UK Number Plates Explained

[@TwinCam]

By popular demand, I have now set up a Patreon page! If you enjoy my videos, then please do consider supporting Twin-Cam with a donation. www.patreon.com/twincam

[@TwinCam]

Hi everyone. I didn't want to go into too much detail here so as to keep it manageable. There's a heck of a lot I've missed out. I seem to do a lot of looking up in this one, partly because there was a person I didn't know outside a house, and partly because I couldn't be bothered to learn what I was going to say, so kept looking at my notes. Additionally, I'm using a new camera. The steering wheel is in the way because I didn't have a mount when this video was recorded and the wide angle allows me to get the plates I'm holding up in shot. Finally, KZbin won’t let me put the links in the cards, so I’ve put them in the description instead.

[@philipeaton3102]

had a marina 1.3 with the number hop 1n way back

[@LondonRider12]

To add: the rear plate is yellow to reduce the reflection of headlights for the car driving behind.

[@Skysurferau]

Dan - here in Oz lots of states have white background reflective plates and there are no reflection issues

[@amac5055]

I thought it was for the speed cameras to be able to see the plate clearer when the flash went off

[@johnsullivan1307]

Is it a legal requirement to have yellow on rear.

[@LondonRider12]

Skysurferau - The nature of the plates is very different. In Australia, they're a slightly pearlescent metal with a very fine grain texture. If you shine a torch on them they'll glow, but you won't see the torch reflected. In the UK, a reflective white film is attached to the back of a 5mm clear plastic plate with a gloss finish. The result is something like a mirror, so you would see the reflection of a torch in it.

[@theyoutubeguy1]

@@johnsullivan1307 Yes unless you are a tourist with a foreign car or have black plates.

[@triviace]

As a US resident UK plate codes were always a mystery,Thank You for thr tutorial.

[@Pluggit1953]

While on vacation in Arizona from the UK, I noticed cars driving round with no number plates. Could you explain please?

[@sethpacholko2112]

@@Pluggit1953 If it's anything like up in canada, they didn't register them and were driving illegally.

[@DozensOfViewers]

Pluggit1953 usually a newly sold car won’t have a metal plate yet. In those cases the car has to display temporary reisgration, usually taped inside the rear window.

[@Pluggit1953]

DozensOfViewers Thank you, Dozens!

[@thegreypenguin5097]

@@Pluggit1953 Arizona doesn't require plates on the front, if they were missing from the back (and not commercial vehicles which might have their single plate on the front), check the windows (illegal but common), or maybe it was recently bought and a dealership.

[@MS-Patriot2]

Best Anorak presentation I’ve seen in a long time. You should go for a career in TV presenting. Clear, good pace, bit of humour and informative. Well done!

[@Hargan]

Once you've learnt it, you can't stop looking at number plates. I found out the hard way 😆

[@MrManniG]

I also recently found out you can google any british numberplate to find out almost anything interesting about the car. I love that and i'd wish for something like that in germany.

[@afrousel4731]

@@MrManniG Germans like their privacy I guess... the UK and the Netherlands probably have the best reg checking sites in the world and pretty much all information is made public which is great when you're trying to buy a used car.

[@user-iz9yc3rg5e]

I mainly notice letters or numbers that are repeated on one vehicle's tag.

[@richdelgado3405]

This. Was. Awesome. Here in the US we have nothing like your system at all. Extremely well done!

[@TwinCam]

Thanks Rich! ☺️

[@revolution1one]

Here in Canada, our plates don't stay with the car either so it is annoying when I can't keep track of an old car once it's passed on. I'd make a video on our plates but people over here aren't anywhere as interested in license plates as much as they are in European countries. I've always been a license plate fanatic so I've done a ton of research because I was wondering what they meant if anything which helped in my car spotting hobby. I also done research on UK number plates because I think they look much cooler than our small white plates. Most of what you mentioned I knew but there were some details I had forgotten or missed during my research. We don't have a look up website like the DVLA/Cartell.ie because of privacy laws to get a car's infos but I use a CarFax app which gives various details that don't infringe on that. Loved the video!

[@chadgillard8473]

revolution1one I’m from Canada too and provinces and territories are different regarding license plates. In some provinces and territories such as Ontario, the license plates stay with the owner and transfer from vehicle to vehicle but in others like New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador, the plate stays with the vehicle from the time it’s first registered unless it’s a special issue such as a veteran plate or if a new plate is issued for the vehicle (due to peeling or corrosion) So in Newfoundland and Labrador you can tell the age of a car depending on the plate number 95% of the time.

[@revolution1one]

@@chadgillard8473 Oh, I didn't know that! How cool! In BC the plates can be switched as long as it's the same kind of vehicle for the same kind of purpose. I do wish though that older cars could get issued older style plates.

[@morini500dave]

A licence plate fanatic is called an Autonumerist.

[@WeMuckAround]

Really love your channel. What I think makes your content so brilliant is that you take the time to explain things. Let’s face it, everyone watching, we’re all massive car nerds, so we love the ‘James May’ level of detail you give! Keep it up!

[@TwinCam]

Hahaha thanks mate ☺️

[@MattysCars]

Cool video. I always remember as a kid not having a clue what my dad meant when he said "x reg, or 53 plate etc". Also like the Rover 75 in the background

[@TheHorsebox2]

Yes the 75 was a lovely car.

[@Tom.J.O]

I remember in the 90s, my dad got a new car and told me the "R" Reg meant it was only about 2 years old but I had no clue why :p

[@lincolnarmasols283]

love the rover 75 in the backround i have 7 of them

[@NN2994]

Same at 11 my dad a vectra c Vicky 3 me had no idea what December of 05 reg meant and in 10 years I know and it is 55 not 05 reg

[@NN2994]

Had a

[@DerKaktusAvant]

I am British, I have lived here my entire life, why am I watching this?

[@abbragg1]

Because you had a crush on him.

[@DerKaktusAvant]

@@abbragg1 shhh

[@robertcallahan4065]

I'm across the pond in the U.S. and my first car bought in 1979 from a chap who was a rock musician touring the UK. What I owned was a 1965 Austin Mini-Cooper S that this chap brought over after his tour. The number plate was GJG798D. The "D" stood for the year of registration/year of model, should have been "C" but apparently the vehicle was purchesed in '66. The GJG denotes where the car was registered.

[@markallen3293]

In the U.S. we have a month and year sticker. The year sticker is changed once a year to prove you had payed your vehicle tax. One just puts a new sticker on the previous years sticker.

[@TwinCam]

We used to have our 'tax discs' in our windscreens, but since 2014 the system has been all online. In the space where the tax disc would have been, I have a replica 1992 tax disc, which would have been Melvin's first!

[@warweezil2802]

The supplying dealer details are not a specific requirement, however the supplier of the actual numberplate has to be identified including postcode. The most discrete supplier details I have found is from Halfords who (last time I replaced a number plate) provided one with the required supplier details in a slightly different shade to the main plate so it is invisible until you get close. I don’t want to drive an advert for a dealer or a motor factors .....

[@TwinCam]

Yep you’re right, I just wasn’t very clear that it was the supplier that’s mandatory, but along with the required marks brand new cars 90% of the time do have a dealer identifier. It’s amazing how many plates I see without any marks on them.

[@warweezil2802]

Twin-Cam Happy days as a school leaver working in the stores at a van dealer punching out holes in new Bluemels number plates making them up for new Commer & Simca vans.. my Halfords plates seem to have no marks till you look closely, that’s why I chose them. Had a conversation with a tester who said they were not legal till I pointed out the details including the bs approval marking required in law.

[@bobt8664]

I have collected plates for over 60 years.I found this very interesting and informative! Thank you.

[@TwinCam]

Thanks Bob ☺️

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

I released a video about this subject last year. Funnily enough, there isn't a great deal of overlap between the two... Yours is far more concise than mine, though, and actually shows you holding up the plates, which has to be better!

[@marcuschapman218]

I got into numberplate spotting as a child in 1982 when the Y plate was released. I was fascinated and had an I spy book and used to walk the streets and take it on UK holidays. I live in Northamptonshire which had 5 area codes pre 2001 - BD NH NV RP & VV. We now share the KA-KZ letters with Milton Keynes. Much more interesting than trainspotting

[@stuartleckie]

Marcus Chapman the first of August every year used to be so much fun to go out as a kid and look for the new plates. Wow. I dint realize I was so nerdy. 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@dcarbs2979]

@@stuartleckie I used to see if I could spot pre-reg cars on the road. In several years I've seen vehicles (Buses, vans etc, so not always cars) at the end of July with the August plate. Even this year I saw a 70-plate a few days early in the forecourt and a 20 van on the road in February. The earliest I've seen one is a week before new reg date.

[@johno4521]

Did you know there are at least two newsletters on the subject - 'Registration News Letter' and '1903 And All That'..

[@neilmustow368]

Very informative video used to be one for spotting new Reg cars as a kid in the 80's my first car was an A Reg Fiat Uno 45 ES Super A753BHH in black back in 1992 as an 18 year old

[@krissjacobsen9434]

In norway it is XX 12345 which is areacode, age + serial number. They all starts on 10000, and when 99999 is reached, the age letter is advanced with one and the serial number starts at 10000 again. There are some exceptions like GA for Natural Gas, HY for Hydrogen, and EL, EK, EV and EB for electric vehicles. Example: S is the greater Bergen metropolitan area. SP ran from the late 70's to mid 80's, SR from late 80's to mid 90's, ST from late 90's to mid 2000's and so on. Current combination in Bergen is SX, which started in late 2019.

[@andrewmckenzie4420]

Another great video, thank you. All the information was very well delivered, in a understandable way! If this video gets a good amount of views, I’d be interested in seeing a more in-depth, nerdy video, about some of the other plates you mentioned at the end.

[@TwinCam]

Cheers Andrew, maybe I will one day as people seem interested.

[@xqqqme]

Apologies if somewhere among the 500+ comments someone from the U.S. has already noted this but....here, even with 50 states issuing their own plates, one constant is this: the selling dealer has absolutely no role in the matter of registration (other than processing the paperwork) and does not ever appear on the plate. The license plate frame, maybe. But not on the plate. I'm constantly amazed by the importance that vintage car lovers in the U.K. seem to place on dealer ID (often at the bottom of the rear glass). Way back in the '50s and '60s it was not uncommon for dealers here to rivet a small ID on the rear fascia to the side of the plate. Punching a hole in the metal was not a great way to make happy customers. Some of them (my dad included) would tell the dealer "If you tack one of those things on my car, the deal is off!" or "I'm not giving driving around with your name on the back unless you pay me for the advertising." When the industry adopted adhesives for trim, the dealers switched to that method or went to vinyl stick ons....both of which, thankfully, were easy to peel off with the application of a little heat from a hair dryer. Thanks, Ed, for your very helpful video! Many other Brit KZbin-ers have talked about doing a video like this...but you just went and got 'er done!

[@TwinCam]

A lot of people buying new/used cars hate it in the UK too. It only becomes a thing people care about when the car becomes a classic. Then it’s a bit of history. Especially with Rovers like my little Metro, a marque that no longer exists.

[@michaeljohnson-li5nn]

Just purchased the registration number B1 TCH. The wife is going to love it.

[@Leonardofahrer]

How much do you pay for that and for how long can you keep the number? Thanks :)

[@alan_wood]

@@Leonardofahrer Plate is not real as it is rude. You can move a personalised plate to a different car as many times as you like.

[@dcarbs2979]

@@alan_wood You can even have the rude ones for as long as the DVLA let you and don't notice they want to withdraw it!

[@johno4521]

This one wouldn't be allowed lol!

[@Matticitt]

Thankns for that. I wondered about UK plates since watching Top Gear two decades ago.

[@paulrobinson3528]

The very first registration number was A1. Funnily enough, that number is now on a 2007 mini cooper s. You would have thought it would have been on something really expensive like an Aston Martin, Bentley etc. It's worth an absolute fortune!!

[@Alan-xxxxxx]

I suspect they may have other cars. The mini only had 1560 miles at the last mot.

[@Dontbuyalandrover]

it’s owned by the sultan of brunei’s brother

[@dcarbs2979]

A neighbor had A30. Disappointlingly on a Picasso, not a 1950s Austin!

[@johno4521]

It is a common misconception, often repeated, that A1 was the 'first' registration number. The single letter system - the first, - was allocated in December 1903 to cities and counties not in alphabetical order but in order of size of population. London being the capital was allocated 'A'. However the authority issuing London numbers did not begin issuing them until January1904. Many other areas began issuing immediately on being allocated letters, therefore Kent (D), Glasgow (G), Middlesex (H), Durham (J), Liverpool (K), Cheshire (M), Derbyshire (R), Edinburgh (S), Northumberland (X) and Somerset (Y) were all before A1.

[@josephlarmor550]

Thank you for mentioning Northern Ireland! So many people think “UK” and “GB” are the same thing. This is further accentuated by the nonsense of using “GB” as the international identifier for the UK. And “Team GB” instead of “Team UK” in the Olympics, etc etc... But maybe Ukraine got in first 😕

[@SERVICEOFHUMMANITY]

Team Ireland also has authority for Team Ireland athletes from Northern Ireland though, so Team GB is fitting I think, maybe team Irish and team British haha, semantics...

[@josephlarmor550]

From the Team GB website: “The British Olympic Association is the National Olympic Committee for Great Britain and Northern Ireland”.

[@markwright3161]

@@SERVICEOFHUMMANITY I think it has something to do with how we can have both Irish and British passports, but that's entirely me speculating.

[@hoppinonabronzeleg9477]

Aren't they red on the back in NI?

[@romaniangamer1]

Isn't Ukraine UA everywhere?

[@Baopand]

The first two letters are a bit more specific. The first letter is the local mnemonic and the second letter depends on the DVLA office its registered at, the are all assigned different second letters they can use eg. WV was issued in Bristol, WK is issued in Truro. Both in the West Country mnemonic.

[@michaeltutty1540]

Great video, Ed. One little thing you could have mentioned is that the standard font and size is also designed for a roadside vision acuity test by police if they suspect a driver does not have clear enough vision. They must be able to be read clearly at 200 feet. Saw that on Traffic Cops. I'm in Ontario, Canada. We switched to plates that stay with the owner in 1973. Prior to that, we got new plates every year. Originally, they were 3 letters and 3 numbers. Our first were BEE 256. When the letters ran out, they went to 3 numbers followed by 3 letters. Arthur wears 930 JZX, as he is essentially a one owner car, only transferring to my when Ma had to stop driving and I was allowed to keep the same number plates. Newer plates remained blue on white with 4 letters followed by 3 numbers. Out Provincial Government is trying to introduce new plates on a blue ground with white characters, but they are having issues making them able to be read at night.

[@billybabu]

Watching this in Lock down here in the UK. Very informative video. Stay safe

[@TwinCam]

Thanks mate :)

[@robertchappell3101]

Best number plate I have seen was OBO110X but it spaced to read O BO110X. It was on a Rolls Royce.

[@janeweedon6335]

You'll never beat Fiona Richmond's old plate - FU 2.

[@Superman-xs7pg]

*OBO 110X Suffix Format

[@TheCounty90]

I managed to get some raised lettering plates for my 80's car recently. Looks great!

[@minnuth]

Hi, I really liked your video. Explained well. I love metro. It reminded me of my first car which was a Austin Metro a D reg and then I had my second one which was a rover metro G reg. Had lots of fun with those in my early days. Never forget them. Many thanks.

[@geronimowindow]

Interesting how organized the vehicle registration system works in Great Britain, here in Canada the system is managed by individual provinces and territories and plates are issued in sequential order without any year or specific location identification, with background design varying from province to province. Numbering systems vary by province/territory with different lengths and combinations of letters and numbers, even different numbering systems for cars, motorcycles, trailers, and sometimes even pickup trucks. Some provinces do not even have a requirement to display a front license plate, only having a single one on the back. The constant is the short rectangular shape, 12x6 inches, except for the Northwest Territories where the plate is actually shaped like a polar bear yet conforming to size and mounting standards.

[@finno123456]

Here in Ireland the plates go by the year of the car ex 04 D 2353 D stands for Dublin the county the car is registered in. The numbers at the end tells you how many vehicles of that make of vehicle are registered in that county. And have a white background with black writing. And the European union symbol on the left and country code underneath. The older plates prior 1986 had black background and silver letters and numbers

[@ACDC1998Zippo]

Compared to the system im Luxembourg this is really quite interesting. Our format has no regional code so the letters and numbers don´t mean anything. Ever since 2003, all numberplates habe the EU identifier and then 2 Letters and four numbers. You get the option of picking a personalised one if your chosen combo is still available, otherwise it just is totally random. Alternatively you can order plates with only 5 or 4 numbers. Those are personalised as well. Personalised numberplates stay with the owner, not the car, so you can transfer them over to a new car, if you sold your old one. The cool thing about the personalised numberplates with 4 or 5 numbers is that you can pick an "old style " numberplate for your car, if it is old enough. Cars before 1973 for example had white numbers on a black plate. So if you get a car from let´s say 1969, and you own a personalised 5 digit number, you can put such an old style plate on your car, even if it is imported from another country. Only downside ist, that you have to stick a big L sticker on your car.

[@CJT80]

I love the fact you have the original dealer details on your Number Plate. Including the original 0372 (pre PhONEday change over in 1995) code for the area :-)

[@aston-martin-internationalist]

Very correct and nice to see someone finally make a video about it. Providing Project Binky still has its original V5, it shouldn't end up on a Q-plate despite the extensive modifications. The chassis whilst extensively modified won't have its type designation changed.

[@TwinCam]

I think the rules changed a couple of years ago to make it much stricter. I remember something about the car having five key components and if three are changed it has to get a Q-plate, but I'm not sure.

[@thefreedomguyuk]

Binky will likely end up on a "Questionable" plate. It's in two of the Q categories, Heavily modified vehicles & Vehicles built from parts. Binky will need an Individual Vehicle Approval test, and that means Q. Nothing wrong with a Q plate.

[@TwinCam]

Indeed, nothing wrong with one if it’s engineered right. I expect it’ll end up on a personalised plate anyway.

[@Cowley46]

@@TwinCam I'm pretty sure you cant put a personalised reg on a car that has been issued with a Q plate. Once the Q plate is on its stays on.

[@Cowley46]

Great vid by the way.

[@mjstefansson7466]

Very interesting. Plus you have an excellent voice with good intonation to keep the viewer's attention.

[@fartgarfunkel2433]

Wow thats quite complicated. Our German Numberplates are simple The First letter is the Town then come the Sticker for the federal state and MOT and you can change your plate how often as you want and you can choose your own letters and numbers when there not taken yet

[@TwinCam]

We can have completely custom plates, as long as they don't make the car appear newer than it really is and it isn't rude. People usually use them to obscure the age of their car, making their old BMW or something look new to the untrained eye.

[@TwinCam]

I think it's quite simple, it's just that we've gone through a number of systems over the last 50 years as we keep running out of numbers. The age identifier in the middle of the current plates is simple as well, but you just need to get your head around it. It's the add 50 bit that confuses people. 05 is of course 2005, but 55 straddles 2005 and 2006, with it then switching to 06.

[@jamessaunders4265]

The new system is really easy for me I just struggle with most plates before 2001

[@deltavee2]

Being Canadian an anorak is a jacket for winter so the reference in the video was mystifying until I researched it and found out it started with the Sex Pistols' Anarchy in the UK and was then corrupted to be basically a fixated nerd or an otaku of sorts. Nice bit of lore there for someone from the colonies. ;- ) Cheers from Eastern Ontario

[@grassytramtracks]

And that's also what we say in French (and I speak metropolitan French, not Québec French, for the record

[@stanelder9995]

Look how much interest this garnered! You should do a follow-up about the Northern Irish plate system (I can help lol!) and also the business of "vanity plates" generally. Personally I wish I had been able to keep the plate from my first car (GIA 478). This was a 1973 Wolseley 1300 Mk 2 in Mallard Green (one of the last ADO 16 vehicles produced). The plate was was issued to Portrush, County Antrim where I grew up and at one time there was also a "sister car" (another Wolseley 1300 but in purple) in the area that had GIA 479!

[@allanelder2711]

Were the two cars supplied by Boyd's(Glenvale Garage) I wonder?

[@stanelder9995]

Allan Elder yes indeed they were - my dad bought a lot of his cars from Bertie Boyd! I remember the reg numbers of all of them 🤣🤣

[@stanelder9995]

And - are we related?? Lol

[@allanelder2711]

We're related if your ancestors are from Seacon area of Ballymoney.

[@stanelder9995]

Allan Elder of course they are! My dad was Norman Elder, who was with Ballymoney District Council for many years. His Father was Alexander Elder who comes from Seacon! He was one of 11 Elder kids lol

[@Sven.Bornemark]

Wonderful video! Stuff like that interests me a lot (that's why I'm here). I'm a Swede, but I read a lot of British motoring magazines in the seventies. I remember when they officially announced a national competition about where to go after they ran out of characters in the ABC123X system.

[@TwinCam]

Thanks mate :)

[@sjcuk]

On pre 2001 number plates the numbers weren't totally random, this is why consecutive number plates were common. A set of letters would be allocated then the number would increase by one as the letters are used up. Eg A22ABC, A23ABC and so on. Fleets of trucks/lorries would often only have one number different between many vehicles. It was also possible to get the same set of letters on two separate private cars if the were bought together.

[@levelcrossing150]

I used to sell new Leyland Cars during the 70's and each dealer was issued with a sheet of registration numbers in numerical order in which to choose and allocate a registration number to a newly sold car. If you went in and bought two cars then you could have the choice of picking your own numbers, and two consecutive numbers if you fancy. Popular examples could be a low number, 1, 4, or a 656, 707 number or a 100, 500 number. In those days buyers were not so tuned in to personalised registration numbers and there were some great numbers that used to crop up that were easily available and unlike today were at no extra cost. You were just pleased to sell a car and see someone happy with their purchase!

[@TwinCam]

Yeah, if you look at the government’s MOT checker and put in a number one below most cars, it’ll be from the same manufacturer.

[@sjcuk]

@@TwinCam Your video was very informative. Its good to keep it simple as us car anoraks will always fill in the details. It infuriates me when I see a car later than 1973 with black plates but I won't be quite so critical now as you have explained the updated rules. It still looks wrong to me as most people wanted to update their cars back then, not make the car look older as they do now. Well done.

[@TwinCam]

I like cars with appropriate plates as well, but sometimes it just looks right. Like a late Morris Minor probably would’ve had reflectives in 1971, but I think they look better on black plates. Similarly, I’m not adverse to a Mini on black plates, as long as it’s styled to look like a 60s/70s car at least.

[@levelcrossing150]

@@TwinCam For me it's a personal thing based on my own experiences working in the motor trade years ago. We had a special order for a valued customer for a new burgundy coloured Morris 1000 pick-up which was in for pre delivery inspection for delivery on August 1st 1972 I think! He insisted on a Morris 1000 as any alternative brand that we sold would not do! A set of K reg reflective plates were chosen for it and it looked so right at the time, I think I even fitted them. It stood out among all the other makes of cars which were later lined up for delivery. A number of J reg 1000's were also running about in the area too all with reflective plates, so for me nothing else seems right! As for today I believe that when it's your own car then it's all down to your personal choice but I know what I would choose, originality every time!

[@Tom.J.O]

Great video. I've always been a car enthusiast but I've never given much thought to number plates apart from the obvious 01 in 2001, 51 is a bit later, 02 is 2002 etc. I learned a few facts from this. Thank you

[@marcuschapman218]

01 hasn't been used yet. Y was March 2001

[@davehowling1934]

Best reg no I've seen was KN08 HED ...

[@squeaksvids5886]

My favourite one I’ve seen was NO69 YET 😂😂

[@marcuschapman218]

There are genuinely BJ08 Plates I was surprised they were made! 😂

[@dcarbs2979]

@@marcuschapman218 The DVLA prudes have led sheltered lives ;-)

[@johno4521]

@@dcarbs2979 They actually have a department weeding the rude ones out!!

[@dcarbs2979]

@@johno4521 Trust me, a few slip the net only to be withdrawn after someone grasses. I wonder if TO55ERS is allowed? :-)

[@helenabarnett6441]

Brill. Well explained👍 I probably shouldn't admit this...but.. growing up in the 70's I remember discovering the idea that two of the letters denoted where a car was from/first registered. I think the entire list was in as encyclopaedia! Anyway it led me to a few weeks of 'collecting' car number plates in a little pocket book....(before it became to tedious). A lot fewer cars on the road back then, but I do remember the fascination finding cars from far off exotic sounding places like Northumberland or Cornwall! Great video.. You should do a more in depth one using some interesting older cars as examples 🤔

[@TwinCam]

Oh that’s so the kind of thing I’d do 😂 It seems quite a few people would like a more in depth video, but I kept it short because I didn’t want to bore anyone. As so many want it, I might put one together at some point! ☺️

[@TheChrisEMartin]

Correct. Each County or County Borough had a code of two letters. There was an index to them.

[@dcarbs2979]

I even did the same when I went to NY, NV and Ontario: I was spotting out of state cars this century

[@nigelkthomas9501]

*** *** E was only around for seven months because it started on 01/Jan/1967. F reg was started on 01/Aug/1967 when that date was chosen for new car registrations instead of New Year’s Day.

[@TwinCam]

That’s it!

[@peterriggall8409]

Thanks for that. As an Aussie with an interest in English cars I had only known a little bit about this. Our system in most States are just letters and numbers sequentially. Some states used to have an area identifier for country areas but that was not common. They are administered from one central location in each State. Also we cannot go to a plate manufacturer and get a set of plates. I would question the benefit of having an area identifier. For instance your car was purchased in a London but lives elsewhere now so the area identifier means nothing really.

[@TwinCam]

The area identifier doesn't mean anything really, but back in the day the DVLA had local authorities, so it made sense then. For many years now there's just been one national authority that dishes out the area codes depending on where the dealer is. I suppose it's a relic from the old days :)

[@richardhemingway6084]

@@TwinCam It is only relevant for 'first registered'. Of course vehicles get sold on, around the country. I remember as a kid on camping holidays, looking at the number plates of other campers and sussing where they all came from. My dad's AA handbook had a useful page of all the registry letters. Chuffed with my super sleuthing, my dad then pointed out that they could be pre-owned cars and sold on.

[@johno4521]

Re-registrations haven't been geographical since all the local offices were closed down. These are now issued direct from DVLA from a central block of numbers.

[@TwinCam]

@@johno4521 The DVLA does not have local offices, but the plates are still geographic. If I bought a car registered by a dealer in Preston, it would have Preston plates, not a random sequence.

[@johno4521]

@@TwinCam True, but I was talking about age-related RE-registrations for imported cars.

[@selwyntracey3871]

Cool video. I find plates interesting and it was a good subject choice Well done. (From Australia).

[@TwinCam]

Thanks Selwyn ☺️

[@wildrover1048]

I think they went from a 12 month to a 6 month reg change because because there were a spike in sales when a new reg came out, it was actually thought to be quite prestigious to have the latest reg plate to the point where they would discount cars that were soon to have an "outdated" reg plate so to try and even sales out over the year the changed it to every 6 months. The same goes for what model the car was in the range (i, SLi, GSi etc.), these were more important back then compared to today. The video below shows the different mindset in the 90's compared to today. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eYLWfnmHj8ZrpdU

[@TwinCam]

Absolutely.

[@warweezil2802]

And the same sales reason was given for the move from year end change to 1st of August change which occurred in 67. “E” to “F” prefix, oh and to correct the information, the “year prefix” system was only adopted nationally on cars registered after Jan 1 1965. In the 2 previous years there was a mix of systems.

[@chrisredfield3240]

It was like night and day the difference between a I and a gsi model I have a titanium-x mondeo and it's bloody lovely. I always had the lowest spec cars before popular style etc

[@grassytramtracks]

But it bothers me that it's in March and September - surely it should be in January and July

[@TwinCam]

It used to be once a year in January, but they moved it to August in 1967. When they introduced the 6 month change, they moved it one month to March and September. The reason they stopped doing January is because of demand. People wanted their new cars on the new plate, so car manufacturing, distribution, and dealers all saw huge demand over Christmas, which isn’t conducive to family time and holidays, so they moved it.

[@RiverMersey]

Military Vehicle Number Plates. Since 1949, British military vehicle registration numbers have taken one of two forms. The first had two numbers followed by two letters and ending in two numbers (12 AB 34) and the second, from 1995 onwards, has two letters, two digits and two letters (AB 12 CD)

[@daveydoo3173]

It can be quite complicated for people , Not everyone knows.. So thank you Ed for helping out.. And yeah so what if your an anorak, its something you enjoy doing, you have an interest.. I remember years ago i use to collect hub caps and wheel trims. ❤️❤️

[@andrewstones2921]

Davey doo in the context In which it’s used here, anorak is a complement and not a slur... at least I hope so.

[@borderlands6606]

Shame you didn't cover old plates. We used to "collect" number plates as youngsters, and some of those seen on ordinary cars and vans like Austin and Ford would be worth a small fortune now. Triple letters the same with single or double digits (MMM 6, SSS 10, etc) were popular finds, as were suggestive plates (BRA always got a laugh). Four digit, double letter plates were also common. Another anomaly was adhesive plates on sports cars that had no obvious place to put a license plate. These stretched visibility to the limit, which resulted in laws that made manufacturers design space into the bodywork.

[@benrogersdevon]

The number plate on post 2002 / 04 cars had their place of first registration as the first two letters of the plate / such as MV at the start would be from Greater a Manchester. Anything with an S at the start is from Scotland originally. Before 2002 the plate first registration was down to the first letter so 1983 / 84 is the A reg, I think and 88 : 89 is f reg. j reg is 91 / 92.

[@TwinCam]

The system was changed on 1st September 2001, not 2002.

[@benrogersdevon]

Twin-Cam yes mate, sorry. Keep getting things a year wrong!

[@benrogersdevon]

In theory, you could purchase a brand new motor, garage it and not register it with the dvla and keep it garaged for thirty years then register it and it’d have a new plate on it yet it’s a 30 year old car!! Surely someone has done this?!

[@TwinCam]

You used to be able to do this, but nowadays cars get period correct plates. Same with imports, so a 1990 car would get a G-plate because it was built then.

[@johno4521]

I often wonder how the people of Liverpool feel, to be lumped in with Manchester....

[@dcarbs2979]

Suffix plates A to D began on January 1st of their given year (A is 1963). 1967 was when they changed the new reg date to August 1st, E-reg ran from 1/1/67 to 1/8/67 and is unique that it is the only one to not run for a full year or 6 months. F-reg is 1/8/67 to 31/7/68

[@mjames2117]

Isle of Man/IOM/ "Manx" registrations are considered exported in terms of vehicles shipped over permanently from UK mainland or Ireland. IOM has a separate Government to UK and controls its own vehicle registrations and has separate Road Tax tariffs and currently still has tax disks. Tax runs for 12 months. Number plate sequences do loop around although you can buy or transfer special cherished plates. Variations of IOM plates can include AMN XXX L/ MMN XXX L/ MAN XX/XXX MN/ etc. some cars might still have Black rear plates however these are no longer acceptable either. There is no MOT on IOM so you have a few "sheds" driving around with considerable defects. Tax can be higher for cars. Particulary larger CC cars or cars with higher CO2 emmissions. Bikes have same square plates as UK but there is less enforcement of noisy exhausts a) because it is a bike friendly island (TT/ MGP or Classic Races/ Trials etc etc) b) most people have a bike. Some fire vehicles had FMN 999 etc and you have vehicles which have DMN 666 and you have XMN aswell. There are no location or age identifiers so you cannot tell how old a vehicle is by its plate UNLESS you do a vehicle search online which should tell you this info and current Tax status. On the Isle Of Man there is a very good Motor Museum would recommend to any visitors when the border to the Island has been reopened. The museum has a fair number of American cars. and a large number of bikes. ANPR has just been introduced so be mindful to not commit crime on the island, you will be very quickly identified and "picked up"😉

[@paulqueripel3493]

Jersey is J followed by numbers. Guernsey is just numbers.

[@xCPTxNEMO]

Don’t forget Alderney which has the AY prefix.

[@mjames2117]

@@paulqueripel3493 seen only the odd one or two Jersey and Guernsey plates on Isle of Man. People probably relocating. When I was in Guernsey we had black plates I recall. Also on IOM we now have the very expensive Jacksons car sales also in Channel Islands, the furniture alone for the Bentley showroom here cost £150K apparently

[@johno4521]

Just to add; although as you say the IOM registration system is nothing to do with Britain's, DVLA does not issue MAN or MN combinations to avoid confusion or duplication.

[@dopiaza2006]

I already knew everything you said in the video, but it was still enjoyable to watch! One little (maybe) interesting point is that when they moved on from Y plates in 2001 to the new scheme, that coincided with the road tax change to be based on emissions.

[@xaero1971]

Almost. Both were done in 2001, but the new road tax change based on emissions came in on the Y plate (March 2001) and then carried on the new 51 plate (Sept 2001).

[@kasperkjrsgaard1447]

In Denmark we have the choice whether to have the EU stars on our registrationsplates or not. Naturally i chose the numberplates without the stars. 🇩🇰

[@TwinCam]

We choose over here too, and I expect that in 30 years people with older cars will be requesting EU stars in order to make their plates look period correct!

[@warweezil2802]

I remember the government of the day claiming that the new system gave buyers more information about the origins of the car which was total garbage. My 65 Ford was ADE xxxC registered at our local vehicle licensing office in this county, hence the DE series. I recently had a Skoda through my hands which was registered by a dealer in the same town as my Ford was but with a CV55 plate, all that tells me is it was registered to the South West Wales area... far less specific.

[@johno4521]

Since the closure of all the DVLA local offices, Swansea issues all registrations directly to dealers now based on where in the country they are. - Replacement registrations for imports, etc are no longer geographical at all; an imported vehicle will just receive a mark from whichever series DVLA is using at the time, appropriate to its age.

[@warweezil2802]

@@johno4521 missing the point that the old county system was far more specific than the regional system we have now such was the point I was making. Prior to the new format the old county letter pairing was still issued by Swansea, despite the closure of many local offices (Haverfordwest was closed by the mid 90s) the county system remained in place until 2001

[@MrCorkhead]

Thanks for the video - fascinating!! Like others, I'd watch UK TV shows & someone would say "it's a J reg...." and not have a clue what it meant. Great work young man!!!

[@TwinCam]

Thanks Deane ☺️

[@Superman-xs7pg]

@Alan Partridge Yes! That's a 1991-1992 reg!

[@Amy-leigh-Laverick]

Irish number plates are the best... Literally Year - location - number registered that year in that location

[@dcarbs2979]

Does it mess up the sequence when too many cars get sold?

[@markgeddings3566]

In the mid-80s I was stationed at RAF Bentwaters, I brought over a US spec. 1984 Dodge Colt Turbo (Mitsubishi made) and received the number of B263RBJ..

[@tedburnard841]

Was in England from May to Nov 05 and remember the change from 05 to 55 and thought, being an Aussie, it would be great to get the plate AU 55 IES

[@johno4521]

Letter 'I' not allowed, sadly!

[@jgvgjv2980]

Great video with plenty of clear information, good job 👍 young man

[@TwinCam]

Cheers mate ☺️

[@WilliamParmley]

Thanks! That's something I've been curious about for a long time. And, now I think I understand KAR 120C and 731 HOP. :-)

[@stevesmith7530]

When talking about the numbers for J997BGP, it would have been impossible to buy that vehicle new with a single digit. Initially, 21 was the "starting number", with lower numbers retained for later auction. The digits are also not really random, if you registered a number of vehicles at the same time at the same office they would likely come with consecutive numbers. This still applies today where characters are used as the unique portion, you may well be issued HZA through HZK (missing I) registering 10 vehicles at once.

[@Mishima505]

I’m trying to imagine the DoT civil servants in countless meetings discussing which three letter combinations were rude and which weren’t...

[@someonebald2022]

When they changed the date letter from suffix to prefix someone immediately asked if they could have the number "P 155 OFF". I think that was the DVLC (as it was then) response. :) I DID used to see a Mini with the plate "SEX 1 E" when I was a kid, though

[@Mishima505]

Someone Bald Steve Parrish famously had the plate PEN 15 on his Mercedes.

[@marcuschapman218]

I read a newspaper article that said they had removed BO 11 OCK &. BO 11 OXS

[@someonebald2022]

@@marcuschapman218 I should imagine W4NKR was another no no ;)

[@04smallmj]

I've seen a WTF plate

[@richdelgado3405]

You know, it would be great if you could do a video on MOT. Here in Ohio, all they do is check your exhaust system and make sure you have a working gas cap. It sounds like your MOT is a LOT more demanding.

[@john_smith1471]

MOT/roadworthyness would be a good video to do, , testing was suspended in March as most garages closed due to covid, if a vehicle had an MOT due, a six month extension to the date was given by the government.

[@TwinCam]

I could do a video on an MOT, but it might take a while as people have already said, it’s quite extensive. It’s basically a full health check for the car.

[@omarsharif123]

Car's in America are not roadworthyness as car's in UK. Also the UK driving test is more difficult than the American driving test

[@richdelgado3405]

@@omarsharif123 I wish we had more stringent drivers tests here in the US. I can literally find every day a half a dozen drivers who shouldn't be allowed to drive. And I can also find plenty of cars with 2x4's for their rear bumper or plastic sheeting for a side or rear window.

[@stanelder9995]

Yet again in N Ireland the MoT testing system is different - there are only a handful of Government-controlled testing centres in the whole provence and the test itself is quite rigorous and standardized with less opportunity for cheating a suspect car through it

[@dquad]

New Zealand has a far easier system. AA1 - increase numbers until run out, then go to AB, repeat until ZZ9999. After that AAA1 and repeat. (Always a maximum of 6 characters). Until 1985 our plates were silver letters on black, ever since they've been black letters on white. New font introduced in 2004.

[@TwinCam]

That is simpler, but doesn’t give the plates any identity! Here we can see where they’re from and when they’re from 😉

[@wangdangdoodie]

@@TwinCam Plus the fact that NZ has a tiny population.

[@grassytramtracks]

The French system was last overhauled in 2009. The pre-2009 system involved up to three letters and up to four numbers, and the department number, and these were assigned within the department and they started with one letter and one number and made them longer when they ran out. This system was in use starting from the 1970s, and very populous departments like Paris and Nord were almost all out and might have needed to add a fifth number, whereas less populous departments like Lozère were in no danger of running out. In 2007, plates changed from being white at the front and yellow and black to being white on both sides, and in 2009 the current numbering system came in. It started at AA 000 AA, and first the numbers count up and when you get to 999, the last letter changes, in this case to AA 000 AB. when you get to AA 999 AZ then the next letter from the last one changes to AA 000 BA and so on, and the system will run out once they get to ZZ 999 ZZ. My grandparents live in France and have two cars: one has the old system and has the blue strip with the EU flag and the F for France, three letters and three numbers and the department number for Finistère (which is 29). The other has the new system and has the blue band with the F for France, then the two letters, three numbers, two letters, and then another blue strip with the department number (29) and the logo of the region (Brittany, so the Breton flag, as it's especially culturally distinct from the rest of France, having a separate language, which is the last Celtic language in mainland Europe)

[@johanvanderpulst5250]

In Belgium the license plate does not stay with the car. Most of the time you can't tell the age of the car by looking at the plate. The only thing you can tell, is how old the plate is.

[@youtube-is-hopeless]

Thanks for doing this, I know how it all works, but so many don't!

[@morini500dave]

You can transfer some number plates to different vehicles if it doesn't make the vehicle appear to be newer,or transfer a Norhtern Ireland number plate to a vehicle,these plates being dateless,or even retain a number plate number without assigning it to a vehicle.

[@CraigyGInDaHut1993]

I'm from Northern Ireland and always wondered what people were on about when the said 60 plate, j reg etc. Only found out last year. Its hard to tell the year of a car over here though.

[@allanelder2711]

Northern Ireland registrations are just concerned with identifying the vehicle. It's a peculiarity of Great Britain plates that the people there have to know the age of the vehicle as well.

[@frothe42]

Fantastic video, extremely informative. Thank you very much for the explanation of UK 🇬🇧 number plates!

[@TwinCam]

Thanks ☺️

[@frothe42]

@@TwinCam I like and thoroughly enjoy your informative videos. I hope soon you will be able to check out other vehicles, and that I learn something about vehicles in the UK 🇬🇧. Stay safe! 😷

[@Mute_Nostril_Agony]

1963 and 1964 had the year identifiers A and B but in London only I think. That’s why they were rarer. The whole country started in 1965 with C. Northern Ireland never had year numbers and was the only place to use I and Z.

[@levelcrossing150]

No that's not true, my Hillman Imp was on a "B" plate which was registered in Flintshire, and A and B plates were very common.

[@TwinCam]

There were lots of areas that used A and B plates, but more rural areas could stick with the old system as they hadn’t yet run out of numbers.

[@johno4521]

@@levelcrossing150 He's partially right; it became mandatory for local authorities to start using the year letter system in Jan 65.

[@aland9720]

I have a 1994 (L) & 2000 (W) cars. One ends in WLB, the other in AOO. So, if I understand correctly, is the origin of WLB = London, and the origin of AOO = Bristol?

[@sunsetexplorer63936]

OO is a Chelmsford code.

[@jamesbrennan4674]

Another good video may of only been regarding number plates but still interesting never the less keep them coming Twin-Cam..

[@beem1102]

If you import an older car previously not registered in the UK, will it get one of the new 5-reg style plates to match the year of UK registration, or would it get an older style Alpha year type plate to match the vehicle’s year of manufacture?

[@levelcrossing150]

During the 70's in general we used to get age related plates for imported cars, I expect it was all down to having proof of the year of original registration! I have known of cars knocking about with later registrations though!

[@TwinCam]

If you import a car to the UK now, it’ll get a plate appropriate for when it was manufactured. That way, the MOT test is appropriate for it. If you put a Dodge Charger or something in for a 2017-spec MOT, it’d fail immediately. You can see age appropriate plates on Jonny Smith’s imported Charger (E-plate), and the Dacia HubNut imported last year (G-plate).

[@morini500dave]

I have a Spanish motorcycle that was maufactured in 1977 and used by the Spanish military until 1986 when it was registered for civilian use in Spain.I bought it with a UK registration C prefix number,date of first registration 1986.The DVLA wouldn't issue me with a 1977 R suffix number.I wasn't happy with this so had to get independent proof of age from a motorcycle club,when I submitted the evidence the DVLA then changed it to a historic vehicle it being over 40 years old but still wouldn't issue the 1977 number plate,so I could legally ride around with a newer number on an older bike,in the end I had to buy a 1977 registration number to put on my bike,the DVLA were very happy to take my £80 transfer fee,what a scam!

[@frankietroll9969]

Thanks a lot for the explanation! I remember the old scheme up to 1983, but the new schemes were always a mystery to me. Great video, thumbs up! 👍😎

[@TwinCam]

Thanks mate ☺️

[@annabelholland]

Number plates in UK are consistent in format throughout the whole country whereas other countries the format is different in every state/province

[@johno4521]

Unless you count private or 'cherished' numbers, in which case you have every format issued since 1903 currently represented on British roads!

[@TheHorsebox2]

Thanks for explaining that.

[@Sarge084]

Correction: on the old plates with the three letters two of the letters are area identification, the third letter isn't random, it identified the month of registration. Using the month ident allowed the area ident pair of letters to be used 12 times in any registration year.

[@dVb9]

First time I've heard of this. I knew the first of the three letters wasn't random, but had always thought they were allocated to dealerships in sequential batches. Wasn't aware of there being a link to month of registration. To test the theory, can you tell me what month/year my car C--- CWL was registered in?

[@Brian3989]

The third letter in the old number system started with A, then B, etc. AFK 123, BFK 123. Did not change with year.

[@Brian3989]

@@dVb9 The year 1 Aug 85 - 31 Jul 86, area Oxford.

[@dVb9]

@@Brian3989 Yes, that's the registration year covered by the C prefix, but I was challenging the notion that the month of registration could be determined by the first of the three letters. WL was indeed an Oxford registration, although it covered quite a broad area - the supplying dealership was actually located in South Bucks.

[@wangdangdoodie]

Sarge084. REF Third letter. Not according to the Government website which states: "The first of the three letters has no meaning, but is merely to provide variation for identification".

[@ltrtg13]

When the government brought out the plates eg: JOH 182L. For the first few years the plate changed on the 1st of January. Then the government change the new plates to the 1st of August. That's why the E registration number was only for 6 months.

[@rexdell4170]

But my restored 1967 VW Beetle, bought new in Manchester, is HNA 979E. It was sold new on 05/05/67. Does that mean the E reg was only from Feb through Aug of 1967? I hate the new system.

[@phmwu7368]

UK plates stay with the vehicle... not with the owner... correct ?

[@TwinCam]

Yes.

[@priteshchampaneri1305]

Unless it's a private plate

[@HighTen_Melanie]

As a child I thought drivers had the option of choosing a yellow or white plate whichever was their favourite.

[@Paul8342]

Another informative little video. You’ve no need to apologise for any nerdy facts - keep them coming I say! I didn’t know the thing about a car becoming 40 years old being eligible for a black plate - interesting given my Mini 30 is now 31 years old!

[@levelcrossing150]

In my opinion I just don't think cars look right with black and white plates after 1968! Once the reflective plates were introduced, everybody was wanting them!

[@TwinCam]

Thanks Paul, you still see so many people tell others their plates are illegal but they aren’t!

[@johno4521]

Bit daft; you can now legally fit black plates to a 1980 (V reg) car...but it must have 'classic' status.

[@xrobbiejones]

I thought I recognised that fabia😁 Was registered in my dealership in North Wales 👍

[@WelshyM]

Our Toyota is CX too. CW, CX and CY are all N Wales region plates (on the current system.) CX is the rarest of the three, don't know why, but just is.. The old N Wales plates were FF - Merionedd. EY Anglesey. CC & JC Gwynedd. DM & UN Clwyd.

[@james.allen99]

Cheers mate, appreciate the car hahah

[@Mark-ms5pn]

@@WelshyM aren't most of North Wales covered by the deeside registrations?

[@johndue2366]

What you left out that is really important is: How do car owners get hold of their number plates and who manufactures the number plates? The reason for my questions is that car cloning apparently is a big issue in the UK. In Denmark, where I live, number plates are manufactured and distributed by the state. They are reasonable difficult to copy. Prior to painting, the letters and numbers are stamped into an aluminium plate making protrusions.

[@TwinCam]

Cloning is an issue in the UK, but the laws are in place to stop that. Plate suppliers must see ID for the buyer and proof that they own the car. The problems come with enforcement. The police don't seem to care and as such the suppliers very rarely ask for proof.

[@ilkoconsult]

Very informative, thanks mate did enjoyed

[@jasejj]

The weird thing is, the first/last letters of the older number plates don't always directly relate to the cars age. When I was a kid my dad, in 1982 acquired a Y-reg Fiat 128. But the car wasn't brand new. He'd bought it off his mother when his dad died. But they lived in Belfast, and as he was a police officer in England he didn't really want to draw attention to himself by running a car with NI number plates during the troubles. So despite the car being nearly seven years old it carried a Y-reg plate.

[@TwinCam]

Yep, in the ‘old days’ the date code was just when the plate was issued, but nowadays cars are given age appropriate plates. When HubNut imported the Dacia, it was given a ‘G’ plate.

[@johno4521]

DVLA began issuing re- registrations appropriate to a vehicle's age in 1983 when the A-prefix was current.

[@darthbarmey6482]

Good job nice explanation

[@patrickmooney4135]

Yeah, that was a cool video. Very informative and interesting. Thanks!

[@TwinCam]

Thanks Patrick :)

[@benjaminbomberg]

I must say, I found this quite interesting! Our plates here in Ontario are just sequential, being 4 letters and 3 numbers. One quirk for me is you can tell if it's a custom plate because the crown symbol from the middle of the plate moves to the bottom right corner. Also, do you not have to bid for custom plates in the UK?

[@TwinCam]

We do, the DVLA (licencing agency) sells off chunks of numbers at a go.

[@chrisaskin6144]

In the old days of pre-reflective white script on a black background, I feel sure silver coloured letters and numbers on a black background were also permitted.

[@saxon-mt5by]

Yes, they were.

[@weistella247]

5:40 Nowadays Singapore uses that format

[@Superman-xs7pg]

Exept it has one more digit.

[@javadave]

Nice video. I've driven in the EU many times and didn't bother with a GB plate or EU number plate. I think its a law that nobody cares about. I'm also an old git and I remember well the three letters, number and letter. I remember being really excited to spot a new car each time the letter changed (I think it was August when it switched?). I think they switched to the new confusing system that switches every 6 months to stop a rush on new car buying at the same time every year.

[@andrewstones2921]

Being something of an anorak myself I thought I knew all this, but I was wrong. I honestly never knew that Q plates are still issued. For our overseas friends it’s perhaps worth mentioning that whilst in 99% of cases the number does remain with the car, it’s perfectly legal to move your beloved number to another car as long as it does not make the car appear newer than it is, and as long as the car does not have the dreaded Q plate. It may have been worth mentioning NI plates as they are popular on some cars in the UK, I myself have 2 cars with NI plates, though in my defence they were both purchased in NI. Even though the DVLA in UK handle NI registrations as well as UK, when you change the address on an NI car to a mainland address the registration document is marked as “imported” even if the car has not physically moved a metre! NI cars new now have option of regular UK plates if they prefer.

[@wangdangdoodie]

But! The original car that the plate was issued for must no longer be in existence. For example: if i bought a Ford Mondeo last year, then bought another this year, i could not transfer the plate from the older Mondeo unless it had been scrapped and de-registered.

[@stefencooke]

If I remember right about the original E Reg it was because up to that it ran from Jan to dec and people use to wait for the new reg to come out so there moved it to help sales or something like that. And also sometimes to new one can be a bit confusing as my mate car has a o in the place part and a 0 for the year

[@borderlands6606]

In the 1980s a letter prefix ran for a year. From 1963 the year letter was at the end. It was only with the new millennium that plates changed every six months. Getting a new August plate was a big deal, and that's when most sales were made. It negatively skewed car sales in the months leading up to August. New plate frenzy has gone the way of the FA Cup final, something everyone took notice of but which is only of interest to a hardcore nowadays.

[@Tom-q6h2c]

That's good to know my 2000 bmw 323ci is from Berkshire last 2 letters are JB

[@hopkin2006]

Wait what? Berkshire?

[@nicoleroberts29]

I have Plates from a car my husband bought when in Europe both black by Bluemels 3527 DU and then he got others from the military. what were the English ones for?

[@100T280]

DU is a Coventry number

[@LukeGB003]

I feel like such a nerd. I already know number plates and when my mate gets a car I can say. Oh it was registered in Manchester in 2009. My car has a private plate. But it was registered in Leeds in 2009