DVLA relents on Q plates

Concerted lobbying gets results for UK classic owners

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A MAJOR POLICY about-turn by the DVLA has brought relief to thousands of classic owners after years of lobbying from classic car interest groups. The changes address the anomalies in vehicle registrations that have existed since the 1980s and should prevent a huge number of cars unfairly being assigned Qplates. The move has been welcomed by the industry as well as bodies including the Historic Vehicle User Group, which can lay claim to starting the process, the Historic & Classic Vehicle Alliance (HCVA), which has pushed hardest to force it through, the ever-present Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs (FBHVC) and others.

The timeline of events was that in 2024 then Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper invited consultation while speaking at an event hosted by the HCVA at Bicester (see Octane 254). His 'call for evidence' centred around people's experiences in dealing with the DVLA, in particular on registering historic, classic, rebuilt, and electrically converted vehicles in the UK. It got 1350 responses.

As a result, the frustrations of owners denied a registration, or even having one taken away, came to the fore and prompted changes to be made from 26 August. These include: