Do I Need To Tell My Insurance Company If I Get A Private Number Plate?
Your insurance company need to know a fair amount about you, your driving habits, and your vehicle in order to issue you with a valid insurance policy. However, do they need to be told if you invest in private number plates and attach them to your car? Read on to find out.
What are the rules on private number plates in the UK?
In the UK, legally you must have a registration plate fitted on your vehicle. For that reason, it is necessary for your insurance company to know about any number plate changes that you may wish to make to your car.
Any private number plate must also follow the standard format for a vehicle registration number, which includes two letters to regionally identify the vehicle’s first registration, two numbers that indicate when the car was issued from its manufacturer, and three random letters at the end.
The punishment for overlooking this important point is quite severe too. Authorities can issue you with fines of up to £1,000. Plus, you’ll fail your MOT if the plates on your car don’t match what the DVLA has registered on its systems. In certain circumstances, it has been known for cars to have been clamped or destroyed for avoiding this simple process.
Can I transfer my personalised number plate to another vehicle?
Yes, in short. So long as you are the registered keeper of your vehicle, you can transfer your personalised number plates to another car.
However, you will still need to let your insurance company know, as this responsibility does not fall on the DVLA. It is the duty of the registered keeper.
How do I inform my insurance company of a number plate change - and will it increase my premium?
Naturally, every insurance company has a slightly different process for this. However, it should be relatively straightforward and you ought to be able to do this either online, via post, or on the telephone. Simply find out the contact details for your insurance company and ask to modify your policy details.
You will find that most insurance firms don't categorise a private number plate as a car modification, which can often increase your premium. That said, this is not always the case, so be sure to double-check with your own provider as there may not be the need to fork out any money whatsoever.
It’s generally a good idea to let your insurer know after you’ve completed the change of registration number with the DVLA, as then all the necessary systems will have been updated for your insurer to properly cover you with the new plates.
One important point of note, just informing your insurance company of the number plate change will not mean that the DVLA will necessarily be aware. They may think the vehicle is uninsured, which could land you in a spot of trouble if you haven’t let both firms know the details of the change.
