[Richard]

You also have to factor in the extra long wait times for both bits of the test right now too. If it were me, unless you have some friends/family with full licences who will accompany you in your car with L plates on, I would use the mobility allowance you’d be sacrificing to pay for lessons.

For that kinda dough you could get some really good intensive lessons to get you there quicker get them tailored to how often & how long you can do your lessons (I found an hour lesson long enough at 17 when fit & healthy, I’d be shattered at the end of it back then) so I’d stick with 1 hour lessons to start, don’t be pressured into 2 hours as I know some instructors do. Once you have more experience a 2 hour lesson might be OK if you’re able.

We have some amazing guys round this way Chilled tuition in Norfolk who do all kinds of courses have a look to get an idea of what’s possible & the cost. They’ve been teaching my 14 year old to drive on private land he’s loved it,had him ragging around at 70mph at times in an Audi RS.

Anyway I wouldn’t worry about joining the scheme just to get the “free” lessons. The only way that might be a good idea is if you regularly have a full license holder who can take you out in your Kona (if you got one).

Also don’t just go pick BSM or Red or whoever ask around on Facebook local groups for recommendations on instructors I found the best instructors have tended to be the one man band rather than huge schools or franchises.

Also decide whether you want to learn in a manual or auto. If you learn in an auto that’s all you can drive afterwards but take your test in a manual you can drive both BUT if you’re going down the route if EVs then they’re all autos effectively anyway so that might also speed up your instruction by sticking with learning exclusively in an EV or auto.

The car can’t be if use for anyone else it has to be used for your benefit anyway. Bit snobbish that given how much the Kona costs & what a sought after car, reckon she’s more worried about it showing her Mondeo, sorry Jag up ? lol just joking.

Anyway if you’re listed on the insurance as the sole driver then anyone with a full licence can legally accompany you (providing they meet the dvla rules) driving the Kona as a learner.

I’d not worry about motability & just concentrate on finding a good instructor & getting your test.

[Mossfinn]

I had my last Motobility car registered with my private plate before taking delivery. I had the number on a retention certificate and I gave that to the dealer so when I collected the car, it had my plates on it. When I rang Motobility to early terminate the car, I paid them the £80 retention fee and about an hour later, I got an email with a registration number on it. Took it to Halfords who switched the plates and a few weeks later, received a new retention certificate from DVLA.
BTW, when the DVLA issue a plate to replace a private plate, they do not use the original car registration, that’s dead and gone. The take an unreleased registration from the year the car was registered and use that.

 

[joss]

It says:

“If you are interested in adding personalised number plates to your Motability Scheme vehicle, you should call us on 0300 456 4566 before purchasing the plates to check that they meet our criteria. If we agree that you can add your personalised number plates, you will need to call us back once you have purchased them to start the process.

If you already own the right to display the plates, you should call us to discuss adding them to your vehicle and we will check them against our criteria at the same time.

Please note that we are unable to accept any responsibility for the retaining or assigning of a personalised number plate. If you add personalised number plates to your Motability Scheme vehicle, you may lose your entitlement to them if we have not been notified of your plans at the end of your lease. Please speak to your dealer about what you plan to do, or contact us on 0300 456 4566 .

The key words “Against our criteria” But what is their criteria? It isn’t stated any where that I can see.

Maybe they should display exactly what their criteria is. I don’t know. However. If you had answered honestly what the private plates meant to you. It may well have been to your advantage.

Joss
Current car: BMW X2 sDrive 20i M Sport 5dr Step Auto In metallic Portimão Blue. 04:10:2025
Previous car:Peugeot 308 GT Premium 1.2 Pure tech Petrol.

[James Pond]

I have had a cherished plate for over 13 years on the scheme.

 

I call CS to get the ball rolling and put it on my new car, this is because many dealers now refuse to reg the car with you’re plate on car on hand over day.

During the phone call rep asked me in a off hand manner “what the plate means to me”

I said “nothing” only because i wanted to get off the phone call asap

 

She then says they wont allow me to Motability wont be able to let me put the plate on the new car because the plate means “nothing” to me,

 

At this point i am confused, not angry or upset. I ask her to escalate the issue and she put me on hold and comes back a few mins later to say her line manger said It cant be done since i said it means nothing.

 

I then said had i known it was that important i would have told her a reason, after all it does mean something. Why else would i want to put it on my car if it meant nothing to me ?

 

Her reply ” we have to take your 1st answer”

I didn’t realise i was under oath

 

I am going to call back on Monday and see if i talk to someone else as the whole thing seems very strange.

 

If that is  a new rule why don’t they make it clear. The website says nothing about it having to “mean” something to you.

https://www.motability.co.uk/your-lease/personalised-number-plates/

Is there a statue of limitations on my answer ? She couldn’t  give me an answer. I wake up on Monday and it means something to me. Or maybe my reasons were private and i didn’t want to discuss them with her due to the nature of it? I said this to her to no avail.

 

In short, one of the most odd conversations i have had in many years.

 

Thoughts and feedback appreciated

JB

[Rhodgie]

99.9% of the time it’ll be the original registration but it’s not guaranteed, I always stick the original plates in the boot and only once in 30 years they weren’t the ones to go back on.

I phoned motability in December to swap my plate back and they done it there and then over the phone, I got an instant email with all the updated paperwork so took no longer than 30 minutes. I had expected it to take longer so phoned 6 weeks before changeover in case of any Xmas delays.

The garage can arrange it all for you and I’ve done this in the past with private sales but never with motability…. don’t trust them 100% yet ?‍♂️

[Glos Guy]

Hi Angela. Yes it will be the original reg number that will be reassigned to the vehicle. Always wise to keep the original plates (as you have done) as well as the coloured screw head caps (which are often different colours than those needed on your private plate) as then it’s a 10 minute job to swap them back over. As Brydo has already described, the process is very straightforward.

[ajn]

A person I know got private plates seen them once on a car, he says it’s to expensive changing them over.

The plate to isn’t really recognisable to the name of the owner, until you swap it around a bit In your imagination and add the screws slightly over helps the cause.

[Brydo]

Mark that was for getting plates for the old reg made up and fitted and removal of my private reg plates.

[joss]

@Brydo

Well if I said that by the time I have taken various Tablets-Pills -Capsules-Ear drops-I don’t have room to eat anything. Aside from that I am OK ish. I might look for a private plate with that lol. IOK ISH

That;s got me thinking now!.  You could have multiple number plates. Reflecting your mood.

I just take each day as it comes Brydo.

Joss
Current car: BMW X2 sDrive 20i M Sport 5dr Step Auto In metallic Portimão Blue. 04:10:2025
Previous car:Peugeot 308 GT Premium 1.2 Pure tech Petrol.

[Elliot]

My son has been waiting since March for his private plates to be transferred on to his new car. However those lazy civil servants at the DVLA are still not back at work and are enjoying life on furlough despite Boris ordering them back to work.

Hopefully they will be back soon now that the furlough scheme doesn’t pay them so much.

[Brad]

Where do you guys who have private reg plates go? I know the dvla site but their plates are nothing like what I’m searching for, giving me different options to the criteria I’m wanting. Just wondering where others get their plates for. Also can you get the last 3 random letters on a uk reg done for free? I’ve seen a lot of “mol” and “rem”  short for molly/ remy.
let me know if anyone has knowledge on plates. Thanks

[Alan Browne]

Hi,

Does anyone know if it’s possible to put personalised plates on your Motability car?

Thanks

[rox]

Brad wrote:

Hi jan, I got a bmw gran coupe msport . Does anyone know the process and costs of getting a private plate onto a car besides the actual plate buying from dvla

It don’t cost you to put it onto a car as that is included in the price, it only costs you to take it off again, I think it’s £85 right now and Obvs you’ll need to get a new set of plates made up.

[rox]

They have said i can put my private plate on but it does have ROX in it, Was meant to get it on my current car when i got it just under a month ago now, but the honda cyber attack messed that up. The dealer did give me the plates and gonna call Mb on monday as not going euro disney now in aug we’ve cancelled it. So can put it on now. maybe best to call them ask before you actually buy one.

[DBtruth]

Yeah I saw that bit. I’m just confused as to why they wouldn’t agree? I think there’s a law against putting a private plate on a car to make it look newer than it is (putting a 66 plate on a 2010 car for example)  but other than that I can’t see why they wouldn’t allow it. Most of the other info on that page seems pretty standard stuff. You sort the replacement plates at the end etc which I think is fair enough

[Ade]

If you want to buy  particular Reg Number – then you have to buy one yourself from DVLA-SOM or plenty of private companies sell them. If you want to transfer that registration number to your Motability car – then you have to go through Motability. The dealer does not have anything to do with personal number plates.

 

[Gordon]

I had that from the last dealer and was told motability would do it. They did it in the end and admitted that they’d said that as they diddnt know how to do it. The private plates were on it when I collected it.

[Winston]

I’ve got a private plate on mines and it was easy peasy

regarding having one that means something to you part , when I spoke to them on the phone they asked , I gave them my reason and that was that

you could have G because your old grand name began with G or H because your first pets make began with H

its very simple ?? Not like they can say no it isn’t lol

 

as long as what you tell them makes sense then you’re golden ?

I had it on my previous car and collected my current car in July, I told the dealer I wanted the private one on the new car , being the helpful soul that he is , he did all the necessary actions , then he called me the day before the collection date and I paid the £80 over the phone for the DVLA transfer

when I collected my car a day later it was all ready to go with my private fitted free of charge

was strange seeing the 2 cars parked next to each other with the same plates on

they handled the making up and fitting of the original 16 plate ??

absolutely no hassle at all mate

[Anonymous]

This could be that when people join Motability they leave a private lease that was started at the two points that new style number plates are released or that’s when more stock levels are available.

[Brydo]

Article

Everything you need to know about swapping a registration plate from one vehicle to another in the UK
Personal, private or cherished number plates are a sign of status for some people. If you can get a registration on a car that has as few letters and numbers as possible in it, then it’s a subtle sign that some people use to show they have a bit of cash. But if you’ve bought a pricey plate, you won’t want to part with it when you’re selling the car it’s attached to. So here’s what you need to do to keep the number plate from a car you’re selling and put it on another vehicle.

A vehicle’s registration, as with all licensing and car-related taxation, is handled by the DVLA, and there is a form to fill if you want to transfer a number plate from one car to another. It’s called form V317 and it has two options available for you. Option A is to keep a vehicle’s registration number and put it on another vehicle, while Option B is to keep the registration on what’s called a retention document. This allows you to keep it for 10 years, so you don’t have to put it on another car immediately. The form can be filled out in paper or you can do it online, but first, there is a list of requirements that must be met before you can transfer a number plate.

• Your rights when buying a used car

For starters, the vehicle must exist. That may sound daft, but if the car isn’t registered with the DVLA in the first place, then there’s nothing that can be done to get the registration plate amended on it. Second, the vehicle needs to have a V5C registration document that has you listed as the registered keeper, or says that you are going to become the registered keeper. It must have road tax or a SORN declaration against it, and the vehicle must move under its own power.

In addition, the vehicle must be available for inspection when needed by the DVLA and be capable of to passing a roadworthiness test (an MOT, for example). Finally, the registration you are adding cannot make the vehicle appear younger than it is. That means you can’t put year-specific plates on a car built before the year in question. This is designed primarily to stop unscrupulous used car dealers from making a quick buck by fitting plates to old cars to make them look newer and sell them for an inflated value.

• When is the best time to buy a car?

If these aspects are all met, then you’re good to go. Simply fill out form V317 with the registration, make, model and VIN number of the car you want to remove the plate from, add your contact details in case there are any issues arising from the transfer, then fill in the details of the vehicle you want to put the registration on. And remember you need the V5C documents for both vehicles if you are transferring the number plate between one vehicle and another. You don’t neccessarly have to own the vehicle you want to change the number plate onto either.

How to retain a number plate
If you’re retaining a number plate, then you need to fill out another part of the form. This still asks for the registration, make, model and VIN number, and your details, but then you need to fill out the details of the person who is retaining the registration. If this part isn’t filled, then the registered keeper of the vehicle will automatically receive the retention document. This is DVLA form V778, and you use this form to transfer the registration to a new car when you’re ready.

Whether you transfer or retain the registration, you’ll also need to stump up £80 to get it processed.

Once your application has been submitted, it will take around two weeks for the transfer to process, although it may take longer if the DVLA want to inspect the vehicles involved. Once completed, you will receive a new V5C registration for the vehicle that had its registration removed. Here you will see that the vehicle has reverted to its previous registration (if it had one) or it will have a new age-related plate assigned to it. The new V5C for the car with the personal plate will also come through at around the same time.

The small print
There’s plenty of small print that goes with the transfer of a number plate. The vehicle must have been taxed (or had a SORN declaration) continually for five years, and if it has been SORNed for more than five years, then it will need to be taxed. If you’re thinking of transferring a number plate with a Q or QNI prefix, then stop, because these can’t be transferred.

If the vehicle is sold before you apply to retain the personal plate, then you don’t have the right to retain it. Also, if you don’t remove the number before confirming the car’s destruction to the DVLA, then you lose all rights to the plate as well.

In the unfortunate instance of the vehicle being stolen, then you can apply to keep the personal plate immediately to safeguard it, but you won’t have the ability to transfer it to a new car or have a V778 issued until 6 months after the date of the theft, or once the vehicle has been recovered. You won’t get a reminder from the DVLA about this, you’ll need to remember to do it yourself.

And of course, any personal number plates that you have made for your car must be standard issue and clearly legible. So that means no non-standard fonts, correct spacing of the letters and numbers and not making numbers look like letters, and vice versa (5 and S, 8 and B, etc). It sounds obvious but legal details are also a requirement, so when speccing your plate make sure it has those ticked. If you’ve adhered to the above then you can fit your shiny new plate to your new car.

The only person who got all his work done by Friday was Robinson Crusoe.
Anything i post over three lines long please assume it is an article lol.

[Anneka]

Wait wait wait I think I’m a little confused is new plates not released the 1st March?

<span style=”text-align: right;”>i think if they called me mid Feb I would say I’ll wait 2 wks I’ve been waiting since September so the extra 2wks won’t really bother me I think lol</span>

your right about the plates though cars are been turnt out so much that I see a 17 plate as brand new ??? plus I do have a private plate aswell anyway so my plate will only been seen for a wk or so until I’m allowed to apply it to the car.

I do hope the car helps but I would prefer to be healed ? and have my old life before that I truly didn’t appreciate but after seeing my oncologist Xmas eve his put me on a downer but I’m trying to stay positive and not so morbid.

Atm all I keep seeing is new Audi Q3s and Range Rover evoques which I love keep thinking have I made the right choice with the motability route as it’s my first 1 but I’ve always owned my cars until this point bit scared due to PIP holding all the power

[DougieB]

If you pay £50 for a set of number plates, you need your bumps feeling.

Having just done it, my advice will be to do it yourself. A simple call to Motability is all it takes to put your private plates on retention (that’s when they’ll take the £80 fee for DVLA).

That way, you can put the original number plate back on because you’ll still have the plates.

When you get your new car, let the dealer register it but tell them that you’ll be putting on a private plate and doing the transfer. Then ask them to do you a favour and make up some new plates with your private number for you. Most will, it costs them pennies, and simply leave them in the boot for you to put on.

Once you have you car, give it a few days, call Motability and ask them to do the switch for you. It takes minutes. When you have written confirmation, put your new private plates on the car and the plates you take off in your garage for when you do the next switch in three years.

Simple.

 

plus the £80 fee which Motability will take for you.

)
If you let the dealer know that you’ll be putting on a new plate but will do it yourself ask them to do you a favour and make up a new set for you.

Most can do it in house and will simply leave them in the boot ready for when the paperwork is done. If they’re any good, they won’t charge you.

Current car: Mini Countryman EV in very shiny black!

Previous car: MG HS Exclusive in nice shiny black.

[Winston]

I collected my Tiguan in July and it came with my private plate already on

all i paid was the £80 DVLA charge

so whoever is trying to charge you an extra 80 quid is well n truly at it

you can buy the latest 4d gel plates for about £50 fitted, so they are well n Reilly trying to rip you off charging £80 for standard ones

[JS]

It seems it should be straight forward The info in this thread may help.

Private plates

 

[Philjb]

Funny as the vw dealer who supplied our car told us he’d contacted motability and the private plate would need to be added once we got the car home?

But they did make me up a set of plates for me.

I never believed him, as other dealers have swapped my private plate on purchase with no problems.