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As sponsors of the car numbers book we can easily add your details to the next
book. Please email a good quality photograph (digital if poss).
for a copy of the book please call the editor, Mr.Brian Heaton on 01704 544440.
A sample of information from the book (below)
There have been several patterns used in mainland UK number plates for
the majority of numbers issued. In roughly historical order -
a) 1 or 2 letters, followed by 1 to 4 digits, e.g. A1 and DY 4832
b) 3 letters, followed by 1 to 3 digits, e.g. TXN 476
c) 1 to 4 digits, followed by 1 or 2 letters, e.g. 20 D and 1164 CX
d) 1 to 3 digits, followed by 3 letters, e.g. 166 KVD
e) 3 letters, 1 to 3 digits, and a year letter, e.g. GEY 309E
f) a year letter, 1 to 3 digits, and 3 letters, e.g. J21 YTB
Year letters began with A suffix in July 1963, and originally changed each January,
becoming compulsory for all areas from the beginning of C suffix in January 1965. E lasted
only from January to July 1967 : thereafter the year letter changed (as now) each August.
By 1983 year suffixes had been exhausted with the end of Y suffix (I, O, U and Z were not
used); year prefixes were then begun as in (f) above.
It is currently understood that as from March 1999 the year letter will change every 6
months instead of 12, and will occur in March and September. This would mean that T to Y
prefix would last only 6 months each, and a new system would be required in September
2001, assuming the same letters are used as were first time round.
Just as the above helps us to tell the age of a vehicle, most number plates will of course
also tell us the area where the vehicle was issued with that number. In 1903 all the
existing Counties, County Boroughs (and Scottish Burghs of over 50,000 population) were
instructed to register all vehicles in their area, and were issued with a one or two
letter code, those in England and Wales in order of size (from A for London to Y for
Somerset, and AA for Hampshire to FP for Rutland). Scotland had mainly S combinations, and
Ireland (then including the south) had Is and Zs; both were allocated alphabetically,
first counties then towns. As for each allocated code the digits reached 9999, new codes
were allocated as required, likewise to new County Boroughs and Burghs as they were
created. In 1963 XA to XY were taken away from London, and subsequently reallocated. Many
of the surviving registrations from this time and earlier have now been transferred onto
newer vehicles as so-called "cherished numbers".
With local government reorganisation in the seventies all these issuing authorities
disappeared, and the issue of registrations was transferred to the computer at
Swansea. The actual business of issuing new registrations was now done by 81 regional
offices, currently called Vehicle Registration Offices (VRO). The 2 letter combinations
(marks) were allocated to the VROs, largely based on the old authorities (above) in their
area. Some VROs have since been closed, and their marks often continued to be issued by
neighbouring VROs.
So what does the registration newsletter (RNL) cover in all this ? For non-year letter
formats we track the highest number issued for each local authority, and the extent of all
known gaps. For each year letter, suffix and prefix, we track for each authority or VRO
what three-letter combinations were used with that year letter, and what were the lowest
and highest numbers issued. The most significant gaps are (a) when non-year letter issues
finished (b) between the end of each year letter and the beginning of the next, where
often several three letter combinations (trios) in the sequence are left unused. As well
as registering new vehicles, VROs regularly need to issue fresh registrations to used
vehicles. These must receive a number with the year letter which applied when they were
new : the progress of these "reregistrations" is tracked by RNL, and they often
begin to fill in the year-end gaps. The coverage in RNL is a mixture of summaries and
lists of all the latest known advances.
Tax discs are also a useful source of information. As well as usually confirming the
registration (in cases of plate errors), a first tax disc (as distinct from the subsequent
ones issued by a post office) when issued by a VRO can tell us which one issued it, from a
computer-printed code in the range 301-399. A new move in the past few years has been
Automated Registration and First Licensing (AFRL). Increasingly new cars are registered by
the dealer using a computer link with (via the manufacturer), so the VRO is not
involved, although the letters used will still indicate the area of origin. AFRL
registrations can be identified from the original tax disc, which carries a stamp with the
word "dealer" and a 4 digit code, which identifies the dealer.
Some year prefix registrations are not generally covered by RNL, because they don't follow
rules such as the above. This applies to most of them with digits between 1 and 20, and
for H prefix onwards any whose digits are multiples of 10, 100 or 111; also for H and R
prefixes, certain digits which identify as matching car model numbers of the time
e.g. 106, 325, and 911. These all come under's Custom or Select schemes, where the
public can obtain by phone a registration of their choice, provided it is not already
taken. Because the letters and numbers are purely the owner's choice, there is no pattern,
so nothing for RNL to track. We do however list the (usually) previously unissued
cherishable registrations which are sold at's auctions.
Other types of vehicle registrations covered by RNL are listed below :
Diplomatic. Apart from some specials, generally with the digit "1" and
often with no year letter, most UK diplomatic issues comprise three digits identifying the
foreign embassy, mission or body, then D (for accredited diplomats) or X (for other
personnel), followed by a serial of three digits. RNL tracks the highest digits known for
each initial three digit code. A few year letter marks with trio RXS were once used.
Exports to EU countries. Special issues began with K prefix, are identified by
ending in XP, confined to trios AXP to MXP which show the month of issue : each calendar
year A for January through to M for December. Only issued by a handful of VROs, and it
appears each one is allocated a block of digits each month. The VRO can be determined from
the tax disc or more usually the make of vehicle.
Age Related (Non Year Letter). Theses are the only non-letter marks now being
issued, apart from at auctions and a few specials. These are confined to, and compulsory
for, vehicles made before 1963 (when year letters began) and arise because all vehicles
reregistered since 1983 have had to be given a registration appropriate to their age. For
those new before 1963 (originally 1956) the format is three letters followed by three
digits, from series previously never used, in the range ASV-YSV, CSU-YSU, BSK-YSK,
GVS-YVS, TYJ-YYJ, KFF-YFF, MFO-YFO, PSY-YSY, and most recently ASJ onwards (also
"reversed" ASV). Even older vehicles have used remaining high 4 digit numbers in
DS, BS and SV.
Q prefix. Where a vehicle needs to be reregistered, but either no proof of age
exists, or the vehicle is made up of components of varying ages, a Q prefix mark will be
issued. The format is Q, 2 or 3 digits, then three letters, which indicate the VRO of
issue as for normal registrations, but Qs are in a separate series. Not to be confused
with temporary imports in the format 123 QR, with 3 serial digits (or sometimes 4 in
earlier years), "Q" and the year of registration, R prefix.
Trade Plates. Used by garages and manufacturers : they must be carried by vehicles
driven on the road which are not currently taxed (including those not yet registered), and
are moved from vehicle to vehicle as required. Unlike most other plates, these have red
characters on a white background and consist of 3 digits followed by 2 letters, or
sometimes 4 digits and one letter. The allocation of the 2 letter codes originated with
the old local authorities, and these have been inherited and continued by the VROs.