What's a Q Plate and Why Should You Care?

Not to be confused with Q cars otherwise known as sleepers, Q plates are a specific type of vehicle registration used by the UK government to identify vehicles with unclear origins or histories. They’re more common than many people realize. According to the DVLA, “'Q' registration numbers are issued to vehicles whose age or identity is in doubt. If this happens, any original vehicle registration number becomes invalid and must no longer be displayed.” But what does that actually mean? What circumstances might lead to a vehicle’s identity or age being questioned, resulting in the cancellation of its original registration? Let’s break it down, clear up any confusion or stigma around Q plates, and help you make an informed decision if you're considering purchasing a Q plate vehicle.

Introduced in the 1930s Q plates are assigned to the following categories of vehicle:

Kit cars

Self-built cars that are sold as a kit (unsurprisingly) of components and put together by customers. Habitually people called Colin. In a shed.

Heavily modified cars

We’re not talking about a 1 series with a stage 1 map and charmeleon tint here. This encapsulates vehicles where comprehensive engine, suspension, transmission and chassis amendments have been made. If this is done to a "Historic" classic vehicle (These being 40+ years old, also making them MOT & Tax exempt) more infomation can be found here: DVLA Historic Vehicles.

MOD vehicles

Former Ministry of Defence vehicles where the history is classified!

Other

Personal Imports that age cannot be determined and cars without a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)

You can’t just go full send on modding your JDM sleeper or throw a kit car together with random parts collected over the years and hope to register it with a Q plate, however. The vehicle will need to pass a DVLA approval process first to make sure your creation is safe to drive on the roads, along with any specific forms that are required by the DVLA relevant to the types of vehicle as listed above. There are certain exceptions within this realm, though, further muddying the waters. If a kit car has been built from all new parts supplied by a single manufacturer it may be eligible for a normal number plate and as far as modified cars go a points system is used to determine if the original registration can be retained. Reconstructed classics too can be assigned an age-related registration as long as genuine, period parts over 25 years old have been used and the vehicle has been inspected by a relevant owner’s club, but it all comes down to each particular vehicle on a case by case basis.

After registration has been applied for the approval process, known as the IVA (Individual Vehicle Approval), ensures that detailed checks are carried out in order to verify and legitimise these types of vehicles wherever possible, removing any concerns or suspicions as to their integrity. Formerly known as the SVA (Single Vehicle Approval), which was implemented in 1997, a successful IVA will allow the assignment of a Q plate which will then remain with the vehicle for life. It is then necessary to insure and tax the vehicle as per usual before using it on the road and whilst it is perfectly possible to insure a Q plate vehicle the process can be a little more involved and some insurers will flatly refuse to offer cover. This is because it is inherently more difficult for insurance companies to assess the risk posed by a vehicle whose history may be unknown which means to insure a Q-plate vehicle you’ll need to provide the insurance company with a boat load of information about every aspect of the car. An agreed value will also need to be established.