Private number plates will ‘rarely’ affect car insurance premiums or increase costs

DVLA number plate sells for over £25,000 at auction

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Many road users are concerned securing private and unique designs could be seen as a car modification which could affect their cover. However, motoring specialists have confirmed it is “rare” for premiums to become affected by number plate designs so prices shouldn’t rise.

USwitch car insurance expert James Andrews said plates were seen as “part of the car” instead of a modification.

However, they warned drivers to check this with their insurer before making a switch to ensure they are not caught out.

Mr Andrews said: “Personalised plates are generally seen as part of a car, rather than as a modification, so it’s rare for them to affect premiums.

“It’s worth double-checking this with your provider, however, in case it takes a different view.

“But being seen as part of the car itself also means they revert to being owned by your insurer if you make a claim for the whole value of the car.”

USwitch said drivers who want to keep their plates must tell their insurer when making a claim.

You can generally get them back for no more than a settlement fee which could be vital for those whose plates hold sentimental value.

Your provider also needs to write a letter of non-interest to the DVLA.

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This confirms they have no interest in keeping your private designs and allows you to transfer these to a new vehicle.

However, road users must act quickly if they want to make sure they keep hold of them.

If you are too slow and the car is scrapped there is a genuine risk plates could be lost forever.

Road users would then need to secure new designs or something similar to place on their new vehicle.

Admiral Car Insurance has confirmed they do not see personalised number plates as a form of car modification meaning premiums will not be affected.

But they warned road users to always check with thor insure to avoid being caught out and reminded drivers to inform the DVLA as soon as they change their reg plate.

They said in a statement: “Every insurance supplier operates differently, with some categorising a personalised number plate as a form of car modification.

“However, this is not always the case and you should check with your own insurance company to find out how you may be affected.

“Admiral Car Insurance does not treat number plates as a vehicle modification.

“When insuring with us, customers need to change their registration on their policy once the number plate has been fitted to the car and the car’s V5 document has been changed.

“If you don’t inform the DVLA, there’s a risk that they will think the vehicle is uninsured.”

Experts at National Numbers warned insurance firms may charge a small admin fee for reporting a change as they will need to update their records.

However, they said road users should challenge a free as this was a ”trivial” charge which may not be considered a reasonable excuse for payment.

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