Number Plate Information
Ever since the Motor Car Act of 1903 all motor vehicles have carried number plates and there have been those of us with an attachment to particular a cherished number plate, perhaps one with an attachment to a particular vehicle or one with a distinctive number that has become widely recognised.
There were strict rules about the size, appearance and letter/number combinations on number plates, so opportunities to own one with any meaningful significance were limited, but people have always sought opportunities to personalise the plate on their car whenever they could.
Although a new car is always issued with the new registration number from the sequence of number in current use, it has always been possible to transfer a number from one car to another and hence to reuse the “interesting” number plate combinations issued over the decades since 1903.
Then in the early 1990s the DVLA began selling personalised registrations for previously unused letter combinations and this boosted the opportunity to have a number plate with some meaningful significance. It also boosted the trade in personalised number plates carried our by newly established private dealers.
Number Plate Formats
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Key to table: |
nnn and nnnn |
are 3 and 4 digit numbers |
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AA and AAA |
are letter combinations, usually relating to the area in which the plate was issued |
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Y and yy |
Y is a letter indicating the year of issue. yy is a number indicating the year of issue. |
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1903 - 1931 |
AA nnnn |
AA was a one or two letter combination issued to each registration area. |
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1932 – 1962 |
YAA nnn |
In 1932 a “Year letter” prefix was added and the size of the numbers was reduced to three digits. |
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1962 – 1982 |
AAA nnnY |
In this sequence the year letter appeared last with three letters and three numbers. |
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1983 - 2001 |
Ynnn AAA |
The order of the groups was reversed. |
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2001 – now |
AAyyAAA |
The present sequence began in 2001. It has a two letter and a three letter group separated by a two digit year number. The year numbers change twice a year as shown in the table below.
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