Registration of motor vehicles was made the responsibility of the clerks of County Councils in 1903. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Centre (now DVLA) began to take over vehicle registration in 1971, and completed the transition in 1978. Further information can be found in Philip Riden 'How to trace the History of your Car' (1998).
Huntingdonshire
From 1965 registration for both Huntingdonshire and Soke of Peterborough motor vehicles was administered by Peterborough Motor Vehicle Licences Department.
Registers and record cards for EW-based registrations 1921-1965 (Hunts) and for EG and FL-based registrations 1903-1975 (Peterborough) are held at Huntingdonshire Archives.
Cambridgeshire
Registers are held for the Isle of Ely series EB and JE (1903-1947) and later EB, JE and ER based records (1947-1966) Registers are also held for a few VE records.
Card series are held for the Isle of Ely, and Cambridgeshire offices, and the combined office after 1966. Series included are: CE, EB, ER, JE and VE based (AJE etc.) registrations but it should be noted that the series vary in their survival rate, some series having very few cards remaining.
All registers and cards are now fully catalogued and can be found on the CALM catalogue.
Registers of Registration Allocations give details of the distribution of registrations to car dealerships and others and can occasionally provide a further clue to the vehicle’s history, but they do not mention make and model of vehicles.
Searches of the records can be carried out in person free of charge or by staff for a research fee of £10 (including a photocopy). This fee is payable even if the search is unsuccessful.
For a more detailed list of our holdings, click on the link under ‘Publications’ below.