DVLA puts the 27 series on sale on Wednesday
DVLA puts its new 27 series registrations on sale at 10am on Wednesday 4 November 2026, priced from £399.
You can buy one from Wednesday. You can't put it on any car that's on the road today.
A 27 number marks a car first registered on or after 1 March 2027, DVLA's INF104 leaflet says. Buy one now and you'll hold it on paper until a car that new exists.
DVLA says millions of 27 series registrations have been made available to view. It hasn't given an exact number.
Why you can't use a 27 number yet
The two digits in the middle of a plate are the age identifier. On a car's original number, they show the six-month window in which the car was first registered.
INF104 gives 27 as the identifier for March 2027 to August 2027. New cars start wearing it from 1 March 2027.
Gov.uk's rule is short: "You cannot make the vehicle look newer than it actually is." Its own example is an '07' number on a car registered in 2003.
The same logic puts a 27 number out of reach for every car registered before 1 March 2027, which means every car on the road today. The first cars that can carry one are those registered from that date, which in practice means brand-new cars.
Our guide to when new number plates come out explains the age identifier in full.
How to buy one, and what you get
The 27 numbers go on sale through DVLA's own Personalised Registrations website, where DVLA says you can search all the new additions. Gov.uk says you'll need a debit or credit card to buy online.
Prices start at £399, DVLA says. That figure includes VAT and the assignment fee.
You don't get a plate in the post. Buying from DVLA gives you a V750 certificate of entitlement, which is the document that proves your right to the number.
Gov.uk says a V750 is valid for 10 years and free to renew, but miss the expiry date and you permanently lose the right to the number.
So a 27 number bought this week has a decade to find a car. The gap until March 2027 isn't a problem for the certificate.
A number's value is a separate question. Private number plate value explained covers what DVLA charges and what its auction plates really sell for.
Putting it on a car from March 2027
Assigning a number to a vehicle is free. Gov.uk says you can apply online or by post, and you'll need the vehicle's V5C logbook.
For a brand-new car, gov.uk says to give the dealer your V750 and ask them to apply. Gov.uk also says a personalised number can go on a vehicle that's about to be registered, so raise it with the dealer before the car is registered.
The vehicle has to be registered to you, or to someone you've named as a nominee on the certificate. DVLA says you can add a nominee when you buy, and gov.uk says you can also do it by completing section 2 of the V750.
Buying a used car that already has a private number is a different job. Buying a car with a private plate explains what happens to the number and the car's paper trail.
How the 27 fits the plate calendar
New registrations reach new cars twice a year, on 1 March and 1 September. That's the pattern in INF104's age identifier table, for a format that began on 1 September 2001.
Since 1 September 2026, new cars have carried a 76, and that runs to the end of February 2027. Then 27 takes over on 1 March 2027, giving way to 77 on 1 September 2027.
On Wednesday, DVLA is simply selling the numbers early. It's not the date 27 plates appear on cars, and I'd expect that confusion to catch a few buyers.
DVLA has also withheld some combinations in every series from 51 to 76, and banned number plates explains how that list works. Our other number plate guides cover the rest.
Common questions
When do 27 number plates go on sale?
DVLA says its 27 series registrations go on sale at 10am on Wednesday 4 November 2026. You buy them on DVLA's Personalised Registrations website. Prices start at £399, including VAT and the assignment fee.
Can I put a 27 plate on my car now?
No. A 27 number marks a car first registered from 1 March 2027. Gov.uk says you can't make a vehicle look newer than it is, so no car on the road today can carry one.
When can I put a 27 plate on a car?
From 1 March 2027, and only on a car registered on or after that date. At first, that means a brand-new car. Gov.uk says you give the dealer your V750 and ask them to apply.
What do I get when I buy a 27 number from DVLA?
A V750 certificate of entitlement, which proves your right to the number. Gov.uk says it's valid for 10 years and free to renew. It doesn't include a physical plate.
What if I don't renew the V750 in time?
You lose the right to the number for good, gov.uk says. Renew it on or before the expiry date, and renewal is free.
Does the £399 include everything?
DVLA says the starting price includes VAT and the assignment fee, and gov.uk says applying to put the number on a vehicle is free. DVLA doesn't supply the physical plates, though, so you'll pay a number plate supplier for those. And not every number costs £399. That's the lowest price.