DVLA number plate rule millions of drivers need to know

The DVLA has issued an urgent warning with millions of road users potentially at risk in the coming years. Officials at the DVLA warn that any road user with a personalised number plate could lose access to their registration due to a little-known rule.

Motorists who have not used their personalised plate for the past 10 years must renew their ownership of the design. Motorists who forget to renew their information risk losing access to the plate they purchased in a major blow. With over one million road users purchasing personalised number plates in 2024 alone, millions are statistically at risk in the years ahead.

Posting on X, the DVLA posted: “Do you have a personalised registration that is not on a vehicle? If it’s been 10 years since the latest certificate or retention document for your registration was issued, you may need to renew it this year. It’s free to renew.”

Experts at GOV.UK stressed that road users should check their legal documents to find out when their expiry date is. However, they stress that the document road users need to check depends on whether the registration number has ever been assigned to a vehicle.

If it has never been assigned to a vehicle, GOV.UK explained: “You will need to check your V750 certificate, and you can renew the registration online using your DVLA personalised registration account. If you do not have an account, you can set one up today and add your certificate to it.”

However, road users with plates that were previously assigned to a vehicle but are currently on retention will need to follow a different set of rules. These owners will need to check their V778 retention document and ensure they renew the registration number by post.

GOV.UK added: “The earliest you can apply is 28 days before the expiry date. If you do not renew before the expiry date, you will lose entitlement to the registration number.”

Sales of personalised number plates have soared in recent years, with numbers up over the past decade. Back in 2014, around 500,000 personalised plates were sold, meaning there has been a 140% increase in demand over the past decade.

The DVLA now generates millions of pounds in revenue through the plates with designs starting from just £250. As well as holding personal significance, some number plate designs are now viewed as a worthy investment. Some highly sought-after number plate designs have gone on to sell for hundreds of thousands of pounds, even years later.