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Helping you to get the most out of your Lotus.
Find answers to the most commonly asked questions, discover more about your Lotus or get direct support from our Customer Care team.
Take the hassle out of purchasing your new Lotus by part-exchanging your current vehicle.
Part exchange is a way of using the equity in your current vehicle to lower the cost of your next one.
With a few details, get an indicative value for your current vehicle. Then, you put the money towards your next car.
If you wish to only use a partial amount of your part exchange equity, please contact Lotus Customer Care on the number below.
If your car has outstanding finance, it will need to be settled before you sell you complete the sale of your part-exchange vehicle.
If your car’s value is less than the outstanding finance on the vehicle, please contact Lotus customer care on the number below.
Outstanding finance explainedIf you have a cherished plate on your car, and would like to transfer it to your new Lotus, we can help.
Cherished plate transferPlease contact us if you have any questions on the products available.
Once all sums due to your current finance provider are cleared any remaining equity can be put towards your new Lotus.
In some cases, for example if the amount owing is greater than the value of your part-exchange vehicle, or if your part-exchange vehicle is worth more than your new Lotus (or the maximum deposit amount for your chosen finance product), it may not be possible or appropriate to part-exchange.
Please contact us if you have any questions on the products available.
Lotus will help guide you through the transferral of your cherished plate to your new Lotus.
During checkout you will be asked if you have a cherished plate.
If so, we will be notified of this and will help guide you through the assigning of your cherished plate to your new Lotus.
If you have a cherished plate which has not been assigned to a vehicle, you should have a certificate of entitlement (V750). Please email a copy across to us (ukcustomercare@eu.lotuscars.com) during checkout, and we will ensure this is assigned to your new Lotus. There is no charge for this.
If your car has outstanding finance, it will need to be settled before you sell you complete the sale of your part-exchange vehicle.
If your car’s value is less than the outstanding finance on the vehicle, please contact Lotus customer care on the number below.
Outstanding finance explainedWe are more than happy to assist you with retaining your current cherished plate, however please know that we cannot complete this for you.
We will guide you through the online process of retaining your plate. This is straightforward and completed directly with the DVLA. There is a charge of £80 which is a direct fee with the DVLA.
Once the transfer is completed online, you will receive a new V5C with the original plate for your vehicle – this V5 is required for any part-exchange.
You can start the process yourself by visiting: https://www.gov.uk/personalised-vehicle-registration-numbers/take-private-number-off.
Please contact us if you have any questions on the products available.
Is there a cost to assign a cherished plate to a vehicle?
The only cost is £80 to remove/retain a cherished plate.
What do I need to give you to put the cherished plate onto my new car?
Certificate of Entitlement/Retention or retention certificate number (provided after retaining plate online)
What number plate will my trade in have if I have removed my cherished plate?
You will be required to retain the cherished plate in order to receive a new V5 for the trade in vehicle, which will be on its age-related mark provided by the DVLA. You can supply the (physical or digital) number plate authorisation certificate to have the age-related plates made up for the trade in.
Is there a cost to assign the age-related mark to my trade in?
If you require new number plates to be made up, of course these costs will have to be paid. We cannot advise on how much this may be, as suppliers offer different prices, some may offer fitting if required as an extra cost.
If I have misplaced/ lost my current V5, what can I do?
You can apply for a replacement V5 via the DVLA, online or post at a cost of £25.
You will need the following:
Can I drive my trade-in vehicle on the cherished plates whilst waiting for the cherished plate to be assigned to my new vehicle?
As we require the new V5 of the trade-in (provided by DVLA once plate is retained), this is not possible.
My private plate document address is different to that of where I want the car registered to, would this be a problem?
Yes, both addresses need to match. https://www.gov.uk/personalised-vehicle-registration-numbers/change-your-name-and-address
What if V5 registration document is not in my name?
The V5 (log book) holds the details of the registered keeper of the vehicle. To prevent fraud, we will only purchase a vehicle from you if the V5 document is in your name If it isn’t, you will need to arrange the transfer of ownership into your name via the DVLA website.
What if I don't have a V5 registration document?
We are unable to purchase any car without the original V5 document (log book).
If you do not have one you can obtain a new document by contacting DVLA via the options detailed on their website: https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-log-book
It can take up to a week to get the replacement V5 (log book).
What about the value of my remaining road tax?
If you sell your car to us and have notified the DVLA you will automatically get a refund for any full remaining months left on the vehicle tax.
Part-Exchanging your car means selling it to a third party and contributing the sum that they pay for your car towards the purchase of your new car. Part-Exchanges in connection with purchases of Lotus vehicles on this Website are handled by a third party called BCA Outsource Solutions Limited (“BCA”). If you wish to Part Exchange your car you will need to obtain an online valuation to obtain an indicative value at which BCA may be willing to buy your car from you. This valuation tool (Tool) is owned and powered by BCA. By using this Tool you accept and agree that any valuation generated by the Tool (an "Online Valuation") is based on the information you tell BCA about your car (the "Car") and on the following general assumptions BCA makes about your Car (the "Assumptions"):
You have the option at the Online Valuation presentation page to amend any of the Assumptions and provide BCA with some further detail about your Car. An Online Valuation is not an offer by BCA to purchase the Car. It is simply a tool to enable you to estimate the value of your Car. Subject to BCA’s inspection of the Car (as explained further below) and any material change in the market value of your car, the Online Valuation is guaranteed for 30 days from the date and time at which you receive your Online Valuation. If you wish to proceed with a Part Exchange, the sale of your vehicle to BCA will be subject to agreeing terms and conditions with them. A copy of BCA’s terms and conditions can be found here. Please make sure that you are happy with them before proceeding. Your sale of the Car to BCA at the price indicated on this site will be subject to you providing further information and a physical inspection immediately prior to its sale to confirm its condition and any other relevant factors.