Reg plate question? Manufacture date / first registration?

[BahnStormer]

What is the restriction on what plates you can put on a car: does it relate to manufacture date or first registration date?

My car is a late 2005 manufacture, but first registered in July 2007. It's currently on a 55 plate (and I only paid for it as a '55 plate), but I've always been under the impression that I could put any old '07 plate on it. After the recent insurance debate on valuations, I figure it might be worth stumping up the £250 to make it look 2 yrs newer, if I can, plus it would be nice to have one of the VERY few '07's out there!

[Call the midlife!]

You can't make it appear younger than it is, so whatever it's date of first REGISTRATION is then that's as low as you can go.
Usually on the find a plate type sites there's a "see if it fits" kind of feature that tells you if you can use it.


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[s12vea]

It would almost make me think it was an import, Otherwise it would have been an 07 reg.
So built in 2005 but first registered in the UK in 2007 so still gets the 55 reg.

[Call the midlife!]

If it's described as new at first registration then you can go with the 07 but as Steve says if it was put on the road elsewhere at year or manufacture then you're stuck with the 55 I reckon.


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[BahnStormer]

Thanks for all the help guys.

I agree: I thought "import" when I first saw it, but all the checks say not an import and I'm pretty sure that was "new at first reg".

I know I've had other vehicles in the past where they definitely stopped making them (i.e. the factory was dismantled) in 2001, but I had a 53 plate due to late registration, so that should be possible here

Like I said - I only paid for it as a 55 plate, so not THAT bothered, but it seems a shame not to wear the uber-unique '07 plate, if I can... and £250 is worth paying if it bumps the valuation up by a few grand

[Call the midlife!]

The key phrase you're looking for is "new at first registration in the UK"
I'm confident mine is a grey import due to some missing UK bits but it's registered as new at UK registration.


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[BahnStormer]

The key phrase you're looking for is "new at first registration in the UK"
I'm confident mine is a grey import due to some missing UK bits but it's registered as new at UK registration.


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It's not to do with "new at first registration". I've checked with the DVLA: The reg plate is based PURELY on the "manufacture date, as declared at first reg". They acknowledge that some vehicles are declared with the wrong manufacture date when first registered (e.g. my old BMW C1 was a 53 plate, even though they shut down the factory in 2001!), but even though my MR2 was registered "new" in July 2007, it had the manufacture date declared as "2005", so a 55 plate is actually appropriate!

I've now duly removed all references to my "2007" MR2

Like I said - I only paid for it as a '55, so I wasn't that bothered, but it would have been a pretty cool kudos item at meets

[Call the midlife!]

Well that sucks. I suppose if it's been sat in a compound for 2 years waiting to be sold then yeah, fair play that it's deemed a 55 age car.


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