It's common to see cars with Defective Vehicle (DV) plates on Ghana's roads, often driven for months without being registered.

Many drivers delay registration to obtain a licence plate bearing the new year's date. For example, someone who purchases a car in October 2024 may wait until 2025 to register it, just to have the new-year tag.

However, not everyone is permitted to use DV plates.

This article by GhanaWeb Business sheds light on the proper usage of DV plates in Ghana.

The insight was provided during an interview with the Chief Executive Officer of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), Julius Neequaye Kotey, on Tuesday, August 5, 2025, during the launch of the DVLA Lorry Terminal Project.

According to Kotey, DV plates are exclusively for use by car dealers.

“Only car dealers are supposed to use DV plates. It stands for ‘Defective Vehicle’ because the vehicle hasn’t yet been inspected by us for roadworthiness. That’s why we call it a DV plate. It’s not meant for any other person, only for dealers when they’re working on the vehicle,” the DVLA CEO stated.

He added that with the availability of the DP Sticker, the insurance company SIC provides two weeks of insurance coverage for vehicles at the port.

After this period, the vehicle must be registered.

“SIC is providing two weeks of insurance cover. After that, you must register your car because DV plates are not supposed to be used by ordinary citizens,” he explained.

The use of DV and DP plates is governed by the Road Traffic Act 683/04, as amended by Act 761/08, and the Road Traffic Regulations 2012, L.I. 2180.

Just like the DP plate, the DV plate must be accompanied by a logbook detailing the vehicle’s movements and the driver’s particulars.

The logbook must be carried at all times.

Under Regulation 45 of the Road Traffic Act, the Licensing Authority may issue a trade license, subject to prescribed conditions and payment of the required fee, to the following persons:

A manufacturer of motor vehicles
A tester of motor vehicles
A motor vehicle trader
A person intending to commence business as a trader or tester
A person authorised to trade in trade license plates

SA/MA

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