Archive for July, 2008

DVLA

July 8, 2008 at 8:58 pm · Filed under Numberplates, dvla ·Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

DVLA

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency or DVLA is the official motoring body for the UK. With ever increasing revenues from the sale of personalised numberplates James Newell investigates the potted history of the DVLA

How the DVLA began

The DVLA (driver and vehicle licensing agency) actually began life as the DVLC (driver and vehicle licensing centre) in 1974 and was supported by regional taxing offices much as it is today.

In 1990 the DVLA was born and became an executive agency of the Department of transport- it was this transition which gave birth to revenue generating activities such as the sale of marks scheme- a seminal point for number plate enthusiasts.

DVLA Swansea

The DVLA is based in Swansea and supported by a network of regional DVLA local offices- The DVLA offices in Swansea oversee the DVLA local offices as well as enforcing large scale car tax enforcement schemes and issuing driving licenses.

DVLA select number plates

Select registrations allowed members of the public the opportunity for the first time to purchase an unissued number plate combination.

DVLA select number plates were a turning point for the personalised number plate market and thousands of interesting and desirable number plates became available on a regular basis.

DVLA personalised registrations

The DVLA Select brand evolved to become DVLA personalised registrations or DVLA registrations- the dvlaregistrations.co.uk website has many millions of number plate combinations for sale at anyone time as well as information on DVLA auctions past and future.

DVLA auction

In addition to DVLA select and DVLA registrations, the DVLA hold 6 auctions each year to auction off number plates which have become available through other means such as repossession.

DVLA auctions are a valuable source of some of the most sought after plates- a mixture of all number plate styles, budgets and interests- there is a smorgasbord of choice- if you have the time and money to investigate.

It is the DVLA’s primary responsibility to generate and collect revenues for the department of transport- as ever increasing numbers of motorists take an active interest in personalised number plates; you can be sure that the ability to buy, sell and transfer number plates in the UK is here to stay and set only to improve.

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Autonumerology

July 8, 2008 at 8:56 pm · Filed under Numberplates, number plate history ·Tagged , , , , , , ,

Autonumerology

Reading letters and numbers as words is known Autonumerology- first discovered by noel Woodall the art of Autonumerology has fuelled the growth of the number plate market- James Newell looks back at how it began.

What is autonumerology?

Autonumerology is basically reading number plate letters and numbers as words- for example J4MES would be read as JAMES instead of J-4-M-E-S.

Autonumerology has been the driving force behind personalised number plates in the uk- some of the most desirable plate combinations “read” common names or words.

Noel Woodall

In 1964 Noel Woodall first coined the phrase Autonumerology to put a name to his interest in car registrations, this made him the world’s first Autonumerologist.

In the past 40 years, he has remained fascinated by personal number plates and is recognised as an authority on the subject.

How to read a number plate as a word

Over the years – and starting with Noel Woodall’s early work- an alternative “number plate alphabet” has emerged to help explain the workings of autonumerology:

D can be represented by 0
I or L can be represented by 1
R or Z can be represented by 2
E can be represented by 3
A, D, H can be represented by 4
S can be represented by 5
G or B can be represented by6
T or Y can be represented by 7
A or B can be represented by 8
G can be represented by 9
U or H can be represented by 11
R can be represented by 12
B can be represented by 13
N can be represented by 1V
0 can be represented by D,6,8, or 9
W can be represented by VV
U can be represented by V

How can autonumerology help me?

When searching for a number plate you will need to substitute letters and numbers at some point to get your ideal combination- once you know which letters and numbers can be swapped it’s easier to find your ideal reg.

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The history of number plates

July 8, 2008 at 8:56 pm · Filed under Numberplates, number plate history ·Tagged , , , ,

The history of number plates

Got From A1 to “new style” James Newell looks at the key elements of number plate history.

1896 locomotive and highways act

1896 – the Locomotive and Highways Act counts the vehicles in the UK at circa 5000.

The motor car act 1903

The Motor Car Act 1903 meant all motor vehicles were to be registered, and display registration numbers- this allows the government to track and monitor vehicles properly for the first time.

The roads act 1920

The Roads Act 1920 stated local councils had to register all vehicles at the time of licensing and to allocate to each a separate registration number.

A1 – the first number plate

Famously issued to Earl Russell – he camped out all night to be the first in line to display the first ever “number plate”

1963 – Suffix number plates

A 7th digit was added (suffixed) to number plate combinations. This extra digit was a letter, which indicated the age of the car.

The registration year began with the letter A and ran from 1 January – 31 December, when it was swapped for the letter B etc..

In 1967 the motor car industry demanded the changeover date for registrations was moved from January 1st to August 1st.

Unused digits

The letters I and Z were, never used as they were reserved for Northern Ireland, whilst the letter Q was reserved for kit cars and repaired write offs; for unknown reasons the letter U was never used at all. See I,Q and Z explained

DVLC established

In the 1960s it was decided that the department to administer the ever increasing numbers of vehicles on the roads was required.

Thus the DVLC (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Centre) was conceived; located in Swansea, it was supported by 81 Local Vehicle Licensing Offices.

1973 – Reflective number plates

From 1 January 1973 vehicles were required to have reflective number plates – black on white at the front and black on yellow at the back. Reflective plates were introduced so that unlit vehicles could be seen more easily at night.

New regulations introduced at the same time also regulated the size, shape and character of registration marks.

1983- Prefix number plates

By 1983 the “suffix” system was reversed to become the “Prefix” system

In 1999 for the first time there were now two plate changes a year, 1 March and 1 September.

2001- New style number plates

In 2001, the new registration format was introduced; number plates would have a format composed of 2 prefix letters( the location identifier), 2 numbers (the age identifier), and then 3 random letters.

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Marketing your number plate

July 8, 2008 at 8:53 pm · Filed under Numberplates, sell number plates ·Tagged , , , ,

Marketing your number plate

With far too many number plate dealers and different places to advertise your number plate- find out how to get noticed with our number plate marketing guide.

Find your target audience

First things first- who is going to buy your number plate? Take your number plate combination and work out who it will appeal to- this is the most important part of selling your number plate.

Direct contact

If you have a number plate which would be ideal for a Porsche owner then your first stop should be Porsche forums and the Porsche owners club- directly contacting those interested in your number plate can be the most effective way to sell your number plate.

Get on Google!

Search engine optimisation can be a great tool to get your number plate noticed online. Smashing plates’ number plate adverts are optimised for Google in the way they are structured. Each advert in Smashing Plates has it’s own URL (web address)

If you post this link in forums and your other online efforts to advertise your plate you will find that your number plate will start to appear in Google searches.

Facebook, blogs and forums

With the advent of social networking, blogs and forums it is possible to get considerable exposure for your number plate and reach a large number of potential buyers. By spending time posting details of your number plate in as many possible places online- you have increased your chances of selling the plate.

Join our Facebook number plate group and get your plate seen!

Join our Myspace number plate group too!

Be inventive

There are millions and millions of number plates for sale in the UK at any one time – think hard about who will buy your plate and how you may reach them and you will be rewarded with a speedy sale.

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Types of number plates

July 8, 2008 at 8:51 pm · Filed under Numberplates, types of number plates ·Tagged , , , , ,

Types of number plates

Dateless, prefix or suffix? A simple guide to different number plate types and styles.

Different types of number plates

As the number of vehicles registered on the UK roads increased the DVLC (driver and vehicle licensing centre- the old name for the DVLA) had to devise a sequential numbering system to allow them to keep track of each and every vehicle.

Here we look briefly at the different styles of number plates all of which are to be found on the roads today.

Dateless number plates

Dateless number plates began in 1903 as a result of the Motor Car act and began, logically, at A1- famously issued to Earl Russell. Beginning as one letter and one number- dateless number plates ultimately swelled to 3 numbers and 3 letters in a bid to increase the number of available registrations.

The sequences were then reversed- doubling the number of combinations- a trick the DVLA still uses to this day.

Buy dateless number plates

Suffix Number plates

Suffix number plates soon followed as the number of combinations was exhausted. 1963 saw the first ever Suffix number plate- 3 random letters, up to 3 random numbers and a letter- which identified the year of registration- and beginning, logically, at A.

Suffix number plates were structured to allow for far more combinations and to bring a degree of logic and sequence to the art of issuing number plates.

Buy suffix number plates

Prefix number plates

As the suffix number plates ran thin the DVLA reversed the format (as they had originally with dateless plates) this began with “A” in 1984 and as before had up to 3 numbers and three random letters.

Buy prefix number plates

New Style number plates

The end of the prefix system meant the DVLA had to devise a new number plate structure- one which could cope with the millions of new vehicle registrations which were annually taking place.

In 2001 they introduced the “new style” system- consisting of two letters which identify the tax office of issue (local identifiers)- two numbers which identify the date of issue (age identifiers) and three random letters.

Buy new style number plates

Irish number plates

Consisting of up to 3 letters indicate the county in which the number plate was issued and followed by up to 4 numbers- irish number plates were (until the introduction of new style plates) the only number plates to use the characters “I” and “Z”

Irish number plates have evolved to be the cheapest form of number plates and are often used to “cover” the age of the vehicles they are transferred to.

Buy Irish number plates

Future styles

When the “new style” number plate system ends it’s operation in 2049 the format will be reversed as before. After that? Who knows? The DVLA will no doubt already be investigating their options in good time- perhaps the barcode number plates of science fiction may become reality?

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Wikipedia – Number plate styles

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New style number plates

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