Northern Irish registration dealers and fans of this coveted style of prefix registration breathed a sigh of relief as they were told at a conference in Coventry two weeks ago that plans to scrap this unique style of registration were no longer going ahead.

Northern Ireland registrations are unique in the fact that they are a dateless prefix style with three letters containing either an I or a Z followed by up to four numbers. You may have seen some of the more quirky styles such as JIG, UUI, GAZ, LIL, BAZ and so on.

These very special dateless registrations are now confirmed to be continuing despite plans by the DVLA to introduce the GB style system to Northern Ireland along with plans to centralise local offices in an attempt to harmonise and run all proceedings from head office in Swansea. Although it is not yet certain what the future of local offices in Northern Ireland will be registration dealers are very happy to see the continuation of the Northern Irish registration, which is popular throughout the UK.

Speedy Reg MD Des Elton is naturally delighted with the news as he has been campaigning long and hard not only to ensure that Northern Irish registrations continue but to maintain a unique part of the Northern Irish heritage, save many jobs and of course help the economy. Keep checking this blog for updates on the situation or you can find further information in local newspapers.

The new Jaguar F-Type has finally left the Birmingham factory and reports on the performance are good. The last sports car made by Jaguar was the E-Type which was made way back in 1975 so this new model has been a long time coming, greatly anticipated by Jaguar enthusiasts who are unlikely to be disappointed.

A true British classic that is still being made here in the UK. It’s estimated that over 75% will be exported overseas, predominately to the US. If you’re lucky enough to be a proud owner of one of these super 2-seater Jaguar F-Types, you may well want a head turning license plate to go with it. Look no further than Speedy Reg, we’ve got some great JAG plate. You can take your pick from 55 JAG, 75 JAG, JAG 15V, JAG 3R, JAG 64N and more! The perfect compliment for your new car. We’re sure both the car and the plate will bring you joy for many years to come! Just put the word JAG into our search engine and you’ll see some great plate options to choose from.

So you’ve used our great search facility and found yourself one of our great DVLA number plates at a bargain price. Now what do you need to do? Well with Speedy Reg the process is simple. You’ll pay for your plate by one of our many payment options. Whether you want to pay by card, Paypal, bankers draft, postal order or bank transfer it’s not a problem. For a DVLA plate the transfer time is just 3-5 working days, and you can call us to find out to progress of your transfer. We can even supply the actual plates for you at a cost of just £20 plus VAT.

DVLA plates are good sellers as they’re so cheap. You can pick up the plate of your choice for as little as £99. Use our search engine and you’ll be able to pick the letters and numbers you’d like incorporated in your plate. If the exact plate you’re looking for isn’t available we’ll have some great alternative suggestions for you too. Buy your cheap DVLA number plate from Speedy Reg and you can be assured of a speedy transfer and fabulous customer service. If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to get in touch and a member of our customer service team will be happy to help you.

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If you’re getting married soon you might love a romantic number plates for your car as you drive off on your honeymoon. Or do you know someone who is getting hitched?  Then a personalised license plate would make the perfect gift. It needn’t cost you a fortune, there are plates available for as little as £40, or you could club together with other wedding guests and get the lucky couple a highly desirable plate.

Of course you can go for a plate that has their initials on, or perhaps incorporates the wedding date. You could have a plate that declares their love such as 30 LUV or LO57 YOU. You could celebrate the marriage with 12 WED or WED 1M or the fabulous MAR 11Y. E3 HUB would make a great gift for a new hubby, or likewise, 14 MRS would be great for the new Mrs! There are plenty of plates that start with MR or MRS so you may be able to find one with the couple’s surname.

If you buy the newly weds a personalised number plates you can sure that your present will be appreciated and you’re far less likely to duplicate your gift than if you’d opted to get them a toaster or a bale of towels!

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A friend of mine was recently pulled over by the police and told that she was driving without insurance. That was impossible, her car was fully insured, she’d bought the policy herself and she had the documents to prove it. However when she looked at her documents more closely it transpired that the car number plate was wrong. Instead of an N there was an M. An easy mistake to make when giving your details over the phone. As it was deemed to be her error, she now has to pay quite a large sum to have the details changed, and is still waiting to hear back from the police to see if the issue is going to be pursued, but she’s looking on the bright side; she could have been driving uninsured and had a major accident. The car could have been written off and she wouldn’t have been able to claim a penny, so the police had done her a favour really.

It’s made me check my insurance documents to make sure my details are correct for my vehicle and you should do the same too. When you give your registration number over the phone, get them to read it back to you and use the phonetic alphabet, especially for easily confused letters such as N and M and S and F. Make sure you specify N for November, M for Mike, S for Sierra or F for Foxtrot! When your paperwork arrives, check it again, just to be sure.

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With the snow (hopefully) finally gone, fingers crossed the hot weather will soon be on its way. Sunny days are perfect for getting out and about in the car, whether it’s a romantic trip out or a family adventure. Winter weather is obviously perilous for driving with ice, snow and driving rain, but hot weather can also cause problems, so it’s good to be prepared in advance.

Hot weather can cause cars to overheat, so check your coolant levels before you set off on a long journey. The interior of the car can get very hot too so be very careful about leaving pets or kids alone in the car, even for a short time. If it can’t be avoided then make sure you leave a window open for them. Each year many pets die in hot cars as people don’t realise just how dangerously hot they can get. When you’re travelling, make sure you’ve got plenty of water with you for all your family and your pets.

Driving in hot weather can also be extra tiring, so make sure you take regular breaks and try not drive when you’re very tired. If you start to feel weary, stop as soon as you can and take a short nap or drink a cup of coffee to give you an energy boost.

The sun can also be dazzling, especially when it’s low in the sky. Keep a pair of sunglasses in your glove compartment and you won’t have squint into the sun and you’ll avoid getting a headache.

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If you’ve been watching the news lately you’ll have seen several reports of people getting stranded in their cars on the motorway due to the heavy and sudden snowfall. With temperatures getting down to -3C it really is a worrying situation to find yourself in. Many people had to make the difficult choice between sleeping in their cars in freezing temperatures, without food or water, or abandoning their cars and walking along the motorway to the nearest service station, neither of which is a particularly good way to spend the night!

Other than avoiding travelling in bad weather as much as you can, there’s really not a lot you can do to ensure that this never happens to you, but what you can do is be prepared for such an eventuality by storing a few items in your boot for emergencies. Make sure you have some blankets to keep you warm if you should ever have to sleep in your car or wait for a rescue vehicle. Have some bottled water and something to eat to hand. Add in a torch, and some of those self heating hand warmers that you just snap and they heat up by themselves.

Always make sure you have your phone with you, perhaps keep an in-car charger in the car too. You may need to make lengthy calls to a garage, or ring home to assure your family that you are okay.

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A recent survey shows that a third of all drivers have suffered damage to their vehicles from potholes. That’s a huge figure! With some bad winter weather over the last few years, pot holes are appearing at a rate faster than even the most conscientious council can fix them. So what can you do in the battle against potholes?

Well the council won’t fix them if they don’t know they’re there, so you should report any potholes you come across on public roads. If your car is damaged, you may be able to claim compensation, but only if the hole has been previously reported and nothing has been done about it, so if you regularly drive over a pothole it’s well worth reporting it in case it damages your car in the future and you want to try and put in a claim for the damage.

Potholes, even small ones, can cause a lot of damage, so it’s a good idea to avoid them if you can. Of course only drive around them if the road is clear and it’s totally safe for you to do so. If your daily routine takes you frequently down a road with unavoidable pot holes, it’s worth considering taking an alternative route until the road is fixed, and don’t forget to report it to your local council.

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Speedy Reg have just heard that South Korean car manufacturers ‘Kia’ have released their new vehicle which they have named ‘Provo’. The name has angered unionist politicians in Northern Ireland who feel the name is offensive to unionist victims of the troubles in Northern Ireland. DUP MP Gregory Campbell has said that Kia may not have been aware of the offence that particular name would cause but that they must be made aware of the fact that the name may upset certain people due to its links to a terrorist organisation.

Kia have stated that they are sorry for any upset they may have caused and the car was named after a play on the Italian word Prova which means test or trial. It is believed that the car will not be released for sale and at this moment in time it is merely a test model.

You express your personality in many ways. From the clothes you wear and your hairstyle to your hobbies and interests, your own unique style shines forth. The car you drive says a lot about you, but unless you emblazon it with decals, or have the money for the flashiest sports car, it’s hard to really put your own stamp on a car. Most cars are similar looking, unless you pick an outrageous colour, you won’t stand out from the crowd.

If you have a big personality then you may feel like your boring car is letting down your quirky image. However, with a personalised number plate, you can make your car stand out from the crowd. You can put a bit of your personality into your choice of plate, and share this with everyone you drive past.

If you’re known for telling jokes, how about PUN 863? Or perhaps FUN 3Y, which would also be great if you’re particularly funky! Express your fashion style with E14 EMO or D13 MOD. Or, if you’re just super cool, how about ACE 219 or 92 FAB!

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