popular sellers. By 1982, the year suffixes had reached Y and so from 1983 onwards the sequence was reversed again, so that the year letter, starting again at “A”, preceded the numbers then the letters of the registration. The letters “I”, “Q” and “Z” were never issued.

Price Plates: The coolest online private plate marketplace.. obviously.

Number Plate/Private Plate/Private Reg/Cherished Registration: Refers to the personalised vehicle registration mark.

Purchaser: The purchaser appears on the V750 Certificate of Entitlement and is the only person permitted to transfer and assign the number plate.

Retain: The profess of transferring a number plate from a vehicle to a certificate.

Retention Certificate: Either one of two documents; a V750 Certificate of Entitlement, or a V778 Retention Certificate. When a number plate is not assigned to a vehicle, it is retained on either one of these.

Show Plate: An acrylic number plate that is used only for off road or show purposes. These will usually be mis-spaced and altered with badges or logos attached. Displaying these on your vehicle whilst on public roads is an offence and could land you a fine of £1000. And even your reight to the registration revoked.

VRM: Vehicle Registration Mark

V5: Also known as a Log Book. This is the vehicle registration document.

V10: Application for vehicle tax. To download this form, please click here.

V55: First application to register a vehicle.

V317: Application to transfer or retain a vehicle registration number. To download this form, please click here.

V750: A pink document also called a ‘Certificate of Entitlement’ issued by the DVLA for registrations that have never been assigned to a vehicle before.

V778: A green document is also known as a ‘Retention Certificate’ which is issued by the DVLA after a number plate has been retained.