Premier Plates UK

Premier Plates UK, a personalised number plate broker in the UK market

Premier Plates UK operates as a specialist intermediary in the buying and selling of private and personalised number plates in the United Kingdom. The company states it has more than 85 million number plates in its database, with prices starting at £49, and presents itself as a DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) recognised reseller and registered number plate supplier for cars and motorcycles with the number RNPS 2368. The firm clarifies that it is not affiliated with the DVLA or DVLA Personalised Registrations.

With 24 years of activity in private number plate brokering, according to its own description, the company sells both number plates owned by clients and government and its own stock. Its catalogue covers dateless, prefix, suffix, new style, Irish and cover plates, as well as personalised number plates with initials, names or references to car brands.

Types of number plates and formats available

The company organises its offering into several categories that respond to the historical evolution of the British registration system:

• Dateless: number plates with no year-identifying letter, assignable to vehicles of any age.
• Prefix: registrations issued from 1983 with the year letter at the start of the sequence.
• Suffix: number plates with the year identifier at the end, issued between 1963 and 1983.
• New style: the current format, also called current style, which is gaining popularity as an affordable personalised plate given the reduced availability of prefix plates.
• Irish: dateless number plates with a format similar to cover plates, without a year letter and with frequent use of the letters I and Z.
• Cover plates: dateless registrations issued before 1963, generally in a 3x3 format, useful for hiding the age of the vehicle.
• Unissued registrations: number plates not yet assigned to a vehicle, issued with a V750 certificate of entitlement and ready for assignment provided they do not make the vehicle appear younger than it is.

The site also allows searching by initials or names and offers specific sections for cheap Irish number plates, affordable dateless plates and new style number plates.

Specialisation in premium brands and motorcycles

Premier Plates UK states that it specialises in personalised number plates for premier marques such as Ferrari, Porsche, Mercedes, Jaguar, Aston Martin and BMW, and that it also offers private plates for motorcycles. The company sells number plates compliant with DVLA regulations for cars and motorcycles, and reminds customers that the plate must be displayed in accordance with DVLA regulations.

Transfer service and purchase process

The company manages the transfer of the number plate with the DVLA in Swansea and coordinates the process with the client, providing updates on its progress. The fully managed transfer service is combined with an online fast track process. Purchases can be made securely on the website or by telephone.

Premier Plates UK also offers a gift service: it schedules the transfer according to the client's needs to maintain the surprise, at no additional cost. It also sells number plates from DVLA auctions and from private individuals, and provides a marketing service for owners of high and low value cherished number plates. The company buys registrations at DVLA auctions and from members of the public.

Regarding the terms of sale, the site indicates that, in accordance with the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, the service begins immediately after the order is placed and, therefore, no cooling-off period or refunds apply. The company states it has a money-back guarantee policy, no hidden charges and full transparency on all charges before processing payment through its secure system.

Search tools and buyer resources

The website includes a search engine that allows users to find number plates by initials or names, as well as popular searches and a custom search system. Among the information resources are sections on the retention system, the certificate of entitlement, registration fees, registration years, registration regions, Irish transfers, MOT status checks, attaching plates and flags on plates.

The site also publishes a blog, news, testimonials, FAQs and a site map. The company presents itself as a proud sponsor and holds Safe Buy UK and Shop Safe accreditations for online retailing, as well as PCI Merchant compliance for the secure management of card payments.

Track record and brokering activity

Founded in 2002, according to the site's data, Premier Plates UK has more than two decades of activity in personalised number plate brokering. The company states that its database contains more private number plates than the DVLA itself and that its offering represents 99.9% of all available personalised number plates. These claims come from the company's own presentation.

In addition to direct sales, the firm offers a number plate valuation service and a bidding service at auctions. Its activity is aimed both at private buyers looking for a personalised plate and at owners who wish to sell or market their number plates through the platform.

Location and contact

Phone: 08456 52 30 40 · Email: info@premier-plates.co.uk