What Does Non-Transferrable Mean?

If your vehicle registration document says non-transferrable, it means that the vehicle has, at some point, had a personalised number plate and this replacement current registration cannot be transferred to another vehicle. This does not mean that you cannot change the number plate on that car. It just means that the current number plate cannot be transferred to another vehicle or sold on to someone else.

If the vehicle has a “Q” registration, then it is also non-transferrable but you cannot change this type of registration plate by buying a new number plate. A “Q” registration is allocated to a car when the exact age is difficult to establish as it may be built from more than one vehicle. Tractors and agricultural vehicles may also fall into this category if when the vehicle is first registered the keeper wants to use it exclusively off-road and on farmland rather than on the public highway. This eliminates the need for tax and MoT which is a requirement for the transfer to take place.

Non-transferrable may also mean that the registration is very old and was not registered on the DVLA register back in 1980’s when DVLC-as they were know at the time- were changing from the old buff style log book to the later V5 registration document. Many people were not aware of this requirement which meant that thousands of valuable private plates would not qualify for the transfer at a later date, however the plate can stay with the car.

Can I Get a New Personalised Number Plate?

Generally speaking, Yes. Excluding the above situations, then you can transfer a new registration plate onto a vehicle providing it is currently taxed and MOT’d. The only requirement is that you do not make the vehicle appear newer than it actually is.