Whether you’re a wannabe entrepreneur or a seasoned business owner, you’ll understand how powerful brand recognition is as a tool for businesses of all sizes. When your brand is recognisable, people trust it, even if they’ve never bought your products/services.
Once your brand has reached high recognition, your consumers will automatically recognise the logo, colours, slogans, and even tones associated with your brand (think about Coca-Cola and Pepsi!) – yet how can you hope to achieve this level of notoriety?
While they won’t skyrocket your brand to the heights of Pepsi and Coca-Cola overnight, private number plates have become an increasingly popular brand promotion tool among business owners (while customising their fleet simultaneously!). However, as with implementing anything new and shiny, business owners tend to have many queries and concerns whenever using private number plates appears on the business plan.
From understanding the legislation surrounding personal number plates and their effects on your marketing processes to queries about where to buy them and what happens if you no longer want the number – it’s understandable that you might have a few questions.
To prevent confusion, we outline several of the most frequently asked questions about personal number plates and how this brand awareness tool could help add a personal touch to your branding strategy and distinction to your company’s fleet.
What If I Decide That I No Longer Want My Personal Number Plate?
Let’s face it; whether in our personal or professional lives, we’ve all purchased something brand new and shiny, loved it for a couple of months/years, then looked at it one day and decided we no longer like it/or it no longer benefits our lifestyle. So, you might be worried about a similar scenario once you purchase personal number plates for your company fleet.
While they add a personal touch to your fleet, with a price tag of hundreds, or even thousands,of pounds, the last thing you want is to be stuck with something that no longer brings you value. Thankfully, if the fated day ever arrives in which you decide you no longer want your number plate, you’ll be pleased to learn that you can sell it.
If you’re looking to sell it as quickly as possible, you could consider enlisting the services of professionals like Regtransfers, who can give you a rough estimate of how much your plate is worth and market it to prospective buyers.
Whether you’d like to advertise your number plate for sale with them, list it for sale in their auction, or sell it to them for stock, they offer several ways to take it off your hands. Consider visiting their website or contacting a team member for more information today.
Why Do Personal Number Plates Fluctuate In Price So Drastically?
Chances are, if you’ve been considering purchasing personalised number plates for your company fleet, you’ve been doing your research. Between your internet searches, you’ve likely noticed that most private number plates are around the £100-£200 mark; however, while scrolling, you might have also noticed that others cost significantly more.
The more desirable your number plate is, the heftier its price tag will be. The pricing is down to supply and demand, so how much you pay for a plate depends on how much another would pay to get their hands on a plate featuring that specific marque.
On the other hand, specific characteristics can also influence your price for private number plates, such as single-figure numbers, dateless registrations, nostalgia, famous names, and much more. If you’d like to understand better what could cost you more money to drive with that specific set of numbers/characters, look at which plates feature among lists of the most expensive in the UK.
If I Buy A Plate, Do I Have To Put It Straight Onto A Vehicle?
If you’re a wannabe entrepreneur, chances are that you haven’t got everything on your checklist for your newfound business venture just yet, your fleet being one of them, we presume. But what if you’d like to secure your private number plates in advance to ensure that no one else snatches them up before you?
Fortunately, if you have an excellent idea for a personalised number plate but don’t yet possess the vehicle, you can still go ahead with your purchase. After you’ve made your purchase, you will receive a certificate detailing your private number plate and its expiry date (usually ten years from the date of purchase).
So long as you transfer your private number plates onto a vehicle before its expiry date, you won’t have to worry about buying a car before you purchase private number plates. However, it is generally recommended to have the car ready so that you can transfer the new reg immediately and make the most of it before its expiry date.
Are There Any Limitations Concerning What Vehicle I Can Transfer My Plate To?
For those that don’t already own personalised number plates, you would assume that you could transfer them to any vehicle you want. However, it might come as a surprise to learn that this isn’t true and that several limitations surround what kind of car can feature your company’s personalised number plate. The regulations are as follows:
- ‘Q’ Registered Vehicles – If the age/identity of a vehicle is compromised, then DVLA will issue it with a registration beginning with a ‘Q’. So, if you happen to be the owner of one of these ‘Q’ registered vehicles, you will be disappointed to learn that you cannot transfer a private number plate to it.
- MOT/HGV Exempt – If you own a vehicle that doesn’t require an MOT or heavy goods vehicle (HGV) test certificate, then you cannot transfer a private number plate onto it. An example of an MOT/HGV-exempt vehicle would be a tractor.
- Hiding Old Age – Aside from boosting your brand awareness, you might want to purchase a private registration plate to make your vehicle look newer than it is. However, while you might think this is an excellent way to make your company vehicle look fresher, it is unfortunately not permitted.
Can I Purchase Private Number Plates For A Moped/Motorcycle?
With food delivery platforms like Deliveroo, Just Eat, Uber Eats etc. soaring into popularity during the pandemic, the market size of the food delivery industry now sits at around £3.1bn. If your company is fortunate enough to operate within this lucrative industry, you may have your own fleet of mopeds/motorcycles to help you fulfil orders more effectively.
While other food delivery platforms like Deliveroo, Just Eat etc., have very distinctive branding to make their couriers stand out among competitors, very few food delivery platforms have personalised number plates – so you might be considering making yours stick out by adding this unique feature. But can you add private number plates to mopeds/motorcycles?
While different to traditional vehicles, you might be surprised to learn that mopeds/motorcycles use the same number plate system, meaning that your food delivery chain can use this branding tool freely to make your brand stand out among others and increase your reputation among customers and locale.
