Trade plate vehicle movements in Southsea and Portsmouth

Getting on and off the Portsmouth island

Portsmouth is an island linked to the mainland by bridges and the M275. Locally the A2030 Eastern Road and the A288 along the seafront to Eastney carry most traffic, but a long run leaves via the A3 rather than sitting at every light on Palmerston Road. Naval traffic or a closure on the M275 can push everything onto the city grid, so we agree a realistic collection time rather than promise a same day slot.

Palmerston Road, Albert Road and the terraces near the Common are tight, with permit bays and seafront events. Units in Fratton or off Goldsmith Avenue usually have a barrier, and a flat in a mansion block near South Parade needs a buzzer that works and someone to meet the driver.

Fratton, Eastney, Milton, Old Portsmouth and Cosham all have their own last stretch, and Gosport sits across the water, so please give us the exact address. After a one way delivery our driver heads home from Fratton, Portsmouth and Southsea or Portsmouth Harbour, whichever is nearest. If your car needs to cross to the Isle of Wight, call the office first, as with any ferry move.

Auction collections from BCA Camberley, BCA Crawley and BCA Westbury

There is no auction site in Southsea, so most Portsmouth buyers collect from BCA Camberley and come back down the A3. BCA Crawley is the option to the east and BCA Westbury covers lots bought further west.

We confirm with the auction that your lot has been released before a driver sets off, so nobody is turned away at the gate. Here is how auction collection after release works from start to finish. Salvage vehicles cannot be driven on trade plates and need a transporter.

Why Portsmouth independents book a driver, not a lorry

A typical Southsea booking is an independent sending a car to a group site in Southampton or Chichester, or a part exchange going to Camberley once it is legal to drive. Fleet vans come off the units around Fratton, and each one needs a valid MOT before we can move it.

On these streets the problem is access rather than distance. A transporter cannot legally sit on Albert Road, but our driver can collect the car from a terrace and simply drive it away. If you have promised a customer near the Common a delivery to their door, see how we handle site transfers and retail handovers.

Tell us about the parking, the buzzer and the person meeting us when you book. Because we move one vehicle at a time, your car never waits for a lorry to fill its deck on the M275.

Fratton, Milton or Southsea: getting the address right

Most delays come from M275 closures, seafront events and a Fratton collection booked as Southsea. For a lot at BCA Camberley the A3 is the route, and release must be confirmed before we go. For a flat near the Common, the driver needs a working buzzer and clear parking notes.

Settle on a date you can keep and we will fit the island traffic around it. A short hop from Milton to Southsea is recorded exactly like a long run, with photos at collection, a signature on delivery and one report by email.

Booking a PO4 or PO5 movement with OVM

We bring the trade plates. Your part is making sure the vehicle is roadworthy and legal to drive, with a valid MOT where one is required. From collection on the island until the receiver signs, our motor trade road risk insurance covers it. You can learn what a driven trade plate vehicle movement is and how OVM covers the UK from Glasgow on our main pages.

Pop the registration, both postcodes and your dates into the instant quote, and there is no account to open. Or call us on 0141 459 1302 at our office at 48 West George Street, Glasgow G2 1BP.