“What do the letters and numbers on a plate of numbers mean?” is a question that we have been asked by a variety of peoplemany times throughout the seasons…
The current number plate system used in Great Britain has been around since September 2001. Northern Ireland has its own system, which is very distinct, but for the moment we’re going to focus on our GB system (England, Scotland, Wales).
We’re also not going to go over any of the earlier number plate systems prior to 2001. The numbering system has changed numerous times, so perhaps we’ll take a look at the previous system in the future.
Current British number plates are set in the format of two letters, followed by two numbers followed by a space , the last three letters (eg – XX22 XXX).
Prior to Brexit the possibility of having the blue vertical strip (known as a flash) down the left side of the plate. It has the EU logo as well as the letters “GB” underneath. They are no longer offered for new cars, but are still perfectly legal if you have them fitted to your car.
The initial two letters indicate where the car was first registered.
The first two letters are called”memory tags,” which is DVLA-speak for locator identifier to identify the first place where the vehicle was registered. this used to be identified from the DVLA office in which the registration was made, however the DVLA has shut down all of its regional offices in 2013 and handles registrations of new cars directly through dealerships of cars via the internet-based system.
Visit this website for a number plate maker.
Even though the system is now centralised, dealers still tend to be assigned registration numbers that reflect their traditional location code. As such, (for instance) when you purchase a new car from a London dealership most likely, you’ll be assigned a number plate beginning with the letter L.
Different regions in England have distinct letter codes. Yorkshire-registered cars start beginning with the letter “Y. Hampshire-registered cars start with an H, and the list goes on. If you’re buying a new vehicle in Scotland it will almost certainly start with an S. For vehicles that are registered in Wales, it will start with a C for Cymru.
If you take a closer look at the following list you’ll see how the letter I, Q and Z are never used as a location identifier.
The numbers show when the car was first registered.
Two numbers are known as”age identifier,” that tells you the six-month time frame the vehicle was registered for the first time. This may initially be confusing, but you quickly get your head around it
The numbers change every six monthsbetween March and September. The March codes are simple to remember because they match the year of registration (so an automobile registered between March and August in 2022 will have the number 22 whereas a car that had been registered in March or August of 2005 has the code 05 and the list goes on. ).
For cars who are registered between the months of November and February the process is slightly more complicated. The numeric code is equal to what calendar year (as at September) plus 50. So a car that is registered between September 2022 and February 2023 will have that number: 72 (= 22 + 50). Cars registered from September 2006 through February 2007 has the code 56 (=06 + 50), and so on.
The theory is that this system should continue to operate until February 2051 unless a future administration changes it before then.
The letters that are the last three are random
The three letters in the middle are officially random. Dealerships are allocated batches of registration numbers, so your local dealer will likely have a string of consecutive numbers. When they have used up all their allocation then they’ll be assigned a new batch. So it’s not technically random, but it’s close enough.
These letters cannot be utilized because they could be confused with the letters 1, 0 or and the DVLA is not allowed to use any combinations that may be considered to be offensive or snarky. we’ll not give you an example, but you may use your imaginations…
Number plates that are personalized is a different matter and aren’t mentioned here, however, the DVLA will censor anything it finds offensive or indecent.
The green strip mean on some number plates?
It is possible that some cars now have a green flash on the left side of the number plate, which is in the same place where the blue EU identifier used to be. This is a new initiative to encourage zero-emission vehicles (which is, at present time, basically translates to electric cars).
The reason for”green” flashes is to enable authorities to easily recognize electric vehicles that could qualify for parking that is cheaper prioritised parking, the special lanes, tax exemptions such as the London’s Ulta Low Emission Zone, and more.
It’s not a requirement to have this “green plates” for your electric car if you don’t want to make a fuss about it, however the demand seems to be increasing as EVs are becoming more sought-after.
Number plate trivia
It is possible to put an old number plate on a new vehicle, since the DVLA offers number plate sales it thinks have a high commercial value. Therefore, you could use a ’56’ license plate (Sept 2006 – Feb 2007) on a brand-new 2022 vehicle, if you’d like. This is fairly common with those who attempt to make words out of their number plate, or even owners trying to hide how old their car actually is.
However, you can’t use the latest number plate code than the one assigned for the vehicle’s date of registration. So you couldn’t have a ’22’ or ’72 plate (2022 car) on a car that is registered as 56 (Sept 2006 – Feb 2007) for example, in the reverse order of the previous example.
If you are changing vehicles, you’re allowed you to continue to use your current number plate in case you don’t want to have to keep a new number each time you switch your vehicle. It’s just a matter of giving the DVLA an excessive amount of money, completing an unneeded amount of paperwork and waiting for an unreasonable amount of time for them to complete the process…
The letters I A, Q, and Z are used only as a random letter, never in the form of an area code.
It is against the law to employ different fonts or to place the letters in any other way than illustrated above even though many car owners do it. It is also illegal to change the font’s digits or deliberately use mounting screws in order to create the plate appear as if they read a different font. This is also not well implemented and fines are minimal.
Why is it that Britain have such a pointlessly complicated registration system for number plates?
This is a different matter, but it very often is a follow-up to the initial question of “How do you make the system work?” Beats me, but I’m guessing it gives lots of civil employees working in Swansea (where the DVLA is located) something to work on…
