There’s no doubt that a commercial vehicle wrap can have enormous benefits for your business. Using your car, van, lorry or trailer as a mobile advertisement for your products or services means you are making the most of your vehicle assets whilst also spreading the word about your business.
A full vehicle wrap means you are effectively applying a second-skin to your vehicle; covering the original paintwork and completely transforming the way it looks with a bespoke design.
So does changing the way your vehicle looks affect your DVLA responsibilities or insurance? Firstly, let’s look at what the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has to say about vehicle wraps.
In 2014, the DVLA changed its recommendations for vehicles that have been wrapped, issuing the following statement. “The register maintained by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) essentially exists to assist in revenue collection, road safety and law enforcement. The Police and other enforcement agencies rely on the DVLA record for all vehicles-related investigations. It is therefore, paramount that the information stored on the vehicle register is accurate and up to date.
“DVLA records details given by vehicle manufacturers at first registration. Any changes to the vehicle's details must be notified to DVLA by law. “By covering the entire vehicle in a coloured adhesive/ wrap, it is DVLA’s view that the colour change should be recorded. To notify a change of colour you should complete section 7 of the registration certificate V5C and return it to DVLA Swansea SA99 1BA. You should receive a replacement certificate within two to four weeks.“ So there you have it. If you change the colour of your vehicle using a vehicle wrap, we’d strongly recommend that you advise the DVLA using your V5C.
The impact of a vehicle wrap on your insurance isn’t quite so cut and dried. In our experience, every insurance company has a slightly different viewpoint so we’d always recommend that you contact your insurer to advise them that you’ve wrapped your vehicle.
By keeping your insurance provider advised regarding temporary changes to the colour of your vehicle, you’ll be able to avoid any confusion if you do ever need to make a claim and ensure that you are properly covered.
If you’ve ever had to claim on your insurance after your vehicle’s paintwork has been scratched or scraped you’ll know how frustrating it is that, despite the damage being relatively minor, a large area of the car has to be resprayed in order to ensure paintwork consistency.
One of the great things about a vehicle wrap is that, in the case of an accident or break-in, you can replace small, individual sections of the wrapping rather than having a large area re-wrapped. For example, if one door has been damaged, you can simply have that section of the wrap re-printed and re-applied. This can actually save you, and your insurer, money.
If you’d like to find out more about the benefits of a vehicle wrap, please call us 0800 046 9970 or email info@totally-dynamic.co.uk.
