Personalised Registration Terminology

Cape Plates like to ensure our customers understand all the number plate terminology when purchasing a personalised registration, so if you keep getting your suffix confused with your prefix and are bemused by V778s and V750s, our easy to follow glossary of terms will guide you through your purchase with ease.

DVLA

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is a government department which is responsible for maintaining the records of vehicle and driver information. The DVLA also collects vehicle excise duty and aids the police in road law enforcement. The DVLNI is the Northern Ireland equivalent to the DVLA.

Suffix - Personalised Registration Numbers

A suffix number plate follows the format of three letters followed by up to three numbers and a final letter which identifies the year the vehicle was registered. First issued in 1963 with the "A" suffix series, they were introduced to meet the increase in vehicle numbers on our roads. ABC 321A is an example of a suffix registration.

Prefix - Personalised Registration Numbers

The format of a prefix registration number is the reverse of suffix number plates, with an age identifier letter first, followed by up to three numbers and then three letters. An example of the format of a prefix registration is A123 ABC. Prefix registration numbers were first issued in 1983 s the suffix series ran out.

Current Style Registration Plate

These were issued from 2001 onwards when the prefix series ran out. The format follows two letters then two numbers and finally three letters. The numbers relate to the year the registration was issued and change every 6 months in March and September. An example of a new style registration is AA02 CBA.

Dateless Registration Number

Dateless registration numbers have no age identifier and were first issued by local councils. Each council was assigned a letter representing the area the number plate was issued as opposed to the year it was released. Some dateless number plates are over 100 years old and can be sold for vast amounts of money. Generally speaking dateless number plates with fewer letters and lower numbers are the most desirable.

Nominee Name

The nominee name is added to your V750/V778 when you buy a registration. This name must be an exact match to the name that appears in the V5 Logbook of the vehicle you wish to assign you chosen registration number to.

Certificate of Entitlement

A certificate of entitlement (or V750) is a pink certificate which displays the purchasers' details and chosen registration. A nominee name can also be displayed to enable a 3rd party to assign the registration to their vehicle.

Retention Certificate

A retention certificate (or V778) is issued by the DVLA when a registration is taken off a vehicle and held on what is known as "retention". This facility enables the registration number to be held on certificate assigned to a different vehicle if the owner so wishes, at a later date.

Acrylic Number Plates

When you purchase a personal registration number you are buying the rights to the registration. If you wish to assign the registration number to your vehicle you will also need a set of acrylic number plates. These are the actual physical plates that you attach to your vehicle which display your new registration number. Legally the must also show the suppliers of the registrations name and postcode. You may also display the EURO and GB badges for travel within the EU.

Show Plates

Produced by number plate suppliers, these are acrylic number plates that can be made to read anything you wish. You can have the option of various fonts, different spacing or even someone's name. You must remember however that these plates are NOT road legal and by displaying these on your vehicle whilst on the road can make you liable for prosecution by the police or fail your MOT.