Terms & Conditions

Version: 1.0
Last updated: 7 November 2026
Website: https://numberplates.org/terms

1. Who we are

NumberPlates.org is operated by The Number Plate Company Group Ltd ("we", "us" or "our"), at 167-169 Great Portland Street, London, W1W 5PF.

You can contact us at contact@numberplates.org or on Instagram @numberplates. Please use email for contractual notices, cancellations and complaints.

We operate a website on which people can advertise UK vehicle registration marks, enquire about registrations for sale, research their history and request valuations or cash offers. We may also buy and sell registrations ourselves.

DVLA is a registered trademark of the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency. NumberPlates.org is not affiliated to the DVLA or DVLA Personalised Registrations.

2. What these terms cover

These terms govern access to our website, accounts, listings, enquiries, valuations, watchlists, research features and any registration purchase or transfer service which we expressly agree to supply.

A registration number is not the same as the physical number plates fitted to a vehicle. In a transaction, what is transferred is the entitlement or right to assign a registration mark in accordance with DVLA rules, not permanent ownership of the registration mark itself. DVLA controls registration and assignment.

Where a registration is advertised by a private seller, the seller and buyer ordinarily contract with each other, not with us. Where we are the seller, we will make that clear before an order is placed. Where we agree to provide a separate paid transfer or administration service, its scope and price will be confirmed in writing.

Nothing in these terms excludes or restricts your rights under consumer law.

3. Definitions

• Buyer: A person seeking to acquire a registration entitlement.
• Seller: A person advertising or transferring a registration, whether a private individual, a business or us.
• Listing: An advertisement on NumberPlates.org offering a registration for sale or inviting enquiries.
• Registration: A UK vehicle registration mark and, where applicable, the transferable entitlement associated with it.
• V750 certificate of entitlement: A DVLA document evidencing entitlement to assign a registration that has not yet been assigned to a vehicle.
• V778 retention document: A DVLA document evidencing entitlement to assign a registration retained from a vehicle.
• Nominee: The person named where applicable as the intended recipient for assignment, subject to DVLA requirements. Being named as nominee does not of itself confer ownership of the entitlement.
• Our stock: A registration which we are selling as principal rather than merely advertising for another seller.
• Managed transaction: A sale or transfer in which we expressly undertake to handle payment, documentation or transfer steps under an agreed arrangement.

4. Prices, taxes and fees

Prices shown for registrations are the full advertised registration prices. We do not currently add VAT to the price of registrations listed through our marketplace. An £80 DVLA assignment or transfer fee is displayed separately and included in the stated total payable for every purchase arranged through us, in accordance with our stated pricing policy. We will explain before payment whether that fee is payable to us, to DVLA, or has already been paid within the transaction, to prevent double charging.

Any other optional service, delivery charge or administration charge must be clearly described and agreed before it becomes payable. We do not add undisclosed charges after a buyer commits to purchase. Prices and tax treatment may differ for a transaction between a buyer and an independent seller. A seller's own VAT status will be made clear where relevant. A private seller may not be VAT registered.

A displayed asking price does not guarantee that the registration remains available. Prices may be changed before a binding contract is formed, but not retrospectively after agreement without the buyer's consent.

Physical number plates are not included unless the sales confirmation explicitly says otherwise. If supplied, any additional price and delivery details will be disclosed in advance.

5. Buying a registration

5.1 Enquiries and offers

An enquiry, question or offer made through the website is not automatically an accepted order or a binding sale. We may forward an offer to a seller, and the seller may accept, reject or counter it. The buyer and seller must agree the registration, price, payment arrangements, any fees, and transfer procedure.

5.2 Who contracts with you

For a private-seller listing, the contract of sale is between the buyer and the seller unless we expressly confirm that we are acting as the seller. We provide the listing and messaging service and may offer transfer guidance. We do not guarantee a private seller's performance or automatically hold funds for such sales.

For our stock, the contract with us is formed only when we send written acceptance identifying the registration, the total price, the seller, and the agreed transaction terms. An automated acknowledgement of an enquiry or offer is not acceptance.

For any managed transaction, we will identify in writing whether we are agent or principal, who receives and holds payment, what we will do, and when funds may be released.

5.3 Payment and documentation

Never pay a seller solely on the strength of a listing or send funds to an unverified payment destination. Before paying, check the identity of the party you are dealing with, the registration and its entitlement documentation, and the agreed release or transfer steps. If we are taking payment, we will provide the payment method and a written order summary.

A V750 or V778 is evidence of an entitlement, not a guarantee that the registration can be assigned to a particular vehicle. We may require identity, authority and supporting documents before proceeding. Do not share publicly accessible photographs or scans of documents containing assignment references.

5.4 What the buyer receives

The outcome of a completed transaction will be either: (a) assignment of the registration to an eligible vehicle; or (b) appropriate documentation or confirmation enabling assignment or retention, as agreed for that transaction and permitted by DVLA. We will describe the agreed outcome before payment in any sale we conduct.

5.5 Vehicle eligibility

You must make sure the intended vehicle can legally receive the registration. A registration must not make a vehicle appear newer than it is. Depending on the type of application, DVLA rules can require the vehicle to be registered in the UK, have appropriate tax or SORN status, meet applicable MOT or inspection requirements, and be eligible to have a registration assigned. Q and QNI registrations, and registrations marked non-transferable, can be subject to restrictions. We will explain known restrictions but DVLA has the final say.

5.6 Timeframes

A transfer may be completed quickly where DVLA's online service can process it, or may take longer if postal documents, vehicle inspections, additional checks or third-party action are needed. Any estimate is not a guaranteed completion date unless expressly agreed as such. We will tell buyers in transactions managed by us when material delays arise.

6. Selling a registration

6.1 Free private listings

Private individuals may currently advertise eligible registrations on NumberPlates.org free of charge, with zero seller commission or success fee. You choose your asking price and keep the full agreed sale price. We will not introduce a fee for an existing agreed sale without your express prior consent.

6.2 Seller promises

By submitting a listing, you confirm that:

1. The registration is genuine, lawfully held and capable of transfer, subject to DVLA rules.
2. You hold the relevant entitlement or have clear authority from the person entitled to sell or transfer it.
3. The registration is held on a valid V750, V778 or an eligible vehicle, as you disclose to us.
4. All prices, descriptions, photographs and information you supply are accurate and not misleading.
5. The registration is available to sell and you will promptly update or withdraw the listing if that changes.
6. You will cooperate reasonably with identity and entitlement checks, and will not expose assignment references or other sensitive documents publicly.
7. You have the necessary rights and permissions to provide any images or other material for publication.

A listing must show a clear asking price. Price-on-application listings are not accepted under our current listing policy.

6.3 Moderation and removal

We review listings before publication. We may request evidence, correct obvious formatting, reject, suspend, hide or remove a listing, and restrict an account, where we reasonably consider it necessary for legal compliance, fraud prevention, data protection, safety, accuracy or the proper running of the marketplace. We are not obliged to publish every listing, nor to explain every anti-fraud decision where doing so could undermine checks. We will act fairly and will not remove a listing in a way that defeats an existing binding agreement without good reason.

We may ask sellers periodically to reconfirm availability and may hide listings that are not reconfirmed.

6.4 Trade and intermediary listings

A seller acting as a trader, dealer, broker or agent must not present itself as a private individual selling personally owned entitlement. We may require disclosure of the seller's role, authority, and any commission or additional fee affecting a buyer. Any separate terms for commercial bulk listings will be supplied and agreed before those listings are accepted.

7. Cancellation, refunds and failed transfers

7.1 Consumer rights

For transactions in which we are the seller or service provider, your statutory cancellation and refund rights apply. Where a qualifying distance contract is a service contract, the normal cooling-off period is 14 days from the day after the contract is made, subject to legal exceptions and the rules on early performance. The precise position may differ depending on the nature of the contract, including whether it involves a registration entitlement, a separate service, or physical goods. We will supply the cancellation information relevant to the specific purchase before you are bound.

We do not apply a blanket rule that every registration sale becomes non-refundable as soon as payment is made or a transfer application is started.

7.2 Starting work during the cooling-off period

Where legally required, we will not begin a paid service during the cooling-off period unless you expressly ask us to. If you cancel after requesting early performance, you may have to pay a proportionate amount for services actually provided, to the extent permitted by law and disclosed in advance. For a service contract, the statutory cancellation right may be lost after the service is fully performed only where the required express request and acknowledgement have been obtained.

An agreed registration assignment may be difficult or impossible to reverse once DVLA has completed it. We will explain that practical consequence, but it does not by itself remove rights that cannot lawfully be excluded.

7.3 How to cancel

For purchases or paid services supplied by us, email contact@numberplates.org with your name, registration, order details and a clear statement that you wish to cancel. You do not need to use specific wording. We will confirm receipt and assess the request under applicable law and the sale confirmation.

Where a statutory cancellation refund is due from us, we will make it without undue delay and within the applicable legal deadline, normally 14 days after being informed of a valid cancellation of a service contract, using the original payment method unless you expressly agree otherwise.

7.4 Private sales and unsuccessful transfers

For a purchase directly from a private seller, cancellation rights and refund obligations depend on the identity of that seller, whether they act as a trader, and the agreed sale terms. Consumer cooling-off rules do not automatically apply to a genuine private-to-private sale. We can help relay a dispute but do not guarantee a refund of money paid directly to an independent seller.

If a transaction we sell or manage cannot be completed because the entitlement is unavailable, invalid or cannot lawfully be transferred as promised, we will explain the problem and provide the remedy required by law and our agreed contract, including a refund where appropriate. A buyer's failure to provide an eligible vehicle or required documents may affect the remedy, but does not remove statutory rights.

8. Number plate display and legal compliance

Registration marks must be displayed in the legally prescribed form, including correct characters and spacing. Physical plates newly fitted after 1 September 2021 generally must meet BS AU 145e, with other statutory requirements for colour, reflectivity, marking and construction. A stylised example or edited image on the website does not authorise unlawful spacing or characters.

Misrepresenting a registration can result in enforcement action and may contribute to withdrawal of the entitlement by DVLA. The buyer is responsible for ensuring any physical plates fitted to a vehicle comply with the law.

9. Valuations, cash offers, alerts and research

Valuations are opinions based on information available at the time, not guaranteed sale prices or offers to purchase. A direct cash offer is separate from a market valuation and is subject to any conditions expressly attached to it.

Timelines, auction records, sales histories, past advertisements, vehicle details, photographs and other research materials are compiled from available sources. They may be incomplete, delayed, disputed or inaccurate. An advertised price is not evidence that a sale took place, and a recorded sale may omit or include charges depending on the source. Nothing on the research pages establishes current entitlement to sell a registration.

Watchlists and alerts are optional information services. We do not guarantee that every event will be detected, that notifications will arrive immediately or that a registration will remain available after an alert. You must verify information before relying on it for a transaction.

You may contact us at contact@numberplates.org to report a factual error, challenge material concerning your rights or request a review of a listing.

10. Accounts, messages and acceptable use

You must provide accurate account information, keep login credentials secure and tell us promptly if you believe your account has been compromised. You are responsible for activity authorised through your account.

Messages and enquiries must remain within our platform or forwarding system. You must not share or solicit personal contact details in those messages, attempt to evade our safeguards, impersonate another person, send spam, harass users or use the service for fraud.

You must not scrape, bulk download, republish or commercially exploit our databases, research, images or text without permission, except as permitted by law. You must not interfere with site security or availability.

We may use reasonable anti-fraud controls and may retain records necessary to investigate suspected misuse in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

11. Intellectual property and user content

Our site design, original text, compiled databases and other content are protected by applicable rights. Registration marks themselves are administered by DVLA and are not our intellectual property merely because they appear on the website.

If you upload images or descriptions, you retain any rights you hold in them and grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to display, adapt for formatting, and promote that content in connection with the listing and our services while reasonably needed for those purposes. You must not upload content you lack the right to use. We may remove content reported as infringing or unlawful after review.

12. Our responsibility

We will provide services under our control with reasonable care and skill. We do not guarantee uninterrupted website availability, that every listing is genuine, that a buyer or seller will complete a private transaction, or that a particular sale price will be achieved.

We are not responsible for loss caused solely by a private buyer's or seller's breach of their separate agreement, or by inaccurate information supplied to us that we could not reasonably detect, except where the law makes us responsible.

Nothing in these terms excludes or limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, fraudulent misrepresentation, or any liability or consumer right that cannot legally be excluded. We do not exclude liability for our own failure to perform a paid service with reasonable care and skill. Any other limitation applies only to the extent fair and lawful under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and other applicable law.

13. Complaints and disputes

To complain, email contact@numberplates.org with the registration, relevant dates, order or listing reference, and the result you are seeking. We will acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days and aim to provide a substantive response or resolution within 15 working days. If more time is required, we will explain why and give an update.

If you disagree with our response, ask us to escalate it for management review. We will provide a final written response and tell you about any relevant, available independent dispute-resolution route. We do not claim membership of an alternative dispute resolution scheme unless this is separately confirmed.

For private-to-private sale disputes, our role may be limited to reviewing the listing, preserving relevant platform records where lawful, and facilitating communication. This does not prevent you from using the courts or other legal remedies.

14. Privacy

We process personal information in accordance with applicable data protection law, including the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018. See our Privacy Policy for information about what we collect, how we use it and your rights.

15. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms to reflect changes in our services, the law or security requirements. We will publish the revised version and last-updated date. Changes will not retrospectively alter an existing contract without the parties' agreement, unless required by law. Where reasonably necessary, we will give account holders notice of material changes.

16. Governing law

These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales. If you are a consumer resident elsewhere in the UK, you retain any mandatory rights and court protections applicable in your place of residence. Nothing here deprives you of a right to bring proceedings in a court with jurisdiction under applicable law.

---

DVLA trademark notice: DVLA is a registered trademark of the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency. NumberPlates.org is not affiliated to the DVLA or DVLA Personalised Registrations.