The DVLA are living in the dark ages I feel. As a public service it is a disgrace and it is no wonder so many people give up on it and drive around illegally. The whole online system in Swansea needs a massive overhaul to see how badly their rules are affecting people. I have now had to postpone a trip to see my family 200 miles away purely due to one error click on their web site which cannot be changed or altrered in any way by anybody. My vehicle has a legitimate personal plate on it, the web site says so, with it listed as SORNED. Why can I not tax this vehicle without the 12 digit code on a newly issued reg doc which has been posted out (to the wrong person as well) Why can one not tax a vehicle according to its legal registration plate ???? Why does it have to take several days of uncertainty. I have asked the DVLA all these questions but there is no comment of course.

I also saw somwhere hidden in the DVLA site about retention only being valid for 10 years, then you have to renew it. I was never told this in the first place. I guess it only applies if you take it off a vehicle. I assume, rightly I hope, that if it stays on a vehicle it is automatically retained whilst that vehicle is taxed.

Hi, be warned I have just fallen into the trap of not taxing the vehicle first before changing the plate details. New Reg doc has now been sent to the previous owner and the only way to tax the vehicle now is for me to get the 12 digit code from the new reg doc which I dont have !!!! The man at the DVLA said he did not know how I had managed to change the plate to another vehicle, not mine, in the first place. The DVLA online system is rubbish. Nobody at DVLA can correct mistakes. Once you have made an online error it can only be resolved by sending stuff through the post. Bonkers !!!! Regards and best of luck ceejaypee. I'm going to be trading in my car for another used car. I have a private plate on my current car and want to transfer it to the one I'm buying. I see this can now be done online, but I'm confused about the 2nd part.. I'll take the number off my existing car using the online forms, and get a confirmation number that I can use to put it onto the other vehicle. But do I need to wait for the log book for the new vehicle to be posted off and come back in my name BEFORE i do the online process to put the number onto the next car? Or can I put the number onto the next car, entering the dealerships details into the online form. They then post off the log book with a change of ownership? Just worried about losing my number! Thanks