The arrangement of numbers and letters on car registration plates is a familiar sight, but beneath the surface lies a structured pattern that might surprise many. The formation of these plates is far from random, carrying both meaningful information and regional context.
While it’s widely understood that the numbers on the plate indicate the year of the vehicle’s registration and the specific half of the year it occurred in, the lesser-known fact pertains to the two letters that precede the numbers. This is where the insights of Jon Kirkbright, Sales Director at Private Number Plates, come into play.
Jon shared, “To an untrained eye, number plates might appear to be an arbitrary amalgamation of letters and numbers. While most people are aware of the numbers representing the car’s manufacturing and registration year, the letters that precede them possess an enigmatic significance.”
These letters, often overlooked, serve as “regional identifiers,” pinpointing the DVLA office where the vehicle was registered. This revelation explains why individuals purchasing multiple vehicles from the same dealership might find the same letter combination at the start of their number plates—a phenomenon more than mere coincidence.
However, this norm doesn’t extend to private registration plates. Those who opt for these personalised plates can choose their own letter and number combination, bypassing the regional identification rule.
Jon, however, clarified that private plates cannot be employed to make cars appear newer than they are. “Manipulating the registration to misrepresent its age is an offense,” he explained. While making a car seem older is permissible, projecting it as newer than its actual manufacturing year is strictly prohibited. For instance, placing an ’11’ number plate on a vehicle from 2007 is not allowed.
Individuals seeking to obscure their vehicle’s age might consider dateless private registration plates as an alternative. Jon elaborated, “Contrary to prevailing beliefs, dateless personalised registrations can be found at budget-friendly prices. These options are ideal for those seeking unique plates or aiming to conceal their car’s age. However, they tend to sell out rapidly.”
Armed with the knowledge of the hidden letter meanings, vehicle owners with original plates now possess the ability to deduce the region of their car’s registration. By consulting the regional identifiers provided below, they can decipher which part of the country their vehicle hails from:
Regional Identifiers | Location | Postal area
AA AB AC AD AE AF AG AH AJ AK AL AM AN | Anglia | Peterborough
AO AP AR AS AT AU | Anglia | Norwich
AV AW AX AY | Anglia | Ipswich
BA – BY | Birmingham | Birmingham
CA CB CC CD CE CF CG CH CJ CK CL CM CN CO | Cymru | Cardiff
CP CR CS CT CU CV | Cymru | Swansea
CW CX CY | Cymru | Bangor
DA DB DC DD DE DF DG DH DJ DK | Deeside to Shrewsbury | Chester
DL DM DN DO DP DR DS DT DU DV DW DX DY | Deeside to Shrewsbury | Shrewsbury
EA – EY | Essex | Chelmsford
FA FB FC FD FE FF FG FH FJ FK FL FM FN FP | Forest & Fens | Nottingham
FR FS FT FV FW FX FY | Forest & Fens | Lincoln
GA GB GC GD GE GF GG GH GJ GK GL GM GN GO | Garden of England | Maidstone
GP GR GS GT GU GV GW GX GY | Garden of England | Brighton
HA HB HC HD HE HF HG HH HJ | Hampshire & Dorset | Bournemouth
HK HL HM HN HO HP HR HS HT HU HV HW HX HY (HW will be used exclusively for Isle of Wight residents) | Hampshire & Dorset | Portsmouth
KA KB KC KD KE KF KG KH KJ KK KL | | Borehamwood
KM KN KO KP KR KS KT KU KV KW KX KY | | Northampton
LA LB LC LD LE LF LG LH LJ | London | Wimbledon
LK LL LM LN LO LP LR LS LT | London | Borehamwood
LU LV LW LX LY | London | Sidcup
MA – MY (MN + MAN Reserved for the Isle of Man) | Manchester & Merseyside | Manchester
NA NB NC ND NE NG NH NJ NK NL NM NN NO | North | Newcastle
NP NR NS NT NU NV NW NX NY | North | Stockton
OA – OY | Oxford | Oxford
PA PB PC PD PE PF PG PH PJ PK PL PM PN PO PP PR PS PT | Preston | Preston
PU PV PW PX PY | Preston | Carlisle
RA – RY | Reading | Theale
SA SB SC SD SE SF SG SH SJ | Scotland | Glasgow
SK SL SM SN SO | Scotland | Edinburgh
SP SR SS ST | Scotland | Dundee
SU SV SW | Scotland | Aberdeen
SX SY | Scotland | Inverness
VA – VY | Severn Valley | Worcester
WA WB WC WD WE WF WG WH WJ | West of England | Exeter
WK WL | West of England | Truro
WM WN WO WP WR WS WT WU WV WW WX WY | West of England | Bristol
YA YB YC YD YE YF YG YH YJ YK | Yorkshire | Leeds
YL YM YN YO YP YR YS YT YU | Yorkshire | Sheffield
YV YW YX YY | Yorkshire | Beverley
For those seeking further guidance on procuring or selling private number plates, Private Number Plates offers comprehensive assistance. They can be reached through their website or contacted via Facebook.
In a world where vehicle number plates hold more meaning than meets the eye, Jon’s insights serve as a beacon of clarity, demystifying the patterns behind these seemingly ordinary combinations of letters and numbers.
