Van Insurance « Transfering a cherished plate to a leased van

Transferring your cherished plate to a leased van

If you lease a van, you can have your personal number plate transferred to your vehicle, but it will require the authorisation of the leasing company. Please note if you have a short term lease it’s unlikely the rental company will allow such a transfer. To be able to transfer your Private plate to your van you would need an agreement with the company providing the lease as they will likely be the registered vehicle owner. Providing the vehicle is taxed and has a valid MOT certificate the leasing company can apply for a registration transfer.

It’s important to note that once the licence plate has been transferred to your leased van it’s in effect part of the van, so it’s advisable to have a prior written agreement with the leasing company to state that once the lease term expires your private licence plate is returned to you and not sold or kept as part of the van. The lease company can apply for the original van plate to be retained for up to 3 years, and then returned to the van once the lease term expires.

There are exceptions where a number plate can’t be transferred, but your V5C document will outline if a plate is non-transferable. If the plate you intend to transfer has a year identifier on it such as 53 which is two-digit code identifier for September 2003 it can not be transferred to any vehicle registered before the identifier date. This is to prevent vehicles being made to appear younger than they actual registration date. The reverse is acceptable and older plates can be transferred to newer model vehicles. These ruled do not apply to licence plates without suffix or two-digit year identifiers so should you have a cherished plate which read “QUAD 01” you can apply for a transfer to any vehicle regardless of age.

It’s important to notify your Insurance Company should you change the registration plate on your van. This will ensure that if an accident occurs and your van is written off, when the lease company is paid out in full and the wreckage becomes the property of the insurer, it can’t be sold with your private plate attached. It’s advisable to get a written acknowledgment from the Insurer regarding the ownership of your private plate.

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