UK Number Plates Explained

[@TwinCam]

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[@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.

[@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.

[@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!

[@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

[@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.

[@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 ☺️

[@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

[@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

[@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'..

[@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!

[@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?

[@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!

[@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.

[@bobt8664]

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

[@TwinCam]

Thanks Bob ☺️

[@Matticitt]

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

[@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!

[@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.

[@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.

[@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

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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

[@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 :-)

[@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.

[@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.

[@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?

[@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? :-)

[@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.

[@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!

[@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!

[@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

[@selwyntracey3871]

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

[@TwinCam]

Thanks Selwyn ☺️

[@HighTen_Melanie]

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

[@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

[@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.

[@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.

[@stephenjcuk7562]

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.

[@stephenjcuk7562]

@@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!

[@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?

[@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)

[@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.

[@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).

[@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.

[@tobeytransport2802]

My dads 1971 Morris minor has Letter, letter, letter, gap, number,number,number, letter. I won’t put the actual plate but this is an example of the format but with different letters and numbers: XYZ 121M

[@weistella247]

5:40 Nowadays Singapore uses that format

[@Superman-xs7pg]

Exept it has one more digit.

[@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.

[@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?

[@alfienaylor1587]

OO is a Chelmsford code.

[@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!

[@joelaherne8566]

omg. Irish number plates are sooo much easier to understand. for example this year it would be 201 for the first half of the year, then on change over day in June it would be 202. Then you have the county it was registered in and the count of cars registered. (the Lord Mayor of Cork always gets the first registered car every year)

[@TwinCam]

It’s rather the same format in GB. Area identifier, year identifier, serial numbers.

[@TwinCam]

Just organised differently, and with fewer characters for the year.

[@johnmoruzzi7236]

I had a 1983 Fiat Supermirafiori on an original Y plate, my current 2001 Fiat Brava is on a newer Y plate...

[@imnotabotrlyimnot]

They must of had a contest to design the most boring and plain plates possible. It was a success, apparantly.

[@TwinCam]

I think these plates look quite good. They're simple, and that's a good thing. They don't interfere with the car particularly. I do have an issue with US plates as they have silly designs depending on the state, with pictures in the background and things like that. UK plates do what they're meant to, identify the car, and they do that pretty well.

[@christianworshipmusic6107]

Do the last three letters have an order or are they just random?

[@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.

[@the_pigs_have_rebelled]

The street signs in Leeds are identical to British number plates. Pre 2001 Leeds street signs look exactly like pre 2001 number plates and post 2001 Leeds street signs look exactly like post 2001 number plates.

[@johnbaldock6353]

I've always thought it would be easier to give a number plate to each driver when they pass their driving test. That way you just move the plate from car to car.👍

[@TwinCam]

The downside of that is that you cannot identify the car. That is what the plates are for, not to identify drivers. When you buy a car, you can quickly see its history in terms of MOTs, whether it has been stolen, written off, you can see how old it is, and where it was registered. If this was all done through the VIN instead, it would be very difficult to check individual cars. Additionally, if drivers had plates, they would be the same across multiple cars if they own more than one. If this was the case, cars could not individually be taxed and MOT'd like they are.

[@johno4521]

The 3 letters at the end of current system plates are not totally random as large blocks of marks issued to dealers follow on largely sequentially (ABC, ABD, ABE,etc) with 'gaps' here & there to mix it up a bit. (These omitted combinations are later used for re-registrations of imported vehicles, etc.) Under the pre - 2001 system the numbers 1-999 were not 'random' at all but sequential. Just to confuse things more, DVLA - the government issuing authority in Britain- still issues marks under the old format for vehicle age-related re- registrations but mostly to make money by 'inventing' attractive numbers to auction off. Due to this and also the fact that owners have tens of millions of pounds tied up in valuable registrations, every plate format issued since 1903 is currently represented on British roads!

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@jetsons101]

Hi, Mike here. We have a old UK plate hanging in the garage It's aluminum with black paint. It's QB 9009 Being aluminum the numbers are silver as along the border of the plate. Know the age? Thanks....

[@TwinCam]

I don’t know to be honest. Could be a pre-1963 plate, but you can’t identify the exact age of them. More likely, it’s from a crown dependency of some kind rather than the UK.

[@beaulieuc8910]

I am a bit of an anorak when it comes to illegal numberplates. I have caught a lot of criminals etc that use them. I look at my village, and I see so many cars with illegal plates or not not having plates.. I get them reported too to prevent crime and dangerous driving. I would like to know more about illegal plates as there may be things I have missed. I do get confused about spacing in the middle. Some Reg Nos have too much space in between letters and numbers and it would be good to see in practice what they look like. DVLA publish on their website a PDF about licence plates but it is not hugely clear some of it

[@wetlettuce4768]

People like you are why the Gestapo and KGB were so effective.

[@bri77uk1]

Nicely explained!

[@xCPTxNEMO]

Nice little vid, explains the key facts well.

[@donkoler6678]

hi can I make one plate in plates shop like in germany I miss one of my plates

[@dcarbs2979]

I always watch period-specific shows to see if they use cars that are too new! H-reg and newer in Heartbeat for example.

[@TwinCam]

Oh I do that all the time 😂

[@danielj3440]

Think you could do a similar video on N.Ireland plates? I believe its a similar concept but tbh ive been here nearly 20 years and I couldn't tell you anything about them apart from most of them have a Z on them

[@hh4251]

Ah15 xns, say I got a plate like that, could I connect the xns to the first work or can I not

[@foxyknoxy9410]

I've learnt all my reg plates from lovin cars since a was a little kid even the make n model of them even if a seen them all smashed up n burnt out lol just love me cars

[@Colibear]

GB numberplates not UK

[@TwinCam]

That is true, but UK gets more clicks than GB 😉😂

[@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

[@PapaScho]

Hey Ed as if I've just come across your video by total coincidence. Nan says hi.

[@jillybet3]

Thank you, this was really helpful.

[@TwinCam]

Thanks ☺️

[@winstonc.6951]

is a black background on the left-hand flag legal?

[@stuartplatt2146]

Thank you for another informative video Ed. One question (from someone who always removes dealer information as soon as I get a new car home) are GB owners forced to carry the dealer name or is there some cunning plan to remove that?

[@TwinCam]

Thanks Stuart ☺️ No absolutely not. In fact, the majority of cars don’t have any dealer marks. It’s just that some dealers, new and used, like the advertising it brings, and many people take it off. When a car gets old though they become a piece of history so people like having them. What is mandatory is a little number in the corner and the name of the company that manufactured the plate itself to show it meets the design standards. This is rarely enforced but is a legal requirement.

[@michaelwalker1145]

At one point you could walk in to the car parts shop and get a plate made. Now you need a stack of documents. The only way around this is show plates🙄🙄 Back in the day ,before ANPR and cops with fancy computers, a top tip I got was Keep the plate legal and visible, this was off a guy running a stack of race use only mods on his bike.. cut slicks ect, as it's the first thing they see.. You can't alter your plate so it reads differently EG LO 02 WET alterd it could be LO0 2 WET The second one isn't legit PS it's on a plumbing van . SHMEE 150 has SH 68 MEE along with a stack of other SH number MEE ,BUT he couldn't get SH 69 MEE. The DVLA wouldn't release it. J 1 HAD is another . One that has just sold is TOO 510 W . Too slow if you take the numbers as letters.

[@itsmephil2255]

Awesome vud there Ed 👍

[@NN2994]

I know all of the plates from the mid 80s and your plates is a 91 and my dad engine swapped a 1.8 k series unit into a n reg 114 gta from a 418 r8 before the British built honda civic gen of 400

[@adriancaldwell]

Anoracky yes but fascinating

[@mrwizzardknight]

Please can somebody tell me what my birthday would be like like in Britain’s old fashioned reg number system prior to the one introduced in 2001? My birthday is the 19th of February 1991.

[@TwinCam]

H, prefix. So a plate would be H123 ABC.

[@mrwizzardknight]

@@TwinCam Thanks buddy! ;) 👍 So that’s my birthday in reg number form huh?

[@jacobwilson4824]

I'm from the UK and was wondering can the UK have completely custom plates or does the DVLA just sell what they want?

[@geoffpriestley7001]

You can only have the plates the dvla are willing to sell you . you cant put plates on a car to make it look newer so you couldnt put 2008 plates on a 2005 car . if you go on the dvla website theres a list of numbers that are for sale most are around £250 . But some are a lot more money . And every time you change the car its an extra £80 to take the plates off.the other thing is you have to have the car taxed and insured with out a break or have a" sorn" to be able to move the numbers from one car to another

[@johno4521]

DVLA only sell previously unissued numbers. They will not reissue old marks off scrapped vehicles to anyone.

[@andrewdowds289]

I live in Northern Ireland the second 2 letters are the area and the numbers I think are the number of registered but I’m no expert

[@hopkin2006]

1.34 That's Steph's Morris Marina from idriveaclassic.

[@TwinCam]

Yes, the two Minors are hers too. She gave me the pictures to use in this video.

[@hopkin2006]

@@TwinCam I see. That's nice of her! Special thanks to Steph!

[@hopkin2006]

@@TwinCam Thanks for your reply! I wasn't expecting it!

[@jacobfoster6773]

Nice video, 1 criticism is "I'll put a link if I can be bothered". If you're going to put on the effort to make an informational but concise video that leaves out a few details then please do make the effort to link further information, especially for those who are taking interest, but it might get not be obvious on how to seek further information.

[@TwinCam]

I didn’t because I can’t. KZbin won’t let me. What I have done is put the links in the description.

[@jacobfoster6773]

​@@TwinCam No worries, thanks for providing the links. Keep up the good content as it seems the mysterious youtube algorithm has blessed you and you've certainly earnt a sub from me!

[@malcolmscott4150]

Thanks for this as always could follow cars being referred to as a G plate for example as worked out this related to the year but the newer ones confused me - thx from Australia where each state issues their own number plates with different types allowed from normal, premium and euro style plates all having their own sequence being an example of how complex authorities make their laws

[@TwinCam]

The only annoying thing is that the numbers straddle 2 years! The changeover day from the late 60s to the late 90s was 1st August, but before 1967 it was 1st January. Makes sense, but they changed it as dealers became really busy preparing over the Christmas period for the surge of orders when the new plates came in.

[@liamjpbrady]

Madly confusing system in use today! First, why March and September fir the changes? Surely Jan and July would be better? Jan when the actual year changes! The Irish system seems much more straight forward. It’s mainly numbers, though, instead of letters in the UK. They don’t have private or personalised plates...

[@TwinCam]

I find them very simple, more so than the old system. The changeover was in January, but was changed at request of car dealers to alleviate the rush over the Christmas period. I do like the Irish system though :)

[@Leonardofahrer]

So - are J1DDB, J01DDB and J001DDB three different plates or is just one valid?

[@frankhooper7871]

Only J1 DDB would be valid - no leading zeros are used; just what I'd call "natural" numbers.

[@richardrogers5756]

Don't want to be picky, but you've explained Great Britain plates, not U.K. plates, I live in Northern Ireland, and my plate has 3 letters to identify area, then 4 numbers.

[@TwinCam]

I do mention that Northern Ireland has a different system, but UK gets more clicks than GB.

[@alejandroalessandro7820]

Does anyone still make Charles Wright plates? My 90s car's ones will probably fail the next MOT...

[@TwinCam]

Technically illegal, but most companies do make them for people that want the OEM classic look.

[@alejandroalessandro7820]

@@TwinCam I'll go and speak nicely...

[@ihopetowin]

Anorak videos are welcome viewing.

[@edwardsp1916]

Great job.

[@pook2830]

You can have 12"x6" on imported cars. I have those on the rear of my Mustang... a proper Mustang... not one with the wheel on the right.

[@chrisredfield3240]

If it's not on an import it then becomes illegal. It's only fair though most imports have a small rectangular space to fit the plate it would be very difficult to have no numberplate where intended then a UK style plate mounted somewhere else with a separate numberplate lamp. It would look shocking

[@MrJezvesp]

Brilliant well done

[@MrRawMonkey]

My car has had its number plate changed when it went on personal plates

[@anthonyxuereb792]

I think I understand

[@mjsdecember1990]

I've heard plates with the same number repeated are worth alot of money my dad had a polo on R333 kym

[@TwinCam]

They can be, but of course the price is whatever someone is willing to pay for it!

[@Tejvir7]

Nice

[@jacobgrudziak6285]

This was actually useful for a Brit ngl 😂

[@CortinasAndClassics]

I always associate Q plates with kit cars the like.

[@andrewstones2921]

Simone J Stogrin it just means the age cannot be identified, in fact I seem to recall that on non kit cars it used to have an underlying hint that the car may have been stolen and recovered after having had identifying numbers erased. I had a kit car once and the registration was based on the Triumph Vitesse chassis that the kit used.

[@dogwalker666]

@@andrewstones2921 written off rebuilt were sometimes given Q plates but it makes insurance difficult

[@TwinCam]

I remember seeing an Austin Metro in a scrapyard with a Q and I always wondered what happened to that poor car to give it that plate.