Experiencing a write off after an accident is stressful enough without dealing with change of ownership applications, but for anyone with a private plate – whether valuable or sentimental – there’s another tier of anxiety most never think about until it happens to them.
The good news is that the plate can be saved from the written off car. The bad news is that it takes specific timing and processes and if done incorrectly, it essentially erases the value from that plate, value which may exceed the written-off car’s scrap value.
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Timing Is Everything
Once the insurance company pays out for the total loss, they gain ownership of the vehicle. But as long as the vehicle exists in DVLA’s system, there is time for retention to go through and the plate to be saved.
Should the vehicle be crushed and gone, however, or DVLA removes it from their system without retention going through, there is no getting the plate back. There’s no appealing this decision. It’s final.
Therefore, it involves some aggressive movement. For example, insurance companies act quickly to expedite these processes. They want the vehicle no longer on their books and scrapped quickly. But DVLA doesn’t necessarily act that quickly.
The Problem with MOT
Retention requires a valid MOT either through exemption or time remaining. This catches many people who write off their cars weeks after their MOT expired.
If it’s written off without a valid MOT, the chances of even getting an MOT are minuscule. A car that’s no longer roadworthy cannot be brought to the test station, nor will it pass anyway due to its damaged state.
Fortunately, there are exemptions for brand new cars (no MOT needed) or ancient cars (exempt as well), but for those caught in the middle, their MOT time is critical to retention.
Insurance Company Cooperation
The insurance company needs to know you want to retain your plate. This is something most companies gloss over and apply little sentiment towards. But once they pay out, they own the vehicle so they need to put a stop to the scrapping process before retention can go through.
Some companies know how to navigate this situation well. Others treat it as an inconvenience. For someone already stressed about an accident, getting a knowledgeable agent can be challenging when time is of the essence.
Here is where documentation matters. Value documents, such as receipts for purchase price or current value assessments for Private Number Plates reveal that this isn’t just sentiment but asset protection; some plates are worth far more than the written off car; this encourages agents to take this process seriously.
Application Process and Processing Times
V317 from DVLA handles retention application. It needs to be submitted and processed prior to DVLA removing that vehicle from their system.
Processing takes time. Sometimes a week or two. Sometimes three weeks or more. Unfortunately a lot of time in limbo exists between submitting this application and either winning approval or rejection and time isn’t always on your side.
Paying for faster processing helps if you’re able to afford it; it’s certainly worth it when you consider how valuable plates can be but it’s not an added guarantee unfortunately.
What Happens After Approval
Once approved, DVLA sends out the retention certificate (known as V778). This proves ownership of the registration and it’s valid for use on any other vehicle in a ten year timeframe.
The written off car now gets a standard age-approved registration. That means nothing and is essentially futile other than identification purposes should that vehicle get scrapped.
The retention certificate becomes much more valuable so it’s important to keep this document safe because losing it means losing access to that registration.
Mistakes People Make Which Effect Retention
The worst mistake is time management. People forget about their plates because they’re dealing with injuries, insurance paperwork, finding a new vehicle. A week later they remember a plate now that it’s too late; cars are crushed and gone with no ability to regain the registration.
Assuming an MOT will allow a plate to remain also gets people into trouble. If it’s not on valid MOT at the time of write off – without new-exemption – or old-exemption, those plates are also gone forever.
People assume the insurance company will handle this process automatically. They won’t. Unless you explicitly state you want the plate saved, they will dispose of it with no thought as to its value.
Financial Implications
Financially, losing a plate that’s worth thousands can crush people with unexpected cost. At no point do people take into consideration registration value in insurance settlement processing unless it’s properly documented post-accident and claimed as such.
For example, policies cover personal items in lost vehicles but plates fall into a grey area; having enough documentation and tenacity gets insurance companies on board but otherwise that value gets lost forever regardless of purchase price.
Retaining a plate protects the value. Payment for retention is minimal compared to retaining something that could have thousands worth of value.
Plans for Anticipation
No one wants to write off their car pre-planning but pre-planning things like retention process makes life easier when accidents occur. Knowing what forms you’ll need, what pictures you’ll need – having it all in one spot saves time when days are needed.
For example, some people fill out retention applications ahead of time so submission is quick should this situation happen. Others have digital copies of purchase receipts and currently assessed values ready to go for insurance negotiation.
While pre-planning doesn’t stop an accident from happening, it preserves the plate value of valuable registrations should circumstances arise.
Post-Retention Relief
Once retention arrives from DVLA, your worries are over; the plate is safe! You can apply it to another vehicle whenever you’re ready!
This doesn’t mean you need to apply immediately; the retention certificate is valid for years – some people hold onto registrations waiting for just the right vehicle – some people transfer immediately – for now, they’re in control of their plate that survived the writing off situation.
The takeaway? Now you have a plate that survived with you in a good position for any future plans with it.
Final Thoughts
When unfortunate accidents occur, writing off your car is enough disappointment without losing a meaningful or valuable registration. Therefore, with a special recognition process to prevent this from happening, it’s crucial people know about it.
There are prescribed actions no complicated – just time sensitive and somewhat inflexible with timing. Knowing what you need to do – and by when – can spell success or failure in saving your valuable registration from disappearing with your written off vehicle.
If you have a private plate on your car now or in your future vehicle lifetime, taking just a few moments to understand these processes is well worth it! Because once it’s on a written off car and scrapped – it’s never coming back.
