Is there a separate fee to assign a retained number?

No. The £80 is paid when the number is removed or transferred. Assigning a number already held on a V750 or V778 is free at DVLA. You still pay a registered supplier for the physical plates, and that retail price is not published. Where DVLA needs no inspection, the online assignment completes at once. The new V5C usually takes 4 weeks.

How often must a V750 or V778 be renewed?

The certificate lasts 10 years and renewal gives another 10 years. Apply no earlier than 28 days before expiry. There is no DVLA renewal fee. Let the certificate lapse and the right to the number is lost. Keep the document, diary the date, and tell DVLA if your address changes. The address-change fine can be up to £1,000.

How much is a transfer between two cars?

£80 to DVLA, usually as a removal from the donor then a free assignment to the receiver. Form V317 is the postal route. Both cars need legal plates for the marks they then hold, and both insurers need the new registrations before either car is driven. The receiving car still cannot take a mark that makes it look newer.

Why does the calculator show £0 for some jobs?

Because DVLA publishes £0 for assignment of a held number and for renewal of a V750 or V778. Those zeros are official figures, not missing data. The zeros do not include the supplier's plate price, which government does not publish, so replacement plates show as not published rather than as £0.

Can I renew a certificate two years early?

No. GOV.UK says apply no earlier than 28 days before expiry. Early is refused. Late is a loss of the number, not a higher fee. Put a reminder in the calendar when the certificate arrives, 10 years minus a month, not 10 years plus a week.

Does a dealer transfer fee replace the £80?

No. A dealer can charge for their time. DVLA still takes £80 to remove or transfer, or £0 to assign a held number. Ask the dealer to show the DVLA fee as a line, not as a blended 'transfer package' that hides which official figure was used.

Are Northern Ireland fees the same?

This calculator uses DVLA's published GB figures. Northern Ireland vehicles are with DVA. The documents have NI suffixes. Do not assume the £80 and £0 pair applies to a DVA vehicle until you have read DVA's own private registration page. This site does not invent an NI fee table.

What if DVLA inspects the vehicle?

Online removal or assignment is immediate only if no inspection is needed. If DVLA wants to see the vehicle, that immediacy goes. The vehicle still has to be able to move, to be of an MOT type, and to meet the tax or SORN history rules on the assign page. The fee does not change because an inspection is required. The wait does.

Private registrations

Private number plate fees and forms

Choose an action to see the current DVLA fee, document and order of steps.

What does your plate change cost?

Choose the DVLA action to see the published fee, document and steps.

What are you doing?

£80

DVLA fee

Form or certificate: V317
Timing: Online removal is immediate if DVLA does not need to inspect the vehicle. The new V5C takes 4 to 6 weeks.
Step 1: Apply online, or send form V317 with the V5C and the fee.
Step 2: Wait for DVLA to remove the private number. Do not sell or scrap the vehicle before this is confirmed.
Step 3: Fit plates showing the reassigned registration and tell the insurer before driving.
Step 4: Keep the V778 retention document, which is valid for 10 years.

Calculation details

Assumptions

Online changes can be delayed if DVLA needs to inspect a vehicle.
Supplier charges for making physical plates are separate and are not set by DVLA.

Summary: Removing a number or transferring it between vehicles costs £80. Assigning a held number and renewing a certificate carry no DVLA fee.

£80

Retention or transfer fee

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, Take a private number off a vehicle (as of 10 September 2026)

£0

Assignment fee

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, Assign a private number to a vehicle (as of 10 September 2026)

£0

Renewal fee

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, Renew or replace your private number (as of 10 September 2026)

Checked on 10 September 2026.

Which fee and document apply?

Fee, document and timing for private number plate fees and forms
Item	Published answer
Fee	£80 to retain or transfer; £0 to assign or renew
Form or certificate	V317 for retention or a postal transfer; V750 or V778 for assignment and renewal
Timeline	Online changes can be immediate if no inspection is needed. Document delivery times differ by action.
Original registration	The donor's original mark is usually restored. Keep the receiving vehicle's original plates for possible reuse.

What are the steps?

Remove the number from the donor vehicle online for the £80 fee, or apply for the direct transfer with form V317.
Use the online reference to assign the number to the receiving vehicle at no further DVLA fee.
Fit the correct plates to both vehicles and tell both insurers before either vehicle is driven.
Keep the receiving vehicle's original plates for possible restoration later.

Which DVLA private plate fee applies to my job?

Removing a number or transferring it between vehicles costs £80. Assigning a held number and renewing a certificate carry no DVLA fee. Physical plates are a retail purchase with no official price. The calculator on this page picks the action and shows the published DVLA fee, the document and the order of steps. It does not quote a supplier.

Transfer is usually remove then assign: £80 once, then £0 to put the held number on the second car. Doing that as two online steps, or as a postal V317, is the same £80. Paying a dealer £300 to 'transfer' is their charge plus, if they are honest, the £80 they pass to DVLA.

Renewal of a V750 or V778 is £0, no earlier than 28 days before expiry, and gives another 10 years. Miss the deadline and the right to use the number ends. There is no published late-renewal fee, because late is not a renewal. It is a loss.

DVLA fees, documents and timing for private registrations
Action	DVLA fee	Document	Timing
Keep a number on retention	£80	V317	Online removal is immediate if DVLA does not need to inspect the vehicle. The new V5C takes 4 to 6 weeks.
Assign a held number to a car	£0	V750 or V778	Online assignment is immediate if DVLA does not need to inspect the vehicle. The new V5C usually takes 4 weeks.
Transfer a number between cars	£80	V317	The online removal and assignment can be immediate if neither vehicle needs an inspection. Replacement V5Cs follow by post.
Renew a certificate	£0	V750 or V778	Apply no earlier than 28 days before expiry. Renewal gives another 10 years. A general V778 delivery time is not published.
Physical plates	Not published	Supplier sees original ID and entitlement	Not published

DVLA private registration pages and form V317, checked 10 September 2026. Supplier prices are not an official gap this site fills in.

A transfer from a donor car to a 2016 replacement

The owner wants the number on the new car and the old car sold on its original mark. That is £80 to take the number off, then £0 to assign it, plates on both cars, two insurers told, and the age rule checked on the receiving car.

Example

Moving a private number from a 2008 donor to a 2016 replacement

Donor: 2008 car, private number currently assigned
Receiver: 2016 car, V5C in the same name
Age rule: The mark must not make the 2016 car look newer than 2016
DVLA fees: £80 to remove, £0 to assign

Remove the number from the donor for £80, online or with V317.
The donor's original mark is usually restored. Fit those plates and tell that insurer.
Assign the held number to the 2016 car at £0. Check it does not look newer than 2016.
Fit new plates to the 2016 car before it is driven. Tell that insurer and any camera-charge accounts.
Keep the 2016 car's original plates for when the private number comes off later.
Do not sell the donor until its new V5C and the V778 or assignment confirmation are in hand.

£80 to DVLA for the move, £0 for the assignment step, two sets of legal plates, two insurers updated. The age identifier is the legal brake, not the fee.

When do I renew, and what if I miss it?

Apply no earlier than 28 days before expiry. Renewal gives another 10 years and costs nothing at DVLA. A V750 is renewed through a DVLA account or by posting the renewal section. A V778 is completed on the document and posted. GOV.UK does not publish a general V778 delivery time.

Missing the deadline means losing the right to use the number. There is no published grace period on the renewal page this dataset uses. Diary the date when the certificate arrives. An address change still has to be told to DVLA on the V750 or V778 as well as on the V5C. An unreported address change can bring a fine of up to £1,000.

Northern Ireland certificates are DVA documents. GB renewal does not save an NI certificate. A deceased keeper's number has a separate GOV.UK process for executors, which is not this calculator's £80 or £0 pair.

Check the expiry date and wait until the final 28 days before expiry.
Renew a V750 through a DVLA account, or complete the renewal section on a V750 or V778 and post it.
Keep the renewed certificate. Missing the deadline means losing the right to use the number.

What do people get wrong about private plate fees?

That assignment costs £80. It does not. That a £400 'transfer package' is the official fee. DVLA's published fee is £80 or £0 depending on the action. That plates are included. They are a supplier purchase. That renewal is automatic. It is not. That a Q plate can be moved. It cannot be kept. That a 2010 car can take a 74 plate. It would look newer, so assignment fails even though the fee would have been £0.

£80 to retain or transfer.
£0 to assign a held number or to renew.
Physical plates: price not published.
Certificates last 10 years. Renew in the final 28 days.

How should I use the fee calculator on this page?

Pick the action you are actually doing. Keep is taking a number off and holding it. Assign is putting a held V750 or V778 onto a car. Transfer is moving a number from one car you own to another. Renew is extending a certificate in the last 28 days. Replacement plates are a supplier job with no DVLA fee and no official retail price, so the calculator cannot invent one.

If you are buying a number from a dealer, you will hold a V750. Assignment onto your car is then £0 at DVLA plus the dealer's sale price for the number, which is not a DVLA figure. This calculator does not quote auction results. It quotes the DVLA fee, the form and the order of steps.

If DVLA inspects, the fee does not change. The wait does. If the car fails the age rule, the fee would have been £0 and the assignment still fails. Check the age identifier before you pay a plate maker. The calculator cannot see the car's year. You can.

What if I need plates, a V5C and an insurer update on the same day?

Online assignment or removal can be immediate. The V5C is not. The plates are a supplier visit. The insurer is a phone call or an app change. Do those in that order: DVLA first, plates second, insurer third, camera accounts fourth. Driving in the gap is driving on the wrong mark or on an uninsured mark.

A replacement V5C after 6 weeks of silence, if you did not notify DVLA, costs £25. Diary the 4 week contact point. Do not wait until you are selling the car to notice the log book never arrived.

Northern Ireland jobs are DVA jobs. The calculator's £80 and £0 are DVLA's GB figures. Do not pay £80 into a GB service for an NI vehicle and expect DVA to honour it. Use the register the vehicle actually sits on.

How do dealer, auction and DVLA prices fit together?

DVLA's published fees are £80 to take a number off or transfer it, and £0 to assign a held number or to renew a certificate. A dealer or auction price for the right to the number is a market price. It is not a DVLA fee. This calculator does not quote it. Pay it only if you want that particular mark. Then use assignment at £0 to put it on the car.

A 'fully fitted' dealer package may include the £80, the supplier plates, and their time. Ask for a split. If they cannot show the £80 as a line, you cannot see whether DVLA was paid. The official figure is still £80 or £0 depending on the action, whatever the package is called.

Physical plates are never £0 just because assignment is £0. They are a retail line. Replacement plates in the calculator show as not published for that reason. Do not read a blank as a free pair.

What should I budget besides the DVLA fee?

Plates, an insurer admin change if they charge one (many do not publish a figure, so this site does not invent one), and time off the road if you cannot drive between assignment and fitting. Camera-account updates are usually free but a missed update is a penalty charge, which is a different tariff on the zone or Dart Charge pages.

A failed assignment on the age rule wastes the plate-maker visit if you ordered early. Check the year first. A failed removal because the V5C is in a lender's name wastes a sale date. Check the keeper first.

Renewal is £0 but a missed renewal is the whole number. The expensive line is not the fee. It is the diary. Put the 28 day window in the calendar when the certificate arrives, not when you next think about the car.

What if I am buying the number, not moving one I already hold?

You pay the seller or DVLA's sale price for the right, then you hold a V750, then you assign at £0. This calculator does not quote the sale price. It quotes the DVLA fee after you already hold the document. A buyer who thinks the £80 is the cost of a nice plate has mixed up retention with purchase.

Check the age identifier against the car you will put it on before you buy. A refused assignment on a 2010 car with a 74 plate wastes the purchase. Older marks on newer cars are the usual legal direction. Newer marks on older cars are the refusal GOV.UK describes.

After purchase, diary the V750's 10 year date. Renewal is £0 in the last 28 days. Missing it ends the right you just paid a dealer for. The DVLA fee table on this page cannot save a lapsed certificate.

Common questions

Is there a separate fee to assign a retained number?: No. The £80 is paid when the number is removed or transferred. Assigning a number already held on a V750 or V778 is free at DVLA. You still pay a registered supplier for the physical plates, and that retail price is not published. Where DVLA needs no inspection, the online assignment completes at once. The new V5C usually takes 4 weeks.
How often must a V750 or V778 be renewed?: The certificate lasts 10 years and renewal gives another 10 years. Apply no earlier than 28 days before expiry. There is no DVLA renewal fee. Let the certificate lapse and the right to the number is lost. Keep the document, diary the date, and tell DVLA if your address changes. The address-change fine can be up to £1,000.
How much is a transfer between two cars?: £80 to DVLA, usually as a removal from the donor then a free assignment to the receiver. Form V317 is the postal route. Both cars need legal plates for the marks they then hold, and both insurers need the new registrations before either car is driven. The receiving car still cannot take a mark that makes it look newer.
Why does the calculator show £0 for some jobs?: Because DVLA publishes £0 for assignment of a held number and for renewal of a V750 or V778. Those zeros are official figures, not missing data. The zeros do not include the supplier's plate price, which government does not publish, so replacement plates show as not published rather than as £0.
Can I renew a certificate two years early?: No. GOV.UK says apply no earlier than 28 days before expiry. Early is refused. Late is a loss of the number, not a higher fee. Put a reminder in the calendar when the certificate arrives, 10 years minus a month, not 10 years plus a week.
Does a dealer transfer fee replace the £80?: No. A dealer can charge for their time. DVLA still takes £80 to remove or transfer, or £0 to assign a held number. Ask the dealer to show the DVLA fee as a line, not as a blended 'transfer package' that hides which official figure was used.
Are Northern Ireland fees the same?: This calculator uses DVLA's published GB figures. Northern Ireland vehicles are with DVA. The documents have NI suffixes. Do not assume the £80 and £0 pair applies to a DVA vehicle until you have read DVA's own private registration page. This site does not invent an NI fee table.
What if DVLA inspects the vehicle?: Online removal or assignment is immediate only if no inspection is needed. If DVLA wants to see the vehicle, that immediacy goes. The vehicle still has to be able to move, to be of an MOT type, and to meet the tax or SORN history rules on the assign page. The fee does not change because an inspection is required. The wait does.

Sources

Fees and timings were checked against the linked official pages on 10 September 2026.