For all the “Best Dad’s” out there!

Is your Dad the BE57 DAD in the World?

With Father’s Day fast approaching, we have selected some great number plates that Dads will love!

Show him he truly is the BE57 DAD you could wish for, with a unique registration that’s personal to him, for example;

More Father’s Day inspired number plates:
1 DAD  –  BE57 DAD  -  YE52 DAD  –  F47 HER  –  DAD 1E  –  X2 DAD

Call us now on 01902 791997 if you would like to purchase the ultimate gift for this Father’s Day, 16th June!

The best Father’s Day gift at your finger tips!

DVLA’s next auction – July 2013

The next number plate auction is to be held in the conference centre neighbouring the world’s finest and largest compilation of historic British cars. Set in Warwickshire and surrounded by 65 acres of gorgeous countryside, the Heritage Motor Centre is a premier venue.

The art deco designed building is spectacular, and is home to nearly 300 cars from classic, vintage and veteran eras. The museum is simply a Mecca for the car enthusiast and since 1993 it has keep alive the memory of the British motor industry.

The centre offers a vivacious education service with its restoration workshop, exhibition hall and archive reading room. Your day out can also include a Land Rover experience where you will tackle a challenging course of multiple terrain. There’s even something for the kids with their go-kart track.

The auction is being held on 25th, 26th and 27th July 2013.

Featured number plates:

DVLA will be kicking the auction off with the registration number; 5555 A. They sold 555 A in 2011 for £5000 on the hammer.

Also being auctioned are some very eye-catching numbers including;
HE11 LLO - for the friendly passer by,
E55 EXS - for the proud local,
PUP 11Y & DOG 11E - for the dog lover,
1111 EE - for Everything Everywhere?
VOC 44L - for the voice coach,
700 TH - for the dentist,
DO11 LLY - for the dolly bird,
11 UVU - for the emotionally expressive type?

There’s vehicle related numbers for your pride and joy:

RO11 VER – BOX 578R – TT13 AUD – MY13 JAG – VW11 BUG
POR 911X – P911 RSR -GTR 70Y – XKR 70Y – X458 FER
FER 430X – EVO 6T – BMW 520D – CBR 900X

Some great ’12’ numbers are also included;

BU12 RNS – CA12 ROL – GA12 ETH
GA12 RRY – GR12 EGG – JE12 RRY

Plus some new ’13’ numbers are up for auction after the recent release for 2013.

AM13 BER – DO13 BBS – GR13 VES – KA13 REN
LA13 URA – SH13 LDS – WE13 BER

Even some footy plates for the No1 fans:

WO11 VES, WOL 1F – for Wolverhampton Wonderers
B357 CFC – for Chelsea F.C.
AST 6N – for Aston Villa F.C.
D33 RRY – for Derry City F.C.
GOA 1Y – for the ultimate goalie
(We have WO12 VES and BLU 33S in stock now)
 

If you like any of the number plates held in the up and coming auction, but you are unable to attend on the day, CarReg.com can bid on your behalf. For more information please call our helpful and friendly staff on 01902 791997, or visit our Auction Page.

You’d definately look twice at this rude number plate

DVLA Slam on the Brakes with Offensive Numbers

Censors at the DVLA meet up regularly throughout the year to vet any registration combinations that are potentially offensive, and throw them on the scrapheap before the new releases in March and September.

Naughty drug related number plate

Numbers that resemble rude words, such as; slag, arse, bum, bonk, drugs and even kok, have been withdrawn, along with any numbers that could cause embarrassment on the grounds of racial or political sensitivities.

How Rude!! ;)

Some combinations such as *S** HAG, UP** YOU, and TW** AAT have been censored, where the * denotes any combinations of letters/numbers.

Racist numbers, or terrorist overtones have also been deemed as inappropriate, for example; HO57 AGE, DA** RKY, K11 LLA and          MU11 AHS.

Is it all a load of BO11 LUX?

Sexual content have been seen as vulgar language, and these types are banned too. For example; 51 LUT, BL08 JOB, BU62 GER, BB11 TCH,       S* HAG, SH12 EDD, and BO11 CKS.

D1 CKS Number Plate- Maybe its an innocent Richard??

Offensive terms for a person with a learning disability are popular with young people of today, and these have also been excluded as they are seen as insults and may cause offence. These include; MO** NGS and SP** AZZ.

For now, the DVLA have given the green light to popular text abbreviations like WTF, LMFAO, and OMG. However, regular reviews could mean that the decency test is harder to pass, so these too could be given the chop one day.

You’d surely have a giggle at this one?

Some numbers that have passed the decency test in the past include the somewhat mild 701 LET, which is actually owned by Pimlico Plumbers, and is displayed on one of their company vans. Plus the humorous WH05 HAT, which is owned by a drainage system company.

Others we have seen or have photos of on our Facebook page are:

S11 AGU  –  800 BS  –  G5 POT  -  SUC 11N  -  80 OB  -  T111 TTS
TE51 CLE  -  F15 SOF  -  BO11 LUX  -  D1 CKS  -  UT02 SER
V14 GRA  -  SPL 1F  -  PEN 15  –  B10 WME  –  BL02 JOB

What do you think about the bans? How did the ones pictured slip through the net?  Have you seen any rude/naughty numbers? Tell us at rap@carreg.co.uk or comment on our Facebook  photo.

Sold by CARREG.com – To a lady who’s had 3 boob jobs! ;)

Well they don’t like someone much!?

I don’t think they like you looking at them?!

I wonder if they found it?

Well excuse me! ;)

All boobs and no brains?…Well they’ve got to have brains if they own a Ferrari! :P

F1 Number Plate worth more than £6 million?

Afzal Kahn is in no rush to sell his number plate for £6 million!

This is a prefect example of how number plates are a great investment! Historically they have always increased in value year after year.

The old saying is that “Something is only worth what someone is willing to pay” ..

Afzal Kahn, owner and founder of Kahn Design or ‘Project Kahn’, purchased the number plate F1 in 2008. Mr.Kahn caused a stir when he set a British record after paying a staggering amount of £440,000, for what he calls ‘his favourite plate’.

F1 on Afzal Kahn’s Mclaren

It seems that Mr.Kahn, aged 39, has no interest in selling his prized possession, even when £6 million was offered! Then again, money doesn’t seem to be an issue either, whilst the number adorns one of his stunning Bugatti Veyrons.

Why would he want 600 Ford Fiestas when he already has an amazing car collection which includes 2 Bugatti Veyrons, and a Mercedes SLR McLaren, plus a superb collection of number plates including; 4 AK, 4 K, 4 HRH, FOO 71E, 4 FFF, K4 AHN, R111 MMS and many like *K11 ANS!? If you would like to make an offer on any of these numbers we would be happy to put them forward to Mr Kahn.

Kahn’s Bugatti Veyrons – ’4 AK’ and ‘F 1′

Mr.Kahn turned down an offer of £5 million in 2012 for his iconic F1 plate, and now he has proceeded to refuse £6 million! We do wonder what sort of figure he has in mind, or whether he just doesn’t want to sell his beloved plate at all?!

Kahn refers to his business as a ‘laboratory’. He started selling alloy wheels at the age of 17, and became so knowledgeable about what would fit what, that he started to design his own. His breakthrough is now a design classic.

Modified – The 2011 Afzal Khan Design Ferrari California

His automotive fashion house, or ‘laboratory’ as he likes to call it, focuses on unique design and innovation for cars, wheels, and interiors. It doesn’t get more personalised than it does in his lab; it’s the worlds leading tailor shop for cars and Kahn is the mastermind of the whole operation.

Modified – The Kahn Ferrari 458 Spider

The 109-year old F1 plate was previously owned by Essex County Council and was used by the chairman. They donated the funds from the sale to a charity aiming to help raise the standards for drivers of a young age.

Afzal Kahn described the Bugatti Veyron as the ‘ultimate car’. He also believes that F1 is the ‘ultimate number plate’…so it would seem that he has the ‘ultimate pair’. Do you agree? What would you say the ‘ultimate pair’ would be? Let us know by emailing rap@carreg.co.uk,  or comment on our Facebook photo.

Carreg have similar “K” plates in stock such as ” K 4 ” K 5 ” 1 KA ” – If you are interested in investing visit our super search at Carreg.co.uk

DVLA are labelled “a shambles”!

You may have recently experienced or heard about the current ‘backlog’ at the DVLA which is causing more and more delays.

The complete mess has built up and up since the 1st July when the Local Office “wind down” began. Although most Local Offices have remained “open”, they were forwarding all paperwork to their Swansea headquarters to be processed. However, even the DVLA seem unsure what they are doing, as we have heard some rumours of certain offices still dealing with them over the counter!?

The centralisation is planned to be complete by the end of the year, with final closures of the first regional offices in October. They claim that this movement will save UK tax payers around £26 million each year.

However, the “incompetence” of the DVLA has created more hassle than its worth. Swansea are currently handling around 20,000 applications every week, and it’s quite clear that they weren’t ready for this massive shift in processes, and cannot cope with the work flow.

We have experienced around 4 week delays on our applications to transfer personalised registration numbers. Yet the DVLA claim they are only experiencing 2-day delays on top of the 7 day turnaround they say they are committed to!? Hmmm, that’s why we have today received applications back that were lodged with the DVLA on the 6th August!?

The delays and misleading information has spread heaps of frustration between dealers and their valued customers across the whole industry. The disgraceful situation has even disrupted cash flow for car dealers who have been unable to get vehicles on the road until they have received the relevant documentation and registrations.

The centralisation is intended to move more and more processes towards digital transactions, so that customers can deal with their application in a way that suits them. The DVLA say they are still committed to providing the best service for their customers, and they have apologised for the disruption and reassure us that they are working to resolve it.

If you have experienced a delay in receiving your personalised registration number from CarReg, we would like to apologise on behalf of the DVLA and thank you very much for your continued patience. It is very frustrating as a company that strives to deliver the best service we can, when our customers are disappointed with an aspect of the transaction that we cannot control, but we appreciate your understanding in this rare situation.

For any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us on 01902 791997 or email us at aftersales@carreg.co.uk.

Mercedes SLR McLaren 722

Top bucks for SLR McLaren 722 number plate!

From 2006 there came the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722, however, the name may have misled a few consumers…It’s common for the numbers in the name of a car to indicate the power capacity of the model. However, on this occasion, that’s simply not the case.

The number 722 actually represents 07:22am; the start-time of Stirling Moss who won a sterling victory in a 300 SLR at Mille Miglia in 1955, along with his co-driver Denis Jenkinson.

A supercharged V8 engine within

Although the number hasn’t got anything to do with the bhp, the SLR stands for “Sport, Light, Racing”… or “Sport, Leicht, Rennsport”. However, the 722 is faster than the standard SLR with a 0-62mph in just 3.5 seconds. It even whizzes round Nurburgring 10 seconds faster than the standard does.

Its sporty look and elegant styling will surely dazzle any bystander, and so would its price tag of around £350,000.00.

“Sport, Leicht, Rennsport”

It’s clear that some owners still have a lot more cash in their pocket after its perfect number plate; A722 SLR, sold for £7,600.00 on the hammer at the last DVLA auction. This would have meant a total dish out of £9,929.60.

The bidding war took place at DVLA’s chosen venue; Mercedes-Benz World at Brooklands, on 26th September. Top sellers at the auction included; RO13 ERT which sold for £29,000.00 on the hammer, and SU11 TAN which sold for £14,300.00 on the hammer.

The next DVLA auction is being held at The Park Royal Hotel, between 27th-29th November. If you can’t attend the next auction, Carreg.com can bid on your behalf.

More Perfect Number Plates

1 SLR – SLR 722 – 722 SLR – MCL 722
M1 ERC – MC14 REN – 1 GO

Complete with gullwing doors!

Rude numbers for the SCR4P pile.

It’s that time of year again, and more numbers have been thrown on the scrap pile for their offensive nature.

The new 14 registrations will be released on 4th December, ready for the New Year when they can be used on vehicles registered on or after 1st March 2014.

The 1 and the 4 can also be read as an I and an A, so of course, like every year there are many combinations that make potentially offensive words or phrases. Any that are deemed as ‘poor taste’ have been banned, and won’t be made available.

One that got away!

Banned examples include; SL14 AGS, SK14 NKY, BU14 SHT, CR14 PLE, AL14 LAH as well as PR14 CCK, SH14 TTY, and SP14 STK.

Many more 14 registrations starting PR, SL and SH have been scrapped along with these.

The censors had already been busy banning the 63 plates with rude combinations, as the 6 and the 3 can also read a G and an E or B. For example; HU63 NOB, OR63 ASM, and BU63 GER were all banned.

However, in the past some numbers have slipped through the net, for example; S11 AGU, B10 WME and UT02 SER. See photo evidence and more funny number plates here!

What do you think about the bans? How did the ones pictured manage to slip through the net? Have you seen any rude/naughty numbers around? Tell us at rap@carreg.co.uk or comment on our Google+ post.

One that got away!

DVLA Celebrate 25 Years of Number Plate Auctions

2014 is set to be a big year for DVLA as they celebrate their 25th anniversary after launching the “Sale of Marks Scheme” way back in the pre-internet days of 1989. To celebrate, CarReg are starting off the New Year with a magnificent SALE of up to 50% OFF.

The first live number plate auction of 2014 is to be held at Casa Hotel in Chesterfield. This venue is new to the DVLA and is home to the well-known landmark of the Parish Church of St Mary and All Saints, or better known as the “Crooked Spire”. The spire which was added in 1362, is an architectural phenomenon as it is both twisted and leaning.

The 3-day auction will be held on 26th-28th February, and will include 1,500 registrations with reserves ranging from £250-£4,000. See the full list of registrations.

AD11 ELE

A57 ONV

BAK 333D

B166 JCB

COP 444S

ESS 333X & E55 EXX

FLY 55S

 If you would like to bid on a registration number in the auction but you are unable to attend, or maybe you would prefer an experienced set of eyes to take away the strain, CarReg can bid for you. More details…

FRU 177T

HAT 5S

HES 81G

HES 510W

HOM 333R & MAR 66E

 DVLA plans are well underway to unsure that 2014 is yet another phenomenal year, after the 2013 auctions finished on a high in November. The final auction of the year raised more than £3.5 million, which brought the annual amount raised for the Treasury to almost £20 million. Not only that, but 96% of the 1,500 registrations were sold, which confirms that number plates are as popular as ever.

KE13 THS & 41 NDY MU12 REY

KYL 13E

MAR 777Y

MEL 71N

The top sellers from the November 2013 auction:

CO11 EEN  £30,000  –  21 O  £29,500  –  8888 BB  £17,500
8888 B  £16,100  –  130 SS  £17,100  –  MA11 UTD  £10,000
MA11 CTY  £6,100  -  AST 9N  £6,100

More top sellers from throughout 2013:

18 O  £50,000  –  20 O  £44,000  -  HU11 CTY  £36,000
16 UK  £30,500  –  RO13 ERT  £29,000  –  PA12 MAR  £23,100
FA11 SAL  £22,500  –  CA11 UMS  £20,000  –  9 MRH  £17,200
93 M  £15,000  –  F10 YDC  £15,600  –  SU11 TAN  £14,300

JANUARY SALES – Looking for a cheaper registration?

Up to 50% OFF – SALE NOW ON

Celebrate with us as we reach over 30,000 likes on Facebook 

We can now be found on LinkedIn  

POS 7T

TA12 ZAN

WWH 17E

Cars of Love

In honour of Valentines Day this year, we are extending our January Sale of upto 50% OFF, until 12th February.

Who said Valentines Day only lasts for 24 hours? With our extended sale, there’s plenty of time for you lovers to get that extra special gift that’s bound to win the heart of your Valentine.

Getting Personal
K15 SNG  –  MJ5 4 LMS  –  JE5 4 GAV  –  JA5 4 HAN

For Your Valentine
B M11NE X  –  LOV 3S  –  BE57 LUV

For Your Loved One
TR11 LUV  –  MY 1 1OVE  –  L10VE U
BE57 MRS  –  BE57 HUB

For Her
MR5 1OVE  –  M155 LOV  –  W1 FEY  –  1 WYF
BE57 MRS  –  BE57 LAS

For Him
LUV 1M  –  LUV 80Y  –  M2 1OVE  –  LOV 130Y
HUB 8Y  –  BE57 HUB  –  BE57 GUY

For the Player
LOV3 53X  –  EA51 LOV  –  LUV 411  –  P14 YER  –  LOV 3R

For Lovers
ROS 53S  –  HEA 2T  –  RED 1  –  LOV 3R
LOV 3D  –  LOV 32S

’25 O’ sells for over half a million!

Would you pay HALF a MILLION for this??

Well this man did! Classic car dealer, John Collins, was landed with a bill of over half a million pounds after attending the DVLA auction in November 2014. £518,480.00 to be exact!

’25 O’ number plate, for classic 250 model Ferrari

But don’t worry, it wasn’t a mistake…John was determined to win the bidding war for the registration number ’25 O’, and said he would have paid £1m if he had to! He seemed pretty pleased that the bidding stopped where it did.

Not only was John the lucky winner but he also set a recording breaking price at the DVLA!

DVLA auctions most expensive number plates

25 O – £518,000 in Nov 2014
1 D – £352,000 in March 2009
51 NGH – £254,000 in April 2006
1 RH – £247,000 in Nov 2008
K1 NGS – £231,000 in Dec 1993

John Collins – Classic car and Ferrari enthusiast

You may be thinking that this guy has more money than sense…Well you’re probably right  John is a classic car enthusiast and owns the classic Ferrari dealership Talacrest. He is a lover of the Ferrari 250 and was desperate for the registration number to match this model, which is worth millions just on its own!

So why do people spend so much on a vanity item?

There are different reasons why people might buy a number plate, such as gifts for a loved one, promoting a business, or even just to cover up the age of the vehicle. Ultimately, they are an investment that can give drivers some enjoyment along the way. Drivers are able to use it every day and it will not depreciate in value, unlike most cars.

Charlie Mullins’ of Pimlico Plumbers – Promoting his business aswel as a nice plate for himself!

You can even retain a number plate on a Certificate of Entitlement or a Retention Document, if you do not wish to transfer it to a vehicle. As of this week, the DVLA will no longer charge you annually for this and your certificate will be valid for 10 years.

Although the DVLA have about 30 million registrations available to buy, there are a lot more out there on the market. The DVLA only sell personalised plates that have never been on any vehicle before, and do not trade in existing plates. This is where agents like ourselves come in. We offer a service for those looking to buy or sell a number plate that has already been issued, and is therefore, no longer available with the DVLA.

With over 27 years of experience, CARREG.com are the UK’s favourite DVLA approved reseller.

007 number plate sells for record breaking price!

A Guernsey resident won the battle to buy the new (number-only) States of Guernsey registration, ‘007’, in a recent auction.

The buyer, who wishes to remain anonymous, bought it for a whopping £240,000! This falls short of the UK record set by the sale of ‘25 O’ which sold for over £518,000 last year, however, this is believed to be a new record in Guernsey.

A new issue States of Guernsey plate featuring white numberals on a black background.

On the 9th September, the auctioneers at Martel Maides auction house were amazed to see the price go up and up after estimating the value at £60,000. It far exceeded their expectations!

‘007’ or ‘James bond’ are house hold names that are known across the world, so no wonder the popularity of this number is so high. The silver grey Aston Martin DB5 is one of the most famous cars driven by James Bond (Sean Connery) in the film Goldfinger, and the car was sold at auction in 2006 for £1.9 million!

James Bond Aston Martin DB5

One bidder at the Guernsey auction said he was thinking about starting renting out his own Aston Martin for the day, adorned with the ‘007’ number plate, so that over time he might make the cost back. However, he decided to withdraw at £200,000, concerned that there could be copyright problems from Eon Productions who are the producers of the James Bond film franchise.

James Bond’s Aston DB10 in Spectre.

Daniel Craig, Agent 007 with his Aston Martin DB10 – Nice Plate ;)

The upcoming 24th official James Bond movie, Spectre, will be released in UK cinemas on 26th October. Agent 007, played by Daniel Craig, will of course be driving an Aston Martin, but the villains have to look good too! 3 angry Anglo cars featured in the film are all British Jaguar Land Rover products. JLR were kind enough to release on-set photos of the Jaguar C-X75 concept car, Range Rover Sport SVR and the big-tyre Defenders starring in Spectre. Kind of fitting when the brands tagline is currently “Good to be Bad”.

James Bond Spectre – The Villains

Spectre – The Villains Jaguar C-X75 concept car

 James Bond inspired UK number plates.                   

JM58 OND      JB07 BND         OO07 BND       OOO 7          30 ND
  7 SPY            JB57 SPY       JM54 SPY       HE54 SPY       JB07 SPY
JB07 SPY       CA11 SPY     SO10 SPY        DB10 JBB      JB07 OND          M38 OND      OO58 OND     TO08 OND      J113 OND      JB08 OND          B13 OND      JO08 OND      PR08 OND      M88 OND       MR08 OND          MR03 OND    EO07 SPY       M3 SPY           YE51 SPY       TH15 SPY
H17 SPY         DB 55            BAD 30Y           BAD 357T       AST 11N

James Bond new film – Spectre

Edited by Rachel Picken

Bernard Manning’s former number plate is up for sale!

A bidding battle has commenced over the late comedy legend Bernard Manning’s iconic number plate.

1 LAF is very particular to the famous comedian’s craft and his son, Bernard Junior, would like its new home to be that of one of today’s famous comics.

Bernard Manning Junior with his late father’s iconic number plate

The controversial funnyman died in June 2007, aged 76. He shot to fame in the 70s after appearing in TV shows such as The Comedians.

Bernard Junior lives in Manchester, home to the world famous Embassy Club institution which his father owned. The club drew in crowds from across the UK and the comic used to roll up to his gigs in his chauffeur-driven Rolls Royce adorning the number plate 1 LAF.

Bernard Manning and the Embassy Club

Bernard had owned the number plate for 40 years, and also owned B 19 and BJM 1 for his initials. Bernard Junior said, “My dad had three personalised number plates. Two of them are quite personal and we are keeping them in the family”.

Bernard with one of his Rolls – Number plate BJM 1

Bernard Junior said he had no idea how much 1 LAF would be worth. It turns out that they have received several offers of very large sums, but he would love to see another comedian driving about with it.

Comedy-inspired number plates.

4 LAF – L4 UGH – COM 1C – H4 HAH – G19 GLE
G16 GLE – FUN 17Y – FUN 3Y - FUN 33Y
FUN 777 - WA51 FUN - WO51 FUN

In memory of Comedy Legend Bernard Manning

Edited by Rachel Picken

“16” number plate sales go wild!

The first week in December saw the release of the “16” plate and boy did you want to get your hands on them.

Motorists splashed out £1million in the first 20 minutes of the number plate sale going live! A whopping £2million in the first 24 hours was spent on a total of 3,576 registrations!

Even people from around the world; including the USA, New Zealand and Russia, were making enquiries in the search for their perfect number plate.

However, this came after much hard work by the DVLA in withdrawing any 16 plates that may cause offence, embarrassment or that are of poor taste. This included plates that may relate to next year’s in-out EU referendum, like EU16 OUT, EU16 YES and EU16 NON.

The suppressed plates also included OR16 ASM, PR16 CK*, AM16 FKR, *B16 GAY, along with AM16 WAR and TA16 BAN.

Pet lovers were happy to get their hands on the perfect plates, with CB16 CAT selling at £799, and BB16 DOG selling at £599.

Football fans also managed to get their hands on some footy plates, with MA16 UTD and CH16 SEA selling for £399 each. While one for the car enthusiasts; JA16 UAR, sold for £1,299.

The current style “16” plates cannot be used until 1st March 2016, and can only be assigned to vehicles registered on or after this date. However, for those who may not get a brand new car next year, the registration can be held on a Certificate.

In the last financial year, the DVLA raised £87million from selling and auctioning off personalised number plates, and all the money is passed on to the Treasury.

Get your 2016 plate from £165.

Rachel Picken: Carreg.co.uk

Cab driver’s mischievous number plate almost cost him his licence!

Martin Willis, from Midanbury in Southampton, was given the number plate MW11 LLY as a birthday gift from his wife. His nickname has been Willy for almost his entire life so Willis proudly displayed the plate on his car. Little did he know it might cost him his livelihood.

Most of his customers thought it was cheeky and it made them smile and laugh for more than a year, until one day he had a knock on the door. Eastleigh Borough Council informed the 60-year-old that a complaint had been made as someone had found it offensive.

A spokesperson said that the council’s Enforcement Officer was contacted by a member of the public after they spotted the plate at Southampton Airport and found it to be inappropriate.

The registration number itself is completely legal and was released by the DVLA for cars registered on or after 1st March 2011…we still have several *W11 LLY numbers available for sale at www.carreg.co.uk. However, the main issue here was that Willis had spaced the number plate incorrectly with a space between the M and W instead of between the 1 and L, like so; M W11LLY, and of course, displaying a number plate incorrectly is illegal.

The council informed Willis that the plates could mean that his licence to work wouldn’t be renewed, which of course would mean his career as a private hire driver would cease.

“In the eight years I have been a taxi driver, I have never received a complaint of any kind, but I presume this complaint will now go on my record.”

Emphasising the word ‘Willy’, made his plate stand out more but not everyone saw the funny side. As a self-employed driver for Checkercars, Willis took the advice of the council and corrected the plates promptly. The plate is now displayed correctly on his Ford Mondeo.

More Willy Numbers!

WIL 1111   –   XW11 LLY   –   EW11 LLY
FW11 LLY   –   HW11 LLY   –   KW11 LLY
LW11 LLY   –   NW11 LLY   –   TW11 LLY
VW11 LLY   –   YW11 LLY   –   WIL 1107
WIL 110   –   WIL 1

Taxi Registrations!

CA13 BYS   –   TAX 15   –   1 CAB
CAB 805S   –   TH15 CAB   –   BE57 CAB
CAB 555S   –   YE55 CAB   –   C48 CAB
HU11 CAB   –   MY51 CAB   –   AB16 CAB

More number plates from just £175!

Rachel Picken: Carreg.co.uk

UK number plates were planned to be AXED by the EU and replaced with ‘common colours’ and ‘ID tags’

EU plans were to scrap the 110-year-old British licence plate design, so due to Brexit, our UK number plates are now safe.

The European Parliament were considering proposals for a common European design for all vehicle number plates. It also had plans for all vehicles and number plates to be fitted with ‘identification tags’.

The move had also raised fears that Europe could have forced all licence plates to display the EU flag.

Tory MEPs rounded on the move, branding it ‘idiotic’. There was also opposition from motoring groups and fears about the cost of replacing existing plates with a new design. ‘Most British motorists want British number plates – not European ones.’

It’s said these plans were supposed to make it easier for people to register vehicles in a different EU country, to improve trade in cars and free movement around the continent.

The documents state: ‘The Commission should consider whether the cross-border trade in and free movement of vehicles could be further increased by introducing safeguards against fraudulent use of number plates and by equipping vehicles and their number plates with identification tags.’

‘The Commission could also consider whether the obstacles faced by citizens and businesses when transferring their vehicles from one Member State to another could be further offset if there were a possibility of equipping their vehicles with number plates in common colours.’

The plans were thought to have the support of large numbers of MEPs – making it more likely they could have become law.

The suggestion of identity tags – supposedly intended to protect against fraud – raised fears it could lead to an EU-wide database of vehciles.

RAC spokesman Simon Williams said: ‘The British number plate is simple, highly effective and, while it has changed several times over the years, has been part of our driving heritage for 110 years. While there are clearly benefits to be had from having the same style of number plate throughout Europe with identification tags to stop fraud, it would be a real shame to lose ours. It ought to be possible to come up with a set of common guidelines that allow countries to adapt their number plates slightly without going for full standardisation. If that really has to be the way, perhaps the UK’s number plates should form the basis of a new harmonised standard, especially as several other countries already use a very clear format closely resembling ours.’

After the recent referendum, obviusly our UK number plate system is here to stay. Historically, number plates have been perfect investments requiring no maintainance. Contact us for many investment opportunities or see our website Carreg.co.uk

2017 saw £111 Million raised by UK Number Plates …

The most expensive registration was…

It was a great year for DVLA in 2017 after selling a record 374,968 registrations and raising a record annual total of £111m for the Treasury. The previous year saw £96.7 million raised.

Since 1989, when the DVLA started selling number plates, around 5 million of them have changed hands. Approx £2.5 billion has been raised for the Treasury over the past 29 years, driven by an era of flaunting our individuality.

The surge in number plate sales over the years reflects a desire for vehicle owners to be more distinctive. There are many reasons why we like to put a personalised plate on our beloved vehicles, whether it be to stand out, to cover up the age of the vehicle, or to represent initials, names, birthdays and other sentimental meanings. Whether we buy them for ourselves, for our loved ones, to promote our businesses, or even to sell on as investments; the start prices are very reasonable at just £175! On average, there are about 800 sold around this price every day, so don’t delay – Find yours by searching in the yellow box above!

Some private plates stand out more than others, and we call these ‘super-plates’. They have proven to be very popular also, and this is reflected in their prices! For example, “25 O” holds the record in Britain after being purchased by the classic car dealer, John Collins in 2014, for a whopping £518,480! We believe the plate currently adorns a white Ferrari 250 GTO.

The following plates also hold the top spots!

“1 D” £352,000, 2009 – Currently on a Bentley

“51 NGH” £254,000, 2006 – Currently on Retention

“1 RH” £247,000, 2008 – Currently on a Mercedes-Benz

“K1 NGS” £231,000, 1993 – Currently on Retention

“KR15 HNA” £216,080, 2015 – Currently on Retention

Just in 2017 alone, the most expensive number plates were;

“JSK 1″ £56,200, sold in May at Cheltenham Chase Hotel – Already on a Mercedes-Benz

“96 O” £52,500, sold in September at Cambridge Belfry Hotel

“45 O” £51,000, sold in July at Mercedes Benz World – Already on an Audi

“812 S” £45,500, sold in May at Cheltenham Chase Hotel

“1 HSV” £41,500, sold in May at Cheltenham Chase Hotel

We would like to think that “812 S” will be twinned with a Ferrari 812 Superfast which was launched last year at the Geneva Motor Show!

We have plenty more super-plates available here!

 What would you pay for the ultimate plate?!

By Rachel Young, Number Plate Correspondent

17th January 2018