The DVLA says drivers could be in for a £1,000 fine if they don’t take immediate action
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has issued a warning to drivers with personalised number plates. Drivers could face a £1,000 fine if they do not take immediate action when needed.
The DVLA is responsible for the registration and licensing of drivers and vehicles in Great Britain, maintaining nearly 53 million driver records and over 47 million vehicle records. In addition to this, it also oversees the collection and enforcement of vehicle excise duty, commonly known as road tax, which amounted to a staggering £8.4 billion in 2024/25.
As part of its ongoing efforts to keep track of vehicles, the DVLA took to social media to issue a warning to those with personalised number plates. The message read: “Do you have a personalised registration that is not on a vehicle? If it’s been 10 years since the latest certificate or retention document for your registration was issued, you may need to renew it this year. It’s free to renew.”
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According to the DVLA website, if it has been a decade since the latest certificate or retention document for your personalised registration number was issued, you may need to renew it this year.
Renewal is free of charge and drivers are advised to check their documents to find out when the expiry date is. The specific document you need to check depends on whether the registration number has ever been assigned to a vehicle or not.
If a personal registration plate has expired, drivers could be hit with fines up to £1,000, fail their MOT, and potentially lose the registration number.
If the number plate is not currently assigned to a vehicle, it’s recommended to check your V750 certificate. If it was previously assigned but is now on retention, you’ll need to refer to your V778 retention document and renew the registration number by post.
There are 45million personalised number plates in the UK, demonstrating their popularity among drivers and collectors. According to DemonPlates, the priciest one was ’25 0′, which fetched a whopping £518,000 at auction in 2014, largely due to its association with the legendary Ferrari 250 TR and Ferrari 250 GTO.