How to Check if a Number Plate Is Available
Hello, I’m Steve Jackson OBE, founder of NewReg.co.uk. Over my 35 years in the number plate industry, I’ve helped countless individuals find their perfect private number plate. One question I often hear is, “How can I check if a number plate is available?” If you’ve thought of the ideal registration to personalise your vehicle, here’s a straightforward guide to help you find out if it’s taken.
Searching for Your Exact Registration Online
The quickest way to check if a number plate is available is to search online. At New Reg, we’ve developed an easy-to-use system:
Enter the Registration: Simply input the exact registration mark you’re interested in into our search box:
How to Check if a Number Plate Is Available
Hello, I’m Steve Jackson OBE, founder of NewReg.co.uk. Over my 35 years in the number plate industry, I’ve helped countless individuals find their perfect private number plate. One question I often hear is, “How can I check if a number plate is available?” If you’ve thought of the ideal registration to personalise your vehicle, here’s a straightforward guide to help you find out if it’s taken.
Searching for Your Exact Registration Online
The quickest way to check if a number plate is available is to search online. At New Reg, we’ve developed an easy-to-use system:
- Enter the Registration: Simply input the exact registration mark you’re interested in into our search box.
- Immediate Results: If the number plate is available, it will appear at the top of the list as an ‘exact match’ along with the asking price.
- Alternative Options: If it’s taken, we’ll show you similar private plates that might match your preferences.
The Advantage of Using New Reg
One of the benefits of using New Reg over other online systems is our personalised service:
- Expert Assistance: Our team is highly experienced in tracking down the perfect private number plates for our customers. Not all combinations are listed, but we have millions of records, from previous sales to accessing the databases of other dealers and the DVLA.
- Creative Suggestions: We might suggest alternatives you hadn’t considered, helping you find a plate that suits. For example, you may want CLA 55, and CLA 5S or CLA 55Y could equally be combinations for you to consider.
- Competitive Prices: We offer a vast selection of number plates at a wide range of prices. So if you’ve a budget in mind we can help either deliver the registration or manage your expectations.
Checking Using An MOT Or TAX Database
Another method is to check an MOT checker database:
- Vehicle Enquiry: While primarily designed to request information like make, model, taxation status and MOT, it can indicate if a number plate is assigned to a vehicle.
- Understanding the Results:If Assigned: The search will display information about the vehicle it’s assigned to.
If Not Found: You’ll see the message such as, “Vehicle details could not be found,” meaning the number plate may no longer exist, may be on retention or was never issued. This is where liaising with the New Reg team can become very helpful.
Registering Your Interest
If your desired registration isn’t available, don’t lose hope:
- Keep Updated Feature: On our search results page, click the “Register Interest” button
- Simple Form: Fill in your name, phone number, and email address and submit your details.
- Stay Informed: We’ll notify you if your desired registration becomes available for purchase.
Thinking Outside the Box
Sometimes, the exact number plate you’re after is taken. The good news is that the NewReg.co.uk search engine is designed to ‘search anything’ from letters, numbers, names etc, so ideal to explore other options:
- Use Initials: Instead of a full name, try searching for your initials. If you’ve three or more to your name, you can hide the middle ones from the search to create more options. Some people even like single letter combinations, to match only their first or surname. i.e. A 1 would be perfect for Andrew or Atkinson.
- Reflect Interests: Consider plates that represent your children, pets, hobbies, profession, family birthdays and anniversary date or even favourite sports team.
- Explore Similar Plates: Our system suggests similar number plates that might appeal to you.
- Popularity Matters: Common names or words are often already taken due to high demand.
- Unique Combinations: Think of creative or less common combinations to increase the chances of availability.
- Periodic Releases: New registrations are released periodically, so it’s worth checking back regularly.
The Importance of Timing
- High Demand: Private number plates can be highly sought after, but it’s also true to say that as people get older, a registration number can vary in its appeal. Quite often a person that’s held their ultimate numberplate for 30-years plus, will consider parting with it, to pay for more pressing matters that come with age, such as retirement and bank of mum and dad!
- Act Quickly: If you find a private number plate you like, consider purchasing it promptly before someone else does. It’s quite possible that you’re not the only person looking for that special combination and with tens of millions of drivers in the UK, you don’t want to miss the opportunity to secure your dream plate, especially if you’ve been waiting a while to get your hands on it!
- Think Ahead: Every year millions of new reg’s are issued to the DVLA Personalised Registrations range of new style combinations. By registering your interest in advance you’ll have the best chance of checking if the mark you want is being released.
Assistance with the Purchase Process
At New Reg, we make the purchasing process seamless:
- Secure Transactions: We ensure your purchase is handled securely and registered correctly with the UK authorities.
- Transfer Assistance: We’ll help with assigning the number plate to your vehicle or placing it on retention for future use.
- Customer Support: Before, during and after you’ve secured your personalised number plates, our team is here to answer any questions you may have, or provide subsequent services.
Benefits of a Private Number Plate
- Personal Identity: Make your car, motorcycle or HGV uniquely yours.
- Investment Potential: When purchased, some number plates can appreciate in value over time. Whilst not investment advice, New Reg are best equipped to make suggestions and to check if number plate is available.
- Gift Idea: They make memorable gifts for loved ones and a reminder of your gift each time they use their vehicles.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I find out who owns a number plate?
- Privacy Laws: Due to privacy regulations, owner details are not publicly accessible, however, extensive databases such as those held by New Reg and vehicle licensing agency databases such as MOT and road taxation data, can help us to trace and contact an owner on your behalf.
- Focus On Availability We can help you find out if a plate is potentially available, but we will not share the data of who owns it. We often know if a particular combination has been registered in history, so can confirm if available or not.
What if the plate was never issued to a car?
- Unissued Plates: Some combinations were never released by the DVLA. These could be considered offensive or in bad taste, one example being S4TAN. However, with millions of possible combinations, it could simply be that DVLA have not got around to issuing it yet. You can register with DVLA directly and request it be issued. If you’re lucky, it’ll go to a forthcoming auction, where you can bid direct. There’s no other method of having DVLA issue a previously unissued combination, as they must adhere to rules of fair play, to obtain best price for the treasury.
- Alternative Options: Our team can help you find similar registrations that are available. Using the example above, S4TAN was never issued, but historically SAT4N was. New Reg subsequently secured this combination and sold it to ‘Church of Satan’, who we believe still retain this today. Another classic example that personalised number plates have appeal to many people from all walks of life.
Start Your Search Today
Visit NewReg.co.uk to begin your search, as we scour many online systems, secondary market combinations and those featured on the DVLA website. With our extensive database and personalised service, we’re confident we can help you find the ideal car number plate for your vehicle.
Alternatively, feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need assistance. At New Reg, we’re committed to helping you every step of the way in acquiring your perfect private number plate.
