Can you put a private plate on a lease car?
Private license plates are becoming more popular every year, with over 45 million registered in the UK, and around 370,000 new private plates registered every year, according to the DVLA.
There are plenty of reasons people want a private licence plate - from business branding to thoughtful gifts.
But can you have a private licence plate on a leased car? The short answer is yes! You can have a private licence plate on your leased vehicle, but there are extra steps you’ll need to take. We’ll go through those one by one to help you get one step closer to that private plate.
Can you put a private plate on a lease car?
Yes, you can put your private plates on a lease car. As long as you have the approval of the finance company.
Part of the issue around putting a private licence plate on a lease car is determining who is the actual owner of the vehicle. In most circumstances, this will be the finance company (not the leasing company). Depending on your contract, they will have final say on any changes to your car. This includes private plates.
How to put private registration plates on a lease car
The following steps need to be taken to make having a private licence plate on your lease car possible:
1) Seek permission from the finance company (not the leasing company). The good news is that it’s very unlikely you’re the first person to ask for this, and they may already have a policy in place.
2) Buy your plates. The DVLA website has over 40 million for sale.
3) Update nominee details with the details of your finance company. The finance company will provide you with the correct address to fill in on the V778 or V750 form.
4) Send the V778 and V750 documents to your finance provider. They will then process the paperwork – though this may include an admin fee so be sure to check. The finance company will then send the correct documents to the DVLA.
5) Get conformation. Assuming everything goes well, the DVLA will post a confirmation letter to you, meaning you can start using your private license plate.
6) Add the plates. The fun part, you can add your private plates to your lease car stress-free.
What is a V750 Form?
A V750 form is a form you need to fill in whenever a registration number you’ve purchased has never been used before.
What is a V778 form?
A V778 is how you transfer a car registration from one car to another, if this involves a lease vehicle you will use this form to put the plates onto retention as they won’t likely do a transfer. Retention means you still own the registration number but don’t want to use it instantly.
How to remove a private registration plate from a lease vehicle
Eventually, your lease period will be up and you’ll be wanting to give the car back – but not your private number plate. The finance company will likely want you to remove the private plate before collecting the car anyway, so you need to de-register the plates from your leased car.
Contact your finance provider at least 6 weeks before your car lease is due to finish - as it can take this long to deregister a licence plate from a car, so the earlier the better.
They will have your V317 form sent to the DVLA – it’s a good idea to get this process done before your lease ends to save any future headaches.
There may be an £80 retention fee from the DVLA and your finance company may charge an admin fee – check these beforehand.
Summary
Now we’ve established you can easily add private plates to your next lease vehicle, you now need to choose your car. Leap Vehicle Leasing has a huge range of lease cars to choose from – browse our full collection of car leasing options or get in touch with any questions.
Related Articles
Want to know more about leasing a car? Check out some of our other blog articles to find out if leasing it the right choice for you:
What is car leasing? How does it work?
