How Long To Register New Car

By: Victoria Affleck

Last updated: 16 October 2019

If you are thinking about purchasing a brand-new vehicle, there are some things you need to know about new registration plates if you haven't bought a brand-spanking-new car before from a dealership before. Here is everything you need to know about new vehicle registrations and when they come out.

When do new vehicle registrations come out?

In the UK, new vehicle registrations are new-series government releases which change twice a year – the first being in March and then again in September. Each time the registrations change, the plates are given an age identifier to reflect the year, such as "19" or "69". As a result, each number plate has never existed before and will be released as part of the next registration mark sequence.

Cars registered between March 1^st and 31^st August have the age identifier updated with the last two digits of the year itself. On the other hand, cars registered between September 1^st and February 28^th have the age identifier updated with the last digit of the year preceded by a "5" (2001 to 2009), "6" (2010 to 2019), "7" (2020 to 2029) and so on. This sequence will continue on until it reaches the 2049 – or the "99 series" – and the system format is reversed for 2050.

For example:

Age identifier	Release date (DD/MM/YYYY)	Age identifier	Release date (DD/MM/YYYY)
01 series	Reserved	51 series	01-09-2001
02 series	01-03-2002	52 series	01-09-2002
03 series	01-03-2003	53 series	01-09-2003
04 series	01-03-2004	54 series	01-09-2004
05 series	01-03-2005	55 series	01-09-2005
06 series	01-03-2006	56 series	01-09-2006
07 series	01-03-2007	57 series	01-09-2007
08 series	01-03-2008	58 series	01-09-2008
09 series	01-03-2009	59 series	01-09-2009
10 series	01-03-2010	60 series	01-09-2010
11 series	01-03-2011	61 series	01-09-2011
12 series	01-03-2012	62 series	01-09-2012
13 series	01-03-2013	63 series	01-09-2013
14 series	01-03-2014	64 series	01-09-2014
15 series	01-03-2015	65 series	01-09-2015
16 series	01-03-2016	66 series	01-09-2016
17 series	01-03-2017	67 series	01-09-2017
18 series	01-03-2018	68 series	01-09-2018
19 series	01-03-2019	69 series	01-09-2019
20 series	01-03-2020	70 series	01-09-2020
21 series	01-03-2021	71 series	01-09-2021
22 series	01-03-2022	72 series	01-09-2022
23 series	01-03-2023	73 series	01-09-2023
24 series	01-03-2024	74 series	01-09-2024
25 series	01-03-2025	75 series	01-09-2025

Registering your brand-new car

If you have bought a brand-new car, your vehicle may not have been registered with the DVLA before. In most cases, when buying a new vehicle, the dealer often registers the vehicle for you. If they do, you'll get a V5C registration certificate (also known as a log book) in the post within 6 weeks. However, in some cases, it may be down to you to register the vehicle yourself.

NOTE: If you do not receive a log book in the post, it is important to get in touch with the DVLA to get it sorted.

Do I have to pay a fee to register my brand-new vehicle?

When registering and taxing your vehicle for the first time with the DVLA, you will have to pay a one-off new registration fee of £55. You can do this via cheque or postal order, but it is worth noting that you cannot send cash.

However, you do not have to pay for some vehicles, including:

- those first registered and licensed in the disabled exempt taxation class

- historic vehicles previously registered with the old local authorities (late conversions)

- vehicles previously registered in Northern Ireland

- imported vehicles previously registered under the personal export scheme and new means of transport scheme

- visiting forces vehicles

- vehicles registered under the direct export scheme

- vehicles registered for off-road use only

- crown exempt vehicles

How to change private number plate to new car?

Once you have purchased your new personalised number plate, you may be wondering how to assign the private number plate to your car. You'll be pleased to know that this is a fairly simple job and requires sending a few documents to the DVLA, which can be done online or via post.

After you have assigned your new private number plate to your new car, you will be sent a new log book in the post – otherwise known as a V5C – which can take up to 4 to 6 weeks to arrive. But this doesn't mean you have to wait that long to use them; you can use them as soon as your application has been approved by the DVLA.

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