Number plates have been on British cars for over a century. They were introduced in 1903 to help identify vehicles as car ownership began to increase.
The current UK number plate formula consists of seven digits broken into three parts.
The first two digits are letters, used as an area code to identify where the vehicle was registered. For example, a car registered in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne may start with NE, whereas Edinburgh would be SL.
UK Number Plate Area Codes
Regional Identifiers | Region | DVLA office |
|---|---|---|
AA, AB, AC, AD, AE, AF, AG, AH, AJ, AK, AL, AM, AN | Anglia | Peterborough |
AO, AP, AR, AS, AT, AU | Anglia | Norwich |
AV, AW, AX, AY | Anglia | Ipswich |
BA, BB, BC, BD, BE, BF, BG, BH, BJ, BK, BL, BM, BN, BO, BP, BR, BS, BT, BU, BV, BW, BX, BY | Birmingham | Birmingham |
CA, CB, CC, CD, CE, CF, CG, CH, CJ, CK, CL, CM, CN, CO | Cymru | Cardiff |
CP, CR, CS, CT, CU, CV | Cymru | Swansea |
CW, CX, CY | Cymru | Bangor |
DA, DB, DC, DD, DE, DF, DG, DH, DJ, DK | Deeside to Shrewsbury | Chester |
DL, DM, DN, DO, DP, DR, DS, DT, DU, DV, DW, DX, DY | Deeside to Shrewsbury | Shrewsbury |
EA, EB, EC, ED, EE, EF, EG, EH, EJ, EK, EL, EM, EN, EO, EP, ER, ES, ET, EU, EV, EW, EX, EY | Essex | Chelmsford |
FA, FB, FC, FD, FE, FF, FG, FH, FJ, FK, FL, FM, FN, FP | Forest and Fens | Nottingham |
FR, FS, FT, FV, FW, FX, FY | Forest and Fens | Lincoln |
GA, GB, GC, GD, GE, GF, GG, GH, GJ, GK, GL, GM, GN, GO | Garden of England | Maidstone |
GP, GR, GS, GT, GU, GV, GX, GY | Garden of England | Brighton |
HA, HB, HC, HD, HE, HF, HG, HH, HJ | Hampshire and Dorset | Bournemouth |
HK, HL, HM, HN, HO, HP, HR, HS, HT, HU, HV, HX, HY | Hampshire and Dorset | Portsmouth |
HW | Hampshire and Dorset | Portsmouth (Used exclusively for the Isle of Wight) |
KA, KB, KC, KD, KE, KF, KG, KH, KJ, KK, KL | Luton | Luton |
KM, KN, KO, KP, KR, KS, KT, KU, KV, KW, KX, KY | Northampton | Northampton |
LA, LB, LC, LD, LE, LF, LG, LH, LJ | London | Wimbledon |
LK, LL, LM, LN, LO, LP, LR, LS, LT | London | Stanmore |
LU, LV, LW, LX, LY | London | Sidcup |
MA, MB, MC, MD, ME, MF, MG, MH, MJ, MK, ML, MM, MN, MO, MP, MR, MS, MT, MU, MV, MW, MX, MY | Manchester and Merseyside | Manchester |
NA, NB, NC, ND, NE, NF, NG, NH, NJ, NK, NL, NM, NN, NO | North | Newcastle |
NP, NR, NS, NT, NU, NV, NW, NX, NY | North | Stockton |
OA, OB, OC, OD, OE, OF, OG, OH, OJ, OK, OL, OM, ON, OO, OP, OR, OS, OT, OU, OV, OW, OX, OY | Oxford | Oxford |
PA, PB, PC, PD, PE, PF, PG, PH, PJ, PK, PL, PM, PN, PO, PP, PR, PS, PT | Preston | Preston |
PU, PV, PW, PX, PY | Preston | Carlisle |
RA, RB, RC, RD, RE, RF, RG, RH, RJ, RK, RL, RM, RN, RO, RP, RR, RS, RT, RU, RV, RW, RX, RY | Reading | Reading |
SA, SB, SC, SD, SE, SF, SG, SH, SJ | Scotland | Glasgow |
SK, SL, SM, SN, SO | Scotland | Edinburgh |
SP, SR, SS, ST | Scotland | Dundee |
SU, SV, SW | Scotland | Aberdeen |
SX, SY | Scotland | Inverness |
VA, VB, VC, VD, VE, VF, VG, VH, VJ, VK, VL, VM, VN, VO, VP, VR, VS, VT, VU, VV, VW, VX, VY | Severn Valley | Worcester |
WA, WB, WC, WD, WE, WF, WG, WH, WJ | West of England | Exeter |
WK, WL | West of England | Truro |
WM, WN, WO, WP, WR, WS, WT, WU, WV, WW, WX, WY | West of England | Bristol |
YA, YB, YC, YD, YE, YF, YG, YH, YJ, YK | Yorkshire | Leeds |
YL, YM, YN, YO, YP, YR, YS, YT, YU | Yorkshire | Sheffield |
YV, YW, YX, YY | Yorkshire | Beverly |
The second two digits are the year (and the part of the year) that the car was registered.
As new plates are issued twice a year at six-month intervals, one half of the year will look different - for example, from September 2001 to March 2002, the car would have a 51 plate, and from March 2002 to September 2002, the car would have an 02 plate.
UK Number Plate Age Identifiers
Plate Number | Registered From | To |
|---|---|---|
51 | September 2001 | March 2002 |
02 | March 2002 | September 2002 |
52 | September 2002 | March 2003 |
03 | March 2003 | September 2003 |
53 | September 2003 | March 2004 |
04 | March 2004 | September 2004 |
54 | September 2004 | March 2005 |
05 | March 2005 | September 2005 |
55 | September 2005 | March 2006 |
06 | March 2006 | September 2006 |
56 | September 2006 | March 2007 |
07 | March 2007 | September 2007 |
57 | September 2007 | March 2008 |
08 | March 2008 | September 2008 |
58 | September 2008 | March 2009 |
09 | March 2009 | September 2009 |
59 | September 2009 | March 2010 |
10 | March 2010 | September 2010 |
60 | September 2010 | March 2011 |
11 | March 2011 | September 2011 |
61 | September 2011 | March 2012 |
12 | March 2012 | September 2012 |
62 | September 2012 | March 2013 |
13 | March 2013 | September 2013 |
63 | September 2013 | March 2014 |
14 | March 2014 | September 2014 |
64 | September 2014 | March 2015 |
15 | March 2015 | September 2015 |
65 | September 2015 | March 2016 |
16 | March 2016 | September 2016 |
66 | September 2016 | March 2017 |
17 | March 2017 | September 2017 |
67 | September 2017 | March 2018 |
18 | March 2018 | September 2018 |
68 | September 2018 | March 2019 |
19 | March 2019 | September 2019 |
69 | September 2019 | March 2020 |
20 | March 2020 | September 2020 |
70 | September 2020 | March 2021 |
21 | March 2021 | September 2021 |
71 | September 2021 | March 2022 |
22 | March 2022 | September 2022 |
72 | September 2022 | March 2023 |
23 | March 2023 | September 2023 |
73 | September 2023 | March 2024 |
24 | March 2024 | September 2024 |
74 | September 2025 | March 2025 |
25 | March 2025 | September 2025 |
75 | September 2025 | March 2026 |
26 | March 2026 | September 2026 |
76 | September 2026 | March 2027 |
27 | March 2027 | September 2027 |
77 | September 2027 | March 2028 |
28 | March 2028 | September 2028 |
78 | September 2028 | March 2029 |
29 | March 2029 | September 2029 |
79 | September 2029 | March 2030 |
30 | March 2030 | September 2030 |
80 | September 2030 | March 2031 |
The last 3 letters of a plate are randomly generated and don't have a meaning.
What about plates that start with a letter?
The current system has only been in place since 2001, so there are still plenty of cars still kicking from before then that have slightly different plates!
These are prefix plates from August 1983 to 2001.
A letter was used at the start of the registration to indicate the age of the vehicle, followed by one to three numbers and then a three-letter sequence.
Similar to the suffix plates before them, they ran from A to Y, with I, O, L, U, and Z left out to avoid confusion between letters and numbers. The last two letters in the sequence act as an area code.
UK Prefix Plate Age Identifiers
Prefix Letter | Registered From | To |
|---|---|---|
A | August 1983 | July 1984 |
B | August 1984 | July 1985 |
C | August 1985 | July 1986 |
D | August 1986 | July 1987 |
E | August 1987 | July 1988 |
F | August 1988 | July 1989 |
G | August 1989 | July 1990 |
H | August 1990 | July 1991 |
J | August 1991 | July 1992 |
K | August 1992 | July 1993 |
L | August 1993 | July 1994 |
M | August 1994 | July 1995 |
N | August 1995 | July 1996 |
P | August 1996 | July 1997 |
R | August 1997 | July 1998 |
S | August 1998 | February 1999 |
T | March 1999 | July 1999 |
V | August 1999 | February 2000 |
W | March 2000 | July 2000 |
X | August 2000 | February 2001 |
Y | March 2001 | July 2001 |
Can I put a new plate on an old car?
Unfortunately, you cannot put a new plate on an old car.
For example, placing a 2022 plate on a 2002 vehicle will land you in some trouble. There is legislation in place to prevent people from doing this, as it may make a vehicle appear newer than it is when up for sale. However, you can change your registration number to a newer vehicle model.
What was the first number plate on a car?
The first registration mark is widely considered to be DY 1, registered in Hastings in November 1903! However, A 1 was the first plate issued by the London County Council to a very lucky Earl Russell, who allegedly had his butler wait overnight at the council office to claim it.
How did plates work before 1983?
Widely known as "dateless plates," the original number plate format consisted of one or two letters to identify the regional council that registered the vehicle and up to four digits showing the sequential order of release.
By 1932, combinations of this plate began to run out, so an extra letter was added in front of the original letter codes, raising the maximum number of characters on a plate to six.
In the 1950s, some councils began to run out of dateless plate combinations and resorted to reversing the format, putting numbers before letters.
This system of “dateless” plates was finally updated in 1963, with the introduction of suffix plates. Vehicles registered in 1963 would end in A, and by 1983, the final letter would be Y.
Physical plates hadn’t had many changes to their black and silver design since their introduction, but with 1973 came the requirement to have reflective plates, the front with a white background and the rear yellow.
The rear is yellow to allow other road users a quick way of telling if you’re looking at the front or rear of a vehicle, and whether it will be moving away or towards them.
In 1974, registration plate responsibility was handed over to the Department of Transport.
After suffixes started running low, the most logical option was to switch to the prefixes, so from August 1983, the letter would appear at the start of the registration.
Following the prefix system, we got our current system!
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