No plates on new car (not even red)

[Eibot]

Hi guys,

 

Bought a new car today (car goes on name of the missus) and it will be delivered to our house tomorrow morning. 

 

Just now, we received a message from the Toyota dealer saying no plates are available....not even red plates...They assured me that we can still drive with it...

Is this even legal to do? Can I drive a car without any plates on it legally? 

 

Furthermore, since they are dropping it off. What documents do they need to give to us (insurance, logbook etc)?

 

I really just want to drive the damn thing and get out of the house!! 

[SilentSal]

I really hope your "missus" is actually your wife and not girlfriend.

 

Anyway, this seems to happen a lot they really have to give you that red plate... i wouldn't buy a car with no red plate cause it takes a long time(2-3 months) for the real plates to come. You should've told them you'll only buy it if it comes with the red plate then they would immediately try and get one ASAP.

 

 You can drive around with no plates if you have all your paperwork/proof of purchase from the day you bought it, that should suffice but expect to get pulled over. Some provinces police officers enforce having your license plate on your vehicle while giving you a fine (worst case they can impound your vehicle if you have no proof of purchase) and some just don't really care like in isaan.

[Paiman]

Had the same situation many years back, after buying a car it took a few months to get the number plates. Never got pulled over, but times could have changed and some coppers might use it to get tea money? 

[NanLaew]

During the national white plate shortage of 2012, I drove all over the place without plates for a few months without incident. Then a cop pulled me over in Bangkok and made me aware that operating an un-plated car is a 7000 baht fine with the vehicle impounded. Of course, if I hadn't driven down that particular exit ramp on that particular day when that particular cop was working, I probably could have driven a few more months. However, since I still needed to drive between provinces, I pressured the dealership for red plates (I know they are only legal for 30 days) which he managed to acquire. Gave me at best a 10% boost in the belief I wouldn't be messed with. Once you get white plates, the stress relief is at best only 60% anyway.

[Kwasaki]

1 hour ago, Eibot said:

Is this even legal to do? Can I drive a car without any plates on it legally? 

Within your province only yes.

[transam]

If you want to be extra careful, when you get the ride, and if your LTO is open, take your purchase paperwork there and ask for a police waiver, it is a form saying the LTO is OK..

PS. Even with red plates you can only drive for 30 days on them....

 

Edited May 28, 2020 by transam

[northsouthdevide]

I remember asking my wife a few years ago, why a new car was being driven around with no red plates, and she said that local people who don't travel outside their area choose not to have them to cut costs of purchase, and that it's generally accepted by the local police in our town. 

As for insurance, you should check if your better half took advantage of any 1 year free insurance offer from your dealer, then check with the dealer if its valid without any plates. 

[Moonlover]

I've bought cars in several countries and this is the only one I've come across that cannot register a vehicle within a few days. Even bureaucratically overloaded Saudi Arabia could manage it within the week.

 

It's ludicrous that you buy your new pride and joy then have to wait for months before you can drive beyond the bounds of your province or drive at night.

[ChipButty]

Are you still not allowed out after 7pm with red plates? I once hired a car from a reputable company here in Phuket drove to BKK and got stopped on the expressway at the toll booth the plates where fake I said to the police man how am I supposed to know.....? we were stood at the back of the car and the hire company sticker in the back window I said here use my phone and call them, he pointed out why they were fake, in one corner of the plate is an impression stamped into the plate and these didn't have it, after him checking all my doc's he let me go

[Enlil]

I saw brand new big bikes sold without plates and was told its normal. 

[NanLaew]

10 hours ago, Kwasaki said:

12 hours ago, Eibot said:

Is this even legal to do? Can I drive a car without any plates on it legally? 

Within your province only yes.

No it is not legal in any province. In lieu of plates, insurance and a blue book, the dealer gave me a letter that showed I was the owner and had purchased the truck from them. It was adequate at the few, no-drama traffic stops but was waived off as worthless by the Bangkok cop.

[NanLaew]

43 minutes ago, transam said:

If you want to be extra careful, when you get the ride, and if your LTO is open, take your purchase paperwork there and ask for a police waiver, it is a form saying the LTO is OK..

PS. Even with red plates you can only drive for 30 days on them....

 

Do this... and hope that one particular Bangkok cop on the exit ramp to Sukhumvit @ Ploenchit has retired by now.

Edited May 28, 2020 by NanLaew

[NanLaew]

21 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

Are you still not allowed out after 7pm with red plates? I once hired a car from a reputable company here in Phuket drove to BKK and got stopped on the expressway at the toll booth the plates where fake I said to the police man how am I supposed to know.....? we were stood at the back of the car and the hire company sticker in the back window I said here use my phone and call them, he pointed out why they were fake, in one corner of the plate is an impression stamped into the plate and these didn't have it, after him checking all my doc's he let me go

The rules are no driving between dusk and dawn; a rather loose interpretation.

 

Loads of fake plates about. You will note that most new, high-end Merc's and Beemer's have the same 9999 or 8888 or some other 'magic' number on them, and no embossed seal.

[Kwasaki]

5 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

No it is not legal in any province. In lieu of plates, insurance and a blue book, the dealer gave me a letter that showed I was the owner and had purchased the truck from them. It was adequate at the few, no-drama traffic stops but was waived off as worthless by the Bangkok cop.

Bangkok cop, enough said.

[fertilizer]

Had this happened to me some years back with a new Honda. Told them I will not pick up the car until it got original plates, red or white (they offered "copied red plates" which I refused). Within only 4 days the car was ready for delivery with white plates as well as the original registration book.

 

A dealer have a certain numbers of red plates only. Dealers improving their cash flow by misusing the consignment system by late payments of delivered cars easily can run out of red plates - it appears many of them are.

 

Personally I would not drive without plates as I as a farang try to avoid setting myself up as a potential target. But indeed most people do without any problems.

[Bob A Kneale]

13 hours ago, SilentSal said:

I really hope your "missus" is actually your wife and not girlfriend.

Why?  What is the relevance?

[Eibot]

12 hours ago, transam said:

If you want to be extra careful, when you get the ride, and if your LTO is open, take your purchase paperwork there and ask for a police waiver, it is a form saying the LTO is OK..

PS. Even with red plates you can only drive for 30 days on them....

 

Thanks for the advice! 

 

I'm afraid I'm not sure what LTO is...

 

Had the dealer saying they will give me red plates within 5 days..However that is Thai time, and we all know how that goes...

 

 

[Eibot]

12 hours ago, northsouthdevide said:

I remember asking my wife a few years ago, why a new car was being driven around with no red plates, and she said that local people who don't travel outside their area choose not to have them to cut costs of purchase, and that it's generally accepted by the local police in our town. 

As for insurance, you should check if your better half took advantage of any 1 year free insurance offer from your dealer, then check with the dealer if its valid without any plates. 

Cheers for the advise mate. 

 

That was my first worry aswell and I checked that with them this morning. They assured me that was no issue, and I doubled checked with the insurance. Yeah we got the free first class insurance on it ????

[Eibot]

11 hours ago, fertilizer said:

Had this happened to me some years back with a new Honda. Told them I will not pick up the car until it got original plates, red or white (they offered "copied red plates" which I refused). Within only 4 days the car was ready for delivery with white plates as well as the original registration book.

 

A dealer have a certain numbers of red plates only. Dealers improving their cash flow by misusing the consignment system by late payments of delivered cars easily can run out of red plates - it appears many of them are.

 

Personally I would not drive without plates as I as a farang try to avoid setting myself up as a potential target. But indeed most people do without any problems.

Indeed. 

 

In hindsight it might have been better to just leave the car until they gave me all the appropriate things to drive the damn thing. 

 

It's just frustrating to pay a pretty big amount of money, and still not being able to use it fully...

Atleast, not without any worry.. 

[pmarlin]

Bought first car back in 2011 had the numbered plates in less than 30 days. Just bought a new pick up truck on 29 Feb 2020 and still using red plates. Many calls to the dealer only resulted in lies and broken promises and only after some pressure they admitted they didn't send the paper work and funds until the first of this month. Love the truck but hate the dealer. Sales woman said it was my fault because I paid cash. 

[Grumpy one]

It takes months for a dealer to get white plates for your car.

But go to LTO and ask for new plates for a used car you get them in under 1 hour