A personalised number plate could be lost, should your car be written off in an accident.
If classed as a write-off, both the car and personalised plate become the property of the insurance company.
However, a recent survey of car insurance policies found only six percent include cover for personalised plates.
Limited options for personal plate cover
Insurance comparison website GoCompare carried out the analysis of 333 different policies.
Just 19 specifically covered the loss of a personalised number plate when a vehicle is written off. One provider included £1,500 of cover for number plates, with most others covering for £5,000 or more.
In the result of a write-off accident, ownership of a personalised number plate transfers with the car to the insurance company. This means the insurance company can pass the personal plate onto a new owner, or see it scrapped with the car.
The most important advice is to act quickly should your car be deemed a write-off following an accident.
How can I keep my personal number plate?
GoCompare car insurance expert, Ryan Fulthorpe, said: “If your car is written off, you have to arrange for the number to be transferred to another vehicle or retained on a certificate in sufficient time before your claim is settled.”
Drivers also need to let their insurance company know they want to keep the number plate. As Fulthorpe notes: “The insurer will then write a letter of non-interest and send it to the DVLA. As the registered keeper, you will have to pay a retention fee to keep the plate if you don’t have another vehicle to transfer it to.”
To retain a personalised number plate, drivers need to ensure the vehicle has not yet been sold or scrapped by their insurer. The car needs to be available for inspection, and drivers need to follow the DVLA process to place a number plate onto retention.
The process for retaining a number plate on a stolen vehicle is slightly different, explains Fulthorpe. “In the event your car and personalised plate are stolen (and not recovered), you will have to wait six months to get the number plate back and you have to report it stolen to the DVLA. You then have two years and six months to claim it. To reclaim the personalised plate, you also have to prove that the car had a valid MOT and tax at the time of the theft.”
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