Personalised registration assigned while car being repaired

plastics

Hi - bit of a conundrum.

Bought car 2 weeks ago, as part of deal, they said I could come back and they would get private plates made up and put on, once I got the paperwork sorted. So sent everything off to the DVLA the same day I bought it.

On the same day, after picking it up, someone spun off a road into our driveway and wrecked one whole side of the car. For the last 10 days, it has undergone repairs in a local dealership, away from home, near where I work, and am about to pick it up tmw.

Meanwhile, while looking at the DVLA website online, it seems that my personalised number has been assigned to this vehicle and therefore the tax will be transferred to it as well. I am assuming the paperwork has been sent to my home address which I cannot pick up until the weekend.

Query is this:
- as the car has been assigned the new registration and the road tax has also been transferred, can I actually pick up and drive the car from the dealership with the old plate still on?

- if so, how long can I drive it on the old plates, as it will take a week or so by the time I get my paperwork and submit it back to the original dealership to get the new plates made and put on?

enfield_freddy

in with the letter from the DVLA (at your home address) will be an authorisation to have plates made up.


the DVLA say that this should be done "as soon as practicable" (fit new plates)


plan a: ring repair shop and ask them to make new plates up for you (beg if needed)


plan b: collect car and drive home collect the letter and go to a local factors / garage for making /fitting


- if so, how long can I drive it on the old plates, as it will take a week or so by the time I get my paperwork and submit it back to the original dealership to get the new plates made and put on?


nothing to do with supplying garage , your job to get/fit plates


edit: anyone at your home address who can get access to a fax machine , or even photograph/scan the letter , to forward to the bodyshop?

Richard53

I can't say what the actual legalities are, but bear in mind that DVLA have a record of both numbers associated with your vehicle, so if you committed a traffic offence, either number would lead back to you. There is therefore no suggestion that you are trying to hide the vehicle's identity. In your position, I would collect the car and drive it on the old plates, and change them over as soon as reasonably practicable, while being aware that I was probably breaking the rules somewhat.

enfield_freddy

and an addition , have you contacted the insurance Co ? , you will get pulled for no insurance showing the moment the plates are fitted

plastics

Thanks both, will ring the repair garage first thing tmw. The only issue was that the original dealership (near home) were happy to do the whole lot for free as part of the deal, but I guess I will just have to pay whatever it costs to make up the new plates and get someone home to fax over the documents as the repair shop won't do it without that proof...

Richard - I was hoping the DVLA would have a record of both numbers associated with the vehicle, but when I typed in the old reg (current plate while it is in the bodyshop) in their online database, it came up with nothing.

Insurance certificate is still registered on the old/current plate, so will inform them as soon as the new plate is put on

On another note - is there any chance that the DVLA website (https://www.gov.uk/get-vehicle-information-from-dvla) will have been updated, but I may still not have received the paperwork as I also checked 2 days ago, and the old/current plate was still assigned to this car, whereas my p-plate hadn't been at that point. If they have just updated the database today for example, could there still be a lag in the time it takes for posting the paperwork, and therefore I could reasonably say that I hadn't received it as yet e.g. allowing for 3-5 days....??

enfield_freddy

its a funny one , with a repair being done , which car (reg no) do you sign work done on?


leave it be , until the car is inspected and collected.

Richard53

plastics wrote: »

Richard - I was hoping the DVLA would have a record of both numbers associated with the vehicle, but when I typed in the old reg (current plate while it is in the bodyshop) in their online database, it came up with nothing.

When I said that, I meant that they could track you down if they needed to (i.e. the information is held somewhere), not that it would necessarily appear in their online data in consumer form. However, having thought about that, I was commenting without considering the huge move to automated checking in the last couple of years. A copper stopping you might have been persuaded to make a more diligent check and seen you were being reasonable, but an APNR camera won't. Insurers think you are on the old plates, DVLA think you are on the new plates. Not a good combination.


So I reconsider what I said. Perhaps best to shell out and get the new plates fitted before you pick up - as you appear to be doing.