Personalised registration numbers continue to be more popular than ever despite a huge drop in new car sales recorded this year and fewer people using their vehicles due to the pandemic.
In total, nearly 370,000 personalised registrations have been purchased using the Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency’s online service so far this year, it said.
‘SAM’ and ‘DAN’ were revealed as the most popular names searched for by customers.
Personalised plates: ‘SAM’ and ‘DAN’ have topped the list of most common search for private registration numbers, according to DVLA records
With the festive period approaching, DVLA is currently seeing one registration sold every minute, which is more than 50,000 every month.
The reasons customers display a personalised registration vary from promoting their business, to showing their allegiance to their football team.
However, the most popular searches of DVLA’s personalised registrations site continue to be for car owners’ names.
‘BEN’, ‘TOM’ and ‘AMY’ join ‘SAM’ and ‘DAN’ in the top five most common search terms so far this year.
The only non-names included in the top 10 were ‘BMW’ and ‘BOSS’.
The continued demand for personalised registrations comes as a surprise given the huge decline in sales of new cars.
‘BEN’, ‘TOM’ and ‘AMY’ join ‘SAM’ and ‘DAN’ in the top five most common search terms so far this year, DVLA records show
Just 1.5million motors have been registered in the UK so far in 2020, down from nearly 2.2million to the end of November last year.
It means sales are down by almost a third, with motorists pushing back their four-wheeled purchases while the Covid-19 pandemic restricts finances.
As well as fewer car sales, coronavirus has forced a huge shift change in driving habits in recent months.
According to pay-as-you-go insurer By Miles, lockdowns, tiered restrictions and more people working from home has slashed the miles that UK workers commute by up to 550 million per week.
On average, commuters have driven around 30 miles fewer per week, when compared to driving levels before the first lockdown in March.
The number of people traveling to work by car has been cut by 3.5million to 11.4million, falling from 14.8 million pre-Covid.
Despite this, the DVLA says there’s still plenty of appetite for private number plates.
Damian Lawson, head of DVLA personalised registrations sales said: ‘The figures we have released in the run up to the festive season show that personalised registrations continue to prove popular with customers and many people find them the perfect gift or accessory to their car.
‘With more than 50 million registrations available on the DVLA Personalised Registrations website, and prices starting at just £250, there are almost endless combinations to suit any person’s taste or budget.’
Electric cars new and old can, from this week, display new green number plates as part of a government incentive to drive EV sales
Earlier this week, the Department for Transport confirmed that owners of battery electric cars – both old and new – will be allowed to display special number plates.
Since Tuesday 8 December, drivers of zero-emission cars have been able to have the plates fitted.
They have a green flash down the left-hand-side so they are easily identifiable as EVs.
The government incentive to promote electric car ownership opens the door for future benefits.
Plug-in models with the plates fitted are likely to be able to access cheaper parking, unrestricted access to low-emission zones and potential use of bus lanes.
SAVE MONEY ON MOTORING
