UK Vehicle Registration Mark formats

Since 1960, the UK’s vehicle registration marks have gone through three main formats, each designed to provide a structured system for identifying vehicles while indicating their approximate age.

1. Suffix System (1963–1982)

This system introduced an age identifier at the end of the registration plate.

Format:

AAA 123A

  • AAA – Area code (identifies the location of the vehicle’s original registration).
  • 123 – Random serial number.
  • A – Year letter (indicates the year of first registration).

Year Letters:

  • 1963: A
  • 1964: B
  • 1965: C
  • 1966: D
  • 1967: E
  • 1968: F
  • 1969: G
  • 1970: H
  • 1971: J
  • 1972: K
  • 1973: L
  • 1974: M
  • 1975: N
  • 1976: P
  • 1977: R
  • 1978: S
  • 1979: T
  • 1980: V
  • 1981: W
  • 1982: X
  • 1983: Y

    Example:
  • ABC 123D → Registered in 1966.

2. Prefix System (1983–2001)

The year identifier was moved to the start of the registration mark.

Format:

A123 ABC

  • A – Year letter (indicates the year of first registration).
  • 123 – Random serial number.
  • ABC – Area code (location identifier).

Year Letters:

  • 1983: A
  • 1984: B
  • 1985: C
  • 1986: D
  • 1987: E
  • 1988: F
  • 1989: G
  • 1990: H
  • 1991: J
  • 1992: K
  • 1993: L
  • 1994: M
  • 1995: N
  • 1996: P
  • 1997: R
  • 1998: S
  • 1999: T
  • 1999 (Sep): V
  • 2000 (Mar): W
  • 2000 (Sep): X
  • 2001 (Mar): Y

    Example:
  • P123 XYZ → Registered in 1996.

3. Current “New Style” System (2001–Present)

Introduced in September 2001, this format uses numbers to represent the vehicle’s registration date.

Format:

AA51 ABC

  • AA – Area code (identifies the DVLA office where the vehicle was first registered).
  • 51 – Year identifier (tells when the vehicle was registered).
  • ABC – Random letters.

The year identifier changes twice a year:

  • March – August: The number is the last two digits of the year (02 for 2002, 03 for 2003, etc.).
  • September – February: The number is the year plus 50 (52 for 2002, 53 for 2003, etc.).

    Example Interpretations:
  • AB02 XYZ → Registered between March–August 2002.
  • CD52 LMN → Registered between September 2002–February 2003.
  • EF23 PQR → Registered between March–August 2023.
  • GH73 UVW → Registered between September 2023–February 2024.

Special Cases

  • Northern Ireland Plates: Follow a different system (e.g., ABC 1234 format).
  • Personalised Plates: Can follow different patterns depending on how they were purchased.
  • Trade/Dealer Plates: Have red backgrounds.
  • Diplomatic Plates: Start with a D and have a special format.