Registration plate options?

[corned]

Hi all,

I have been wondering about a registration plate for my 211 for a while now. But I can't make up my mind whether to bother or not, and if so, what to do.

I'll explain...

I registered a brand name (trademark) with the IPO last year, for my business to use. We have a product range which uses this trademark.

I have found a registration which is available, and closely resembles the trademark in question. I would like to purchase the plate and have it transferred to my 211, sort of as a driving advertisement.

I have several options and questions which arise from this. Thus:

1. I really like the existing plate (it's a palindrome) and would want to retain it - either a) in case I sell the car in the future and need to put the original reg back on, or b) if it has a value of its own.

2. The current plate is an '05' which is correct for the car's age, but the one I want is an '02', so I am slightly worried that I will succeed in merely making my car look 3 years older than it really is.

3. Can I put the original 05 plate on retention?

4. As the 'new' plate relates to my business, I would naturally want the business to pay for it. Are there any issues on putting a business-owned plate on a private motor vehicle. It is not a company car.

5. Will people 'get' the plate? Probably not, so I wonder if it would really only have an effect if I also purchased something like one of those rear window transfer thingies which advertise the business?

I would be pleased to hear anyone's advice and opinions!

 

[flango]

Hi all,

I have been wondering about a registration plate for my 211 for a while now. But I can't make up my mind whether to bother or not, and if so, what to do.

I'll explain...

I registered a brand name (trademark) with the IPO last year, for my business to use. We have a product range which uses this trademark.

I have found a registration which is available, and closely resembles the trademark in question. I would like to purchase the plate and have it transferred to my 211, sort of as a driving advertisement.

I have several options and questions which arise from this. Thus:

1. I really like the existing plate (it's a palindrome) and would want to retain it - either a) in case I sell the car in the future and need to put the original reg back on, or b) if it has a value of its own.

you can retain it on a retention certificate but think you have to renew it every 2 years

2. The current plate is an '05' which is correct for the car's age, but the one I want is an '02', so I am slightly worried that I will succeed in merely making my car look 3 years older than it really is.

Depends on what the plate is or reads I guess

3. Can I put the original 05 plate on retention?

As above

4. As the 'new' plate relates to my business, I would naturally want the business to pay for it. Are there any issues on putting a business-owned plate on a private motor vehicle. It is not a company car.

If the business is the reistered keeper of the car then no problem at all, but if the car is in your name and the business pays for the plate our accountant advised this was not good practice and the tax man gets a little fuuny over it. We have several cars with private plates all paid for out of the bussiness but the Limited company is the registered keeper / owner of the cars.

5. Will people 'get' the plate? Probably not, so I wonder if it would really only have an effect if I also purchased something like one of those rear window transfer thingies which advertise the business?

depends on how wide you market your product I guess and if the public recognise it?

I would be pleased to hear anyone's advice and opinions!

Not sure any of the above helps a lot but thats how our account ant advised to do it, might be worth a chat with yours?

 

[Gareth]

I'm not sure that you can 'secure' the original plate, I'd double check that. All of the times I have removed a private plate I have always had the original one back, but the DVLA will tell you that the original plate is not guaranteed to be returned to you.

 

[219]

You could always transfer the original plate to another vehicle , even a bike or a moped . At one time plate dealers had shed loads of mopeds as this was the only way to keep plates before retention certificates came out .

 

[bennesspipers]

2. You need to get a plate that is older than your model of car can be (i.e. my '95 W202 ,originally on a 'M' plate, is on a 'J' plate. The confusion is causes so called knowledgable petrol heads is highly amusing
3. I think you can retain your original plate, £80 a year, but check with DVLA.
5. Depends what the plate spells, if its not obvious then a discreet window sticker would be good (i use removable ones so i can put em on or take em off as i please,if you look up the thread 'Cambridgeshire GTG' you'll see mine !)

 

[plgibson]

You need to put your exsisting plate on retention.
Then when a new number is issued put the one you already have on the car

 

[corned]

Thanks for the advice so far, chaps. Much appreciated.

I think the accountants is the first step, as it probably won't get much further if I can't route it through the company, i.e. no point otherwise!

I have been pondering over those rear window graphics in previous moments of fancy, so the two would tie up nicely if it can be done.

The car was bought and paid for by my own hard-earned, and registered as such. I claim HMRC standard mileage rates for the business travel. Nothing about the car has any company ties.

Perhaps it will become a no-brainer if we get to the stage where the business needs a van!

 

[npuk]

If the existing plate on the car is a normal one issued by the dvla at the time the dealer registered the car you cannot put it on retention.

If you put a private plate on the car and then later sell the car and remove the private plate the car will usually revert back to the original registration it had before but it is not guaranteed.

It is £105 to put a plate on retention (includes assignment fee). If you dont assign the plate to the car within a year you need to renew the entitlement which has to be done yearly and is £25.

 

[A-AvantGarde]

You need to put your exsisting plate on retention.
Then when a new number is issued put the one you already have on the car

That's the guranteed way of securing the existing plate.

As for the cost, to retain a number would cost £105, it's then £25 per year to keep it on retention.

The £105 original cost includes the first year retention and the £80 assignment fee (for when you need to assign it back to a vehicle).

 

[A-AvantGarde]

If the existing plate is a normal one issued by the dvla at the time the dealer registered the car you cannot put it on retention.

That is not true unless the V5/C explicitly states 'Non-transferable'.

 

[corned]

Not sure if this clarifies or not, but the current plate was assigned by the garage I bought the car from because the previous owner had a personal plate on it and transferred this to the new car.

Whether this plate was the original DVLA-assigned one at first purchase, and re-assigned to the car again, I don't know...

 

[bennesspipers]

Put your stickers on the car,sell the car to the company,buy your 'company' car the plates,all claimable from HMRC. hehe

 

[npuk]

Whether this plate was the original DVLA-assigned one at first purchase, and re-assigned to the car again, I don't know...

That is not true unless the V5/C explicitly states 'Non-transferable'.

Wasnt what I was told when I enquired regarding this when I purchased the a class but A-AvantGarde says you can put it on retention unless the v5c states the above.

It will cost you £105 for the first year and £25 per each further year you wish to retain the plate.

 

[corned]

Put your stickers on the car,sell the car to the company,buy your 'company' car the plates,all claimable from HMRC. hehe

I have been through that with the accountant already!

I then get absolutely spanked for company car BIK tax. On a £40k+ original purchase price, with fairly big CO2 figures, at coming up on 5 years old, it's not good...

 

[A-AvantGarde]

Not sure if this clarifies or not, but the current plate was assigned by the garage I bought the car from because the previous owner had a personal plate on it and transferred this to the new car.

Whether this plate was the original DVLA-assigned one at first purchase, and re-assigned to the car again, I don't know...

You should be okay, although as I've mentioned, check your V5/C, it should pretty clearly state 'Non Transferable' if you can't retain / transfer it.

A few years back, you often used to get re-assigned a different age-related registration number. In a lot of cases these were not transferable.

 

[Fizzer]

Registration plate options

If the existing plate on the car is a normal one issued by the dvla at the time the dealer registered the car you cannot put it on retention.

If you put a private plate on the car and then later sell the car and remove the private plate the car will usually revert back to the original registration it had before but it is not guaranteed.

It is £105 to put a plate on retention (includes assignment fee). If you dont assign the plate to the car within a year you need to renew the entitlement which has to be done yearly and is £25.

Exactly right. I have LO05 LEG on retention cert. costs £25 a year to keep on retention, £80 to transfer to your vehicle. Same amount to return to retention. The finance company (as the actual owners of the car) also charge £55 to amend their paperwork

 

[JumboBeef]

I registered a brand name (trademark) with the IPO last year, for my business to use. We have a product range which uses this trademark.

I have found a registration which is available, and closely resembles the trademark in question.

Rename your business to match your reg, not the other way around

This person did:

JCT600 - New and Used Prestige Cars for Sale : Luxury Car Sales

JCT600 takes its name from Jack Tordoff's Mercedes-Benz 600 personalised number plate and it was in a Porsche 911 bearing that very registration that Jack won the International Circuit of Ireland in 1973.

 

[davidmi]

I have an 02 registration on retention because it is palindromic also and will sit nicely on my first electric car, whenever that may be. Trouble is only myself and those with a bit of knowledge about electrical current will realise the full impact. It could be a bit too clever but it only cost £245 and the fact it is a palindrome will make it distinctive anyway. If yours is only going to cost £245 I would go for it. The plate very close to my company's name comes up in 2011 but since my business is internet-based and the customers are almost all international it would be a pure vanity purchase.

 

[High-Lo]

I've had H19HLO on retention for years. £25 a year to renew. Used to be on my W202 (private car) a few years back but I paid for that plate personally so not a company purchase.

The plate I use to advertise my other business is on my avatar. Again, paid for personally so no worries about BIK tax, etc.

 

[corned]

I appreciate all the responses, chaps - thanks.

It is a £245 plate direct from DVLA, so it's cheap enough. Once I've squared it with the accountants (if I've squared it...) then I'll probably go for it.

But like I said, it really needs a rear window graphic to make sense, or to make a connection, because otherwise it will just look like a very early 211 in most people's eyes.

It's not like the trademark is a household name - T3SCO for example - we make very specialist lighting equipment for industrial purposes, which I guarantee no one will have heard of! But on the other hand, a bit of mobile advertising couldn't do any harm.

Anyone know a good place to go for rear window graphics? Preferably in or around the East Mids?