Explained: GB car number plates 🚗

Sellers Comments -

Ever wondered what all the letters and numbers on a number plate mean? You can actually find out about the age of the vehicle and where it was first registered via its number plate (provided it's not a personalised plate). Here's how to decode them.

The numbers and letters are not all random: The current format for vehicle registration numbers in Great Britain was introduced on 1 September 2001 for all new vehicles being registered. Northern Ireland registrations have their own format, 1, 2, 3 or 4 numbers, paired with a block of letters that always contain an I or Z.

The DVLA memory tag: The first two letters are called a ‘memory tag’, which is a location identifier for where the car is first registered. Regions of England have their own letter codes; Reading-registered cars start with the letter R, Essex-registered cars start with an E, and so on. For example:

The age identifier: The two numbers are called the ‘age identifier’, which tells you in which six-month period the car was first registered. The numbers change every six months, in March and September. The March codes follow the year of registration. For cars registered between September and February the numeric code equals the year (as of September) plus 50. So a car registered from September 2021 until February 2022 will have the number 71 (= 21 + 50).

The last three letters: They’re really just random letters. However, due to batch allocation of new registration marks to dealers, it is common for cars with "neighbouring" letter sequences to be of the same manufacturer.