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Understanding UK Number Plates

“What do the numbers and letters on a number plate signify?” is a question that we’ve been asked by a variety of peoplemany times over the course of many decades…

The current system of number plates used in Great Britain has been around since September 2001. Northern Ireland has its own system, which is very different, however today we’re focused on that GB scheme (England, Scotland, Wales).

We’re not planning to talk about any of the prior number plate systems prior to 2001. The system of numbering has changed numerous times, so perhaps we’ll examine previous systems in the future.

The current British numbers are organized in the form consisting of two letters, which are followed by two numbers, followed by a space , the last three letters (eg XX22 XXXX).

Prior to Brexit the possibility of having the blue vertical strip (known as a flash) on the left of the plate. It was adorned with the EU logo and the letter “GB” underneath. They are no longer offered on new vehicles, however they are legal if you already have them installed on your car.

The initial two letters indicate where the car was initially registered.

The initial two letters are referred to as”memory tags,” which is DVLA-speak for place identifier that indicates the location where the car was first registered. This was previously identified through the DVLA office in which the registration was made, however the DVLA shut down all regional office offices back in 2013, and now manages new registrations directly with dealerships for cars through the internet-based system.

When searching for a number plate maker make sure you check out this website…

Although the system has been centralized dealers will still be assigned registration numbers that correspond to their original area code. So (for instance) when you purchase an automobile from an London dealership it is likely that you will receive a registration number beginning with the letter L.

Different regions in England have distinct letter codes. Yorkshire-registered vehicles start by using the letters Y. Hampshire-registered vehicles start with an H, and the list goes on. If you’re purchasing a new vehicle in Scotland the car will most likely begin by using the letter S. If you’re buying a car that are registered in Wales the letter code will begin with a C to signify Cymru.

If you carefully examine the following list you’ll notice how the letter I, Q, and Z are not used as a identification of the location.

The numbers indicate when the car was initially registered.

The two numbers are known as the ‘age identifier’ that tells you the six-month time frame the vehicle was registered for the first time. It’s initially confusing, however, you soon get the concept

The numbers change every six months, between September and March. The codes for March are simple to remember since they correspond with an annual registration year (so cars that was registered in March or August in 2022 will be registered with the number 22 while a vehicle that had been registered in March or August of of 2005 will have the number 05 and the list goes on. ).

For vehicles that are registered between the months of September through February the process is somewhat more complex. The numeric code is equal to that number of years (as as of the month September) plus 50. Therefore, a car that is registered between September 2022 and February 2023 will be registered with an id of 72 (= 22 + 50). A car registered between September 2006 to February 2007 will have the number 56 (=06 + 50), and so on.

The theory is that the system is set to continue to operate until February 2051, unless a new government makes changes before that.

The letters that are the last three are random

The letters that are the last three are considered to be random. Dealerships are assigned groups of registration numbers, therefore your local dealer will likely have a string of consecutive numbers. Once they’ve used the entire allocation and are assigned a new batch. This isn’t really random, but it’s close enough.

Letters I and Q cannot be utilized because they could be confused with the letters 1 as well as 0 and O, and the DVLA does not permit any combinations that could be considered to be offensive or snarky. we’ll not give you any examples , but you are free to play around with your own ideas…

Number plates that are personalized is a different matter and aren’t discussed here, however the DVLA will block anything it deems offensive or inappropriate.
How can the color green stripe refer to on certain number plates?

You might have noticed that certain cars have green flashes on the left side of the number plate, which is in the same spot where the blue EU identification was. This is a brand new initiative to promote zero emission cars (which is, at present moment, is essentially electric vehicles).

The reason for this green light is to enable authorities to quickly identify electric vehicles, which could be eligible for parking at a lower cost and priority parking, or the usage of certain lanes, tax exemptions such as the London’s Ulta Low Emission Zone, and so on.

It’s not required to put the “green plates” on your electric vehicle If you don’t want to make a fuss about it, however the demand is increasing as EVs are becoming more sought-after.

Numerology trivia

It is possible to put an old number plate on a new vehicle, since it is the case that DVLA offers number plate sales that they believe have a significant commercial value. You could therefore apply a ’56’ number plate (Sept 2006 to Feb 2007) on a brand new 2022 vehicle if you want. It’s not uncommon for people who try to make phrases from their number plate, or with owners who want to hide how old their vehicle really is.
But, you can’t have an older number plate than the one that was assigned to the date of registration for that vehicle. Therefore, you can’t get an ’22’ or ’72’ number plate (2022 car) on a car with a 56-reg registration (Sept 2006 to Feb 2007) in reverse of the above example.
If you switch vehicles, you’re allowed to retain your registration number in case you don’t wish to keep a new number each time you switch your vehicle. It’s as simple as paying the DVLA an excessive amount of money, filling out an excessive amount of paperwork , and then waiting for an excessively long time to finish processing it…
The letters I Z, Q and I are used only as random letters and never as part of the form of an area code.
It is unlawful to make use of different fonts or space the letters in any other way than the one shown above even though many car owners do it. It is also unlawful to change the numbers or deliberately use mounting screws in order to create the plate appear like they read something else. This is also not well enforced , and the penalties are minimal.

Why is it that Britain use such a pointlessly complex numbers plate systems?

It’s a different issue however, it usually is a follow-up to the initial question of “How do you make the system work?” Beats me, however, I suppose it provides a lot of civil officials who work in Swansea (where is where the DVLA is located) something to work on…