History of Number Plates | Registration and Car Number Plate History Login/Register History of Number Plates This article focuses on the history of GB Mainland number plates. Interested in the History of Irish Number Plates ? At the beginning of the century, with mechanically propelled vehicles increasing in number, and accidents occurring more frequently, it became apparent that a means of identifying cars had become necessary. The solution was The Motor Car Act 1903. From 1st January 1904 it become compulsory for every motorcar to be registered with a number plate. This came about 5 years after Dutch authorities first introduced the idea to the world. The first mark to be issued in London was the simple, bold, A1 and this was registered to Earl Russell. He wanted the mark so badly he camped out all night to secure it, making him not only the first registrant but also the inventor of the idea of having a distinctive, personalised or cherished plate on a vehicle. Since then, the registration system has changed 4 times to accommodate the ever-growing demand for vehicle registrations.

Interesting fact: Our Director Des currently has O 11 on his vehicle, which dates back to 1903 and was originally issued in Birmingham Let's take a look at the different number plate systems that have come into play over the years... Dateless 1903-1963 The first plates issued were dateless, that is, there was nothing to denote the year of issue. This system lasted for an incredible 60 years. Initially, the marks were made up of a local council identifier code of up to 3 letters, followed by a random number, e.g. ABC 123. In the early 1950s, as numbers started to run out, the components were reversed, giving rise to registrations in the format 123 ABC. In 1920 The Roads Act was passed that made a few minor changes to the number plate system. Up until this time, there was nothing to stop authorities having two registers, one for cars and one for motorcycles. This meant that it was possible for a car and a motorcycle in the same area to have the same plate.

The 1920 act put a stop to this and ensured that all authorities had one single register for all vehicles. Also, up until 1920, if a vehicle moved from one area to another, it would lose the plate and receive a new one in the new area, the old plate being reassigned to another vehicle. It was decided that this was simply too confusing and inconvenient, so this practice was stopped by the 1920 Roads Act. Not surprisingly, all the dateless registrations are now in high demand, especially short combinations such as O 11 which is worth in excess of £95,000. The high price tag is due to the single letter and the fact that it only has 3 characters in total. Suffix 1963 - 1983 By 1963, a number of local councils had run out of registrations, even by adding extra digits and reversing them. As a result of this, the Suffix system was introduced, a letter indicating the year of registration being added at the end of the plate, which until then had comprised only 3 letters followed by 3 numbers.

Thus, 1963 plates had the format AAA 111A, 1964 plates AAA 111B and so on. This was the first change to a system that had been set up in 1903 when there were far fewer cars on the roads. Since then the administration of the system has turned into a massive task. Everything was done manually and locally. Police checks on vehicle records were time consuming and labour intensive. There were also delays with registrations and the public were not happy with having to wait. So in 1963, as well as a revamp of the system, thought started to be given to utilising some modern technology, namely, computers to create a centralised system. This system would be nine years in the planning! Since 1903 the design of the physical plates had gone through a few changes but the most significant was in 1973 when all newly registered vehicles were required to have reflective style number plates, with black letters on a white background at the front, and on a yellow background at the rear. Older style plates, with white or silver letters on a black background, remained legal for vehicles already registered.

Eventually, in 1974, the centralised DVLC system was up and running, no longer were local councils responsible for vehicle-registration. Prefix 1983 - 2001 The Prefix system started in August 1983. This saw the letter indicating the year moved to the beginning of the registration mark, thus doubling the lifespan of the number plate system. Prefix registrations can be broken down in three sections: First Letter: The year the car was registered and put on the road, hence its age. A for 1983, B for 1984 and so on Last two letters: An area code that indicates where the plate was registered. The three numbers and the first of the three letters at the end have no meaning, only providing a variation for identification. This system continued until the end of August 2001, and a large number of these registrations were held back for later release or for personalised registrations. The letters I, O, U and Z were not issued at all as Prefix letters, and Q was used only where the age or origin of the vehicle could not be identified. Of course the lifespan of this system could be guessed at.

It had taken just 20 years to exhaust the suffix system, souring the 1990s a lot of thought was given as to what to do when the prefix system had also run out of combinations. Current Style 2001 - Now The current style started in 2001. Police evidence suggested that witnesses, particularly in hit and run incidents, remember the letters of a registration mark much more easily than the numbers. As people read from left to right it made sense to put this information, the local code, at the beginning rather than at the end of the number plate. As the result the current system for registrations is made up of 3 parts, as shown below: Local Region: This represents the place where the car was first registered. Vehicles registered in Birmingham, for example, begin with the letters BA - BY; those registered in Chelmsford begin EA – EY. Date ID: This indicates the date of registration of the vehicle, and changes every 6 months, in March and September. The system started with the use of 51 to denote the 6 months from September 2001, with 02 replacing it in March 2002.

52 then denotes September 2002, 03 denotes March 2003 and so on. This continued until March 2010 when 10 and 60 had been reached and so it goes on. Random: The last three letters are random and can now include Z. This current system is far more future-proof that than the previous plate styles were. This system can cater for up to 12.6 million new registrations each year. It is believed this system will run smoothly until at least 2049, when it can simply be reversed. Islands The Isle of Wight For many years the Isle of Wight, with county council status, used the areas letters DL within the general system for all vehicle registrations. Following gradual rationalisation of DVLA local offices. DL identifiers were issued by Portsmouth Vehicle Registration Office. Under the system that started on 1st September 2001, the island falls within the Hampshire and Dorset region, and HW is used exclusively for residents of the island. The Isle of Man The Isle of Man introduced vehicle registration in 1906, in the same format as the mainland Britain system, with the first MN registrations having up to four digits.

This series endured for some time, before the island moved on to a three letter, three digit sequence commencing with AMN. The MAN series was also used, diverted from West Ham Borough Council, where it was made unavailable. The letters MAN followed by four digits have also been used. All these series have also been issued in reverse. The island did not follow the British year identifier system introduced in 1963, though since then its plates have utilized both suffix and prefix letters as integral parts of the registration, on a seven character plate of British appearance. Guernsey and Jersey Vehicles here have carried mandatory registrations marks since before 1915, with each island having a unique arrangement unrelated to the British registration system. Guernsey vehicles carry straightforward numerical plates with no letters and in 2003 up to five figures. Jersey also uses a five-figure series, preceded by the single letter J. Interestingly, J, was also allocated by the mainland county Durham, between 1903 and 1922. The Isles of Scilly The registration mark SCY was made available for use on these islands in 1971, and simultaneously withdrawn from use by Swansea, which had previously issued that combination.

Because there are relatively few vehicles on the Isles of Scilly, any plate carrying the registration SCY is a rare sight in the mainland. Why Choose Speedy? UK CAR Registration plate and year data UK Car Registration Formats If you were to design a registration system for UK Cars the obvious step would have been to have two numeric characters first, this system would have lasted for 100 years. The British civil service could never have dreamt up a system fiendishly simple so here is what they have done instead in the last 100 years. The first registration marks were made up of one letter with one number, the first (A1) being issued by London Council in 1903. Later formats were comprised of two letters and four numbers. These series were replaced as and when they were exhausted. So, whilst the Liverpool series KA lasted for only two years between 1925 and 1927, the series SJ was still being issued by Bute Council in 1963. By the mid 1930s, the two letter/four number series of registration marks were exhausted in some areas, and new three letter/three number series were introduced.

AAA 1 was issued (by Hampshire County Council) in 1934 through to AAA 999 and the commencement of the BAA series in 1936. This process continued until the mid 1950s when marks were reversed to three numbers/three letters. Between 1963 and 1965 councils began to issue "suffix" registration marks - three letter/three numbers and a year suffix. The registration year ran from 1 January - 31 December until 1967, when the suffix change was moved to 1 August. In 1973 the appearance of registration plates was changed for the first time since 1903. From 1 January, vehicles were required to have reflective number plates - black on white at the front and black on yellow at the back. Reflective plates were introduced so that unlit vehicles could be seen more easily at night. The regulations also provided for the size, shape and character of registration marks. Prefix registrations - 1983 saw the completion of the suffix format of registration marks. and the beginning of the yearly PREFIX series "Q" marks -Also in 1983 Q marks were introduced.

These are issued to vehicles of indeterminable age, e.g. kit cars which are built of major components from more than one donor vehicle, or imported vehicles where the date of first registration cannot be established. 1999 Prefix plates now run twice a year Car registrations history and information. Car registrations history and information. Archive Web Pages We can trace the UK car registration system back to 1903. The Motor Car act came into force On January 1st, 1904 and required all vehicles in the United Kingdom to carry registration number plates. County and Borough Councils originally issued the registrations and number plates. This lasted until 1974 at which time the Department of Transport took over by using specially equipped Vehicle Registration Offices (VROs). The individual councils were issued with one or more letter codes for registering vehicles, and both one and two letter codes were issued from 1903. This original system used a one or two letter area code and between one and four numbers. For example: A1 up to AA9999, but by the 1930's these had run out and so a new system was needed.

A1 - YY9999 : 1903 - 1930's AAA1 - YYY999 : 1930's - 1960's During the 1930's the single and double area code registrations became obsolete and 3-letter area codes became necessary. This was in the form of an extra serial letter added to the front of the original letter codes. These new registrations where first used around 1932, but due to the standard size of number plates it could only accomodate 3 numbers and these where rotated in conjunction with the first registration letter. For example ADA999 would rotate over to BDA 1. AAA - 999YYY : 1950's - 1960's In the 1950's the system was reversed by councils who had run out of combinations in the previous series, now with the numbers prefixing the letters (e.g. 237RYU).

A small number of councils ran out of these numbers by the late 1950's / early 1960's and as a temporary measure, four number / one or two letter area code registrations were issued (e.g. 2345AA). These did not have a serial letter, the one or two letters being the area codes as originally issued in the reversed format. Only the single letter area codes D,E,F,H,K,N,R,U and W were issued in this reversed format (e.g. 1042D) between 1953 and 1962. This was the last time the single letter area codes were used. Not all of these numbers were issued, making this type of number rarer than the ABC123 type. Some of these numbers are now being auctioned off as personalised registrations. AAA1A - Y999YYY : 1963 - 2001 By the 1960's, some of the busier councils began to run out of numbers again and it was clear an extra letter or number was needed on the plates.

From 1963 the suffix letter "A" was added to the registrations of some busier councils (e.g. NAT233A), the letter changed to "B" in 1964 and so on. Not all councils used the "year suffix letter" until 1965 when the "C" suffix was issued and the addition of the year letter became compulsory. On 1 October 1974, registrations were centralised, and some area codes changed. In 1983, the year letter suffix system ran out and it was replaced with a year letter prefix system. This system operated in the same format, but reversed (e.g. A234UUV). There is more information about these year suffix and prefix codes on the age identifier pages. The suffix and prefix letters I,O,Q,U and Z have not been used. The year prefix system ran out with the "Y" prefix on 31 August 2001. AA51AAA : September 2001 onwards The current system of number plates is based around the old practice of year and area identifiers but a new, simpler system of codes has been introduced.

In the above example, the AA is the area code and 51 the age identifier. The age identifier changes every 6 months in March and September as before, but gives an 'at a glance' idea of the age of the vehicle with 51 representing September 2001 to February 2002, 02 March to August 2002, 52 September 2002 to February 2003 and so on. The final three letters are serial letters, and for the first time in the UK the letter Z is permitted (only in the serial letters and not in the area code). The new area codes are listed here and apply to new vehicles registered from 1 September 2001 onwards - vehicles that date before this time will continue to use the previous system. The new system has been designed to last for at least 50 years and if reversed (i.e. AAA 51AA) could last until 2099. The use of this website or the information within it is at the users own risk. Copyright 2001-2017. Drivers Technology Ltd. All rights reserved.

Any copying or reproduction of information from this website without the written consent of the author/s will constitute a breach of copyright and will be pursued through the courts with due diligence and tenacity. A Brief History Lesson on Licensing and Registrations Tel: 01642 363738 Web : History of Number Plates Before Number Plates Prior to the introduction of number plates there was the Locomotive and Highways Act 1896, which contributed to the rise in popularity for motor vehicles. The Act increased the speed limit and introduced compulsory lights for safety, but more relevantly it required vehicles to be registered by the local council. Even such ideas like driving on the left side of the road was introduced in the Act. Introduction of Number Plates After the turn of the century the number of vehicles on the road reached 5,000. While today this seems a low figure it was quite scary at the time. The Motor Car Act 1903 was introduced as a result. The Act was intended to help identify vehicles and their drivers, and it did this by mandating the display of registration marks in a prominent position. The first registration marks were made up of one letter and one number.

The first, A1, was issued by London County Council in 1903. This style continued until all possible combinations ran out. At this point the format changed to two letters and up to four numbers. Besides a 1909 Act which introduced road tax to fund road improvements, the Roads Act 1920 was the biggest change in quite some time. This new act changed the registration process so that Councils had to register all vehicles at the time of licensing, assigning a separate number to each vehicle. Different councils were allowed different characters for their licensing. For example, number plates starting KA were exclusive to Liverpool. The problem with this way or registration is that more populous areas ran out of possible marks quicker than other areas. In the case of Liverpool the KA series ran out by 1927, but the SJ series issued by Bute Council lasted until 1963. Areas that did run out of plates though received new formats - three letters and three numbers - and later a reversed format (three numbers and three letters). Even these would run out though; something needed to be done. New Number Plates Introduced In 1967 a new format was introduced, known as suffix registration marks.

These displayed three letters, up to three numbers, and then the letter A. This meant any vehicle registered in 1967 would have an A on the end. The following year the last letter was changed to a B, so any vehicle registered in 1968 would end in a B. This pattern continued until 1983 when the format was reversed (the prefix format) and the first letter became the year of registration. This was the case until the format changed again in 2001 to the one we have currently. At some point while all this was happening, people realised that some number plates were more desirable than others and tried their hand at selling them. This is how National Numbers started - finding old, rundown vehicles and buying them so you could sell the number plate (the car would just be scrapped). Over the years the practise became more and more popular. Today thousands of people are buying and selling number plates. It is amazing how far the concept has come. British Registrations British Registrations Last update 24 October 2016 Contents Introduction British registrations have had quite a complex history. Registrations are far more than just random sequences of numbers and letters, but just what do all the bits mean?

This page explores the meaning of registration marks, examines the history of the system that came to an end in 2001, and provides a reference source for this system. A brief look at the new system is also included. The issuing system A new registration system was introduced from September 2001. This was a result of the system that had been in use previously �running out,� and I will return to describe the new system later. The system used until August 2001 has its origins early in the 20th century. It was recognised that a means of identification for road vehicles was required, and so a national system of registration numbers was introduced. Registrations were issued by local councils, which were allocated sets of one- or two- letter codes in a rather random fashion; although many of the codes survived until 2001, opening and closure of many offices and a big reorganisation in 1974 resulted in many changes to the original allocations. Registrations issued to vehicles consisted of one of the local council�s letter codes, followed by up to 4 digits specific to the vehicle, for example XW 9877.

As the volume of registrations increased, this system quickly became inadequate, and so a new system was introduced (though not universally) in 1932. This consisted of three letters followed by three digits (example KYY 672), Staffordshire being the first area to issue such marks. The second and third letters were the established area codes (although the single letter codes obviously could not be used in this system), while the first was a �counter� ascending through the letters. So in the example, K is the counter, YY is the area office (London) and 672 is a random combination. Registrations were issued as follows: each office would issue �A multiples� working through all its area codes, while for each letter combination the numbers 1-999 were issued in a block. When all its area codes had been used, that office would move onto �B multiples,� and so on. No system can last for ever, and eventually this system was also exhausted. In 1953 some areas started issuing �reversed� registrations (Staffordshire again being first), putting the numbers first (e.g. 760 DYE).

When a few areas exhausted those combinations in the early 1960s, they even went back to using just the area codes (including the single letter ones) with the letters at the end (e.g. 1000 H). But soon a revolutionary new system of suffix letters was introduced. In this system each year had a letter, starting with A in 1963, B for 1964 and so on (e.g. JJD 367D: J = counter, JD = area (London), 367 = �random� combination, D = 1966). Thus offices could �recycle� marks at anything up to yearly intervals: once �Y multiples� were reached, offices would �revert� to �A multiples� � but by then using a different year letter. However, some councils still had spare marks on the old system, and only introduced the new system from 1964 with B suffixes, or in a few cases with C suffixes in 1965. Conversely, a few authorities such as Middlesex ran out during 1962 and introduced the new system a few months early.

Again this system ran out and after Y suffixes registrations were again reversed (e.g. K319 YJA: K = 1992-3 (see below), 319 = �random� combination, Y = counter, JA = Manchester). The letters I, O, Q, U, Z have not been used either as suffixes or prefixes � I, O and Z because of their similarity to 1, 0 and 2, U to V, and Q being reserved for special purposes. A feature which has been with us ever since is that there is always a rush to get the latest year letter. Cars are often regarded as a status symbol, and having the latest letter within days (or hours!) of first appearance shows you are rich!. Christmas was always a busy time for car buying anyway, and this extra pressure caused the car industry considerable problems. In those days car models used to change in August, the necessary changes to the machinery being carried out over the works holiday, so that, for example, the �63 models would be in production from August �63 until July �64.

The industry thought that registering new models with the old suffix letter depressed demand until the new suffix letter became available, so from 1967 the system was altered with new letters issued from 1st August. Those tooling methods have by now become obsolete, but the manufacturing industry was still faced with a peak in demand, albeit now during August. So from 1999 the system was altered again, with two new letters a year, this time in March and September. The big October 1974 re-organisation mentioned above resulted in the responsibility for issuing registrations moving from local government to specialist Vehicle Registration Offices (VROs) or Local Vehicle Licensing Offices (LVLOs). These were run by the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), a centralised body for vehicle registration set up by the Government. Most of the area codes continued to represent the areas they had previously been used for, being issued by the nearest VRO instead of the local council. At the same time, all multiples were re-set to G-multiples (e.g. GBB-N for Newcastle) rather than continuing in sequence as normal. The opportunity was also taken to streamline the mark allocations.

Several codes switched areas again in 1981, and since then several offices have closed with their area codes either withdrawn or transferred elsewhere. Another change from 1997 onward was a relaxing of the strict issuing sequence. Previously, for example, my local Wimbledon office issued marks ..., N-FGT, N-GGC, N-GGF, N-GGH, ..., N-GGT, N-HGC, N-HGF, ..., N-NGT, N-OGC, N-OGF, N-OGH, N-OGJ, P-OGK, P-OGN, P-OGO, P-OGP, P-OGT, P-PGC, ..., P-XGK. But R registrations onward have been issued in a more-or-less random order. This was apparently to thwart attempts by individuals to make up their initials in the registration by predicting when the appropriate letters would appear, the DVLA having developed a lucrative sideline selling select registrations (see below). New system Again, this system eventually reached its end, its demise hastened by the move to two letter changes per year, so a completely new system has been devised.

It is much better designed, but for those familiar with the old system with all its quirks it has meant quite a major change! The idea is that people are most likely to remember the first letters of a registration, so the most important information is put first. This most important information is (apparently) the area � although one would think that the �random� part is actually the most useful for identifying a particular vehicle. Many changes over the years had rendered the original letter-to-area allocations, as amended, rather inefficient, and therefore the marks were completely re-allocated in more memorable blocks, also enabling areas to have the number of letter combinations in proportion to how many they actually needed. The first letter represents the geographic area (e.g. L = London, S = Scotland). Some are a bit contrived: Maidstone and Brighton, in the south east, are deemed to lie in the Garden of England, and hence use GA-GY! However, there was a suggestion that they might use the F block as they are the nearest areas to France! The complete list is at the end of this page. The next piece of information is the date identifier: but, making a break with the past, this is now a number.

Rather than simply ascending from 00 to 99, the numbers are correlated to the year, with numbers 02-50 running from March to August of the corresponding year, and 51-99 for the preceding September to February period. Thus we have 51 from September 2001, then 02 from March 2002, 52 from September 2002, 03 from March 2003 and so on, so that this system will run out in 2050. (It has been suggested that in 2050 this system also will be reversed, although circumstances may change before then anyway, and it would mean that the �most important� information would now be at the end!) To complete the registration there is a �random� combination of three letters; there being more letters than numbers, this will give a greater total number of registrations per year. Indeed the letter Z is now allowed (only here, not in the locator IDs), though I and Q still do not feature, and �offensive� letter combinations are not being used.

Also, a very large number of other "notable" combinations has been separated out for sale at inflated prices by the DVLA (see below), including all combinations where the last letter of the locator and the last letter of the random part are the same. It seems, nonetheless, that the �random� part is being issued in some sort of order (skipping over the aforementioned combinations), rather than being completely random. Thus a typical registration looks like LU04 HFX: L = London, U = Sidcup, 04 = 2004, HFX = random combination. Select marks, registration matching and vehicle re-registrations Most transport operators � lorries, buses, trains, etc. � use fleet numbering systems. These are designed for whatever need the company has for them, but usually batches of new vehicles are numbered consecutively. For many years it became a tradition amongst some operators, notably bus companies, but also some fire and ambulance brigades, to obtain matching registration numbers. This means that a bus numbered 542 has a registration V542 JBH (in this case). Although I am not sure of the exact purpose of this, it does make it slightly easier to identify a vehicle.

Until recently, licensing authorities have been very sympathetic to this. All operators had to do was book the blocks of registrations they required in advance, and the authority then reserved them for the operator. One slight difficulty during the 1970s and 1980s was when numbers 1-99 were reserved for motorcycles (where the shorter plates resulting were particularly advantageous), meaning operators had to add 100 or some similar trick. However, a more recent development hindered registration matching in a much bigger way, namely select registrations. For a while the numbers 1-20 from each series had been reserved, and from H registrations in 1990 and since then, a variety of other numbers have also been reserved. Notable are two-digit multiples of 10 and 11 and multiples of 100 and 111, but there were also some obscure ones such as 121, 147, 541. The exact selection was varied from year to year according to demand, and by the end of the old system the numbers 1-33 and virtually all combinations ending in 0 were being reserved.

Reserved marks can only be obtained on payment of a substantial fee. Some operators bought the marks to give them neat blocks of registrations, others obtained nearest-possible-match registrations (e.g. 211 for 111), others simply left gaps in their numbering, and a few abandoned matching altogether. It was possible to buy any combination of letters with a reserved number, so long as the year letter does not give the vehicle a lower age than it really has (and of course nobody else has got there first). The most popular lark with the H letter was buying registrations with number 1 and your initials � e.g. H1 RPM. This looks like Hi RPM! However, some people have been much cleverer and booked registrations that look like words, capitalising on the fact that the digits 0, 1, 5, 8 look rather like the letters O, I, S, B, and, if desperate, 3 will do for an E, 4 for an A, 6 for a G and 7 for a T. Various other tricks are possible, especially with the help of judiciously positioned black rivets! Some �offensive� letter combinations were (and are) withheld, e.g.

GOD, SOD, SEX, ARS.

Some examples I like are S1LLY, ANX10S, A 1OAF (on a baker's van), E5SEX, N1PPY, G1RLS, PAU1A & SON1A, V1NYL (on a decorator's van), L1AR U (whu?), BES51E (NES51E?), ROS1E, N1GEL, K15S EM, K9 0NER & K9 0WNA (two dog owners, obviously in competition), KAT1E, N 12UDE (rude); V 8ABE; F10NA O; J6 5COT; M1XED, MR 51NGH, 5EXY, K3LLY, W1N ME, A C04CH H, CYN1C, M1XUP, D1TCH, 1 5ELL (on a Porsche on the A5), C4NOE (Ford Escort, complete with racks to take the boats), ME B1G, OK P1G, AR53NAL, OS51 BOY, T 10VE

 D, V4NDL, LOU15A, POW 700M (which with assistance from a plastic screw became POW ZOOM, Superman's own number).

Others with a business connection include P 200O MT (the "Millennium Traveller"), X300TON (mobile crane!), A60 POO (drain cleaning truck), W 5OOT (chimney sweep), B1G MW (outside shop of same name), W1NGS (Wings Luxury Coaches), H4KNY (taxi), J10NER (dyslexic woodworker), P1NER (needlewoman), RAD18R (seen on a heating engineer�s van in West Bromwich), LO0 2 RAD (plumbers van), S1�10WER, V1 6RAB (roadworks grabber truck); PA51LEY (bus in Paisley); BUG 80Y (pest control); BU5 2 ELY (self-explanatory); L G0 2 WED (stretch limo); APR160T (Apricot Builders); N1PPY (Nippy Taxis in Scarborough); T1 5HEF (Thai Chef, I deduce). One reader writes: "A mobile snack van in Inverness some years ago had the registration D15EAS.

As this could be misread as 'disease,' it seemed a somewhat unfortunate mark for a vehicle selling food!" Some may make more sense to their owners than they do to me: B10 GUY, K10SK H, AJ G8 1V, COR1 0K, N10 0PEN, GUG1 8Y, X20OO N, 5MAT, B10W BY, MAR10 1H & MAR10 1L, V10LLY, V1 1BOS, N1NOO, V1FTY, PA G188S, ASP1C, LEG 8 (Leggatt), GRE1G, PUN1E, N1:1BLE (Noble), S1�11TES, S8 X SB, YOI1100, TOP51Y, R15N NS, 98 1TAL; TON1T; D1 0NLY; B4BES; BD0 2 BOO, NOE1 1X, P1G JB, BU5 5OLD, G1V UK, L8 TAX.

Some suggestions on the new system: BU51NES, DE51RED, YE5 1 CAN, PO51BLE, HO51ERY, BU51EST, MA55AGE, PO55ESS, GR05SLY, TO55POT, LE55ONS, WA51HNG (don't be too phonetic and you get WASHING), AU51 BOY, AU51 GAL, OS51 GAL. One reader had a car registered RY02 OUS (not a select combination), which a friend suggested was best remembered as riotous! Our car is LX53 GZM � luxury gizmo? (Not select!) A dustcart was spotted registered MX03 ODR � it's owner perhaps not having spotted the possible connotation with mixed odours?? Another number spotted was SN04 XMS, which could be read as snow for Xmas. Any more nominations welcome, to robert @ londonbusroutes.net (remove the spaces). Needless to say, the new registration system put an end to registration matching, but select registrations live on, although it is now the �random� part that is important.

As mentioned above, many popular combinations are reserved from each series, and I understand that any letters can be purchased with one of the regional identifiers that has not been allocated, and there was also a suggestion that the unused year 01 would be allocated similarly. All registrations where the 2nd and 7th letters match are also reserved, to allow for husband and wife to have both their initials shown. Some people choose registrations to hide the age of a vehicle. You can always give a vehicle a registration which is older than the vehicle � so give it one that is so much older that this is obvious, particularly a pre-1963 mark, and nobody will know how old the vehicle is. Old registrations are often sold by auction; A1, the first ever British registration and first �secured� by the Second Earl Russell in 1903, was recently sold for an astronomical sum. London�s Routemaster buses have also been a source of many marks. Another cheap source of undated marks is Northern Ireland (see below) whose marks are now legal on the mainland. Once you own such a mark it can be transferred to another vehicle for a modest fee.

Old registrations are still issued afresh sometimes, in order to re-register older vehicles. Often companies would obtain such registrations purely to disguise the age of a vehicle, as described above, but the DVLA has now put a stop on this, no doubt because it was not the intended use. Existing registrations, especially genuine old marks, can still be transferred, but now, once new marks are issued to a particular vehicle, they cannot be transferred. Area marks This section details the letter combinations issued to different councils at the start in 1903, and how those allocations changed until the system expired in 2001. It should be remembered that at the time (and until 15 January 1922), what is now the Republic of Ireland was still part of the United Kingdom, and thus falls under the scope of this system. The letter Q was excluded completely, apart from a Temporary Import Series used for a while by the London office. All combinations (except Q) with an I or Z in them were allocated to Ireland, and all remaining combinations with an S to Scotland, along with a few others, particularly Gs. Wales was not afforded such a distinction, all remaining letter combinations being allocated to England and Wales.

Within Scotland and Ireland, marks were allocated broadly on the basis of alphabetical order. Some other marks were allocated with some logic, for instance most Gx marks went to Glasgow or Greater London, Lx to Greater London, many Kx to Kent, Mx to Middlesex, and there were odd ones that matched, such as BN for Bolton, LV for Liverpool, and RD for Reading, though these were possibly accidental. Some areas of the country do not conform to the standard pattern. Ireland (republic): As mentioned, Ireland was allocated letters in the UK system, and continued to use these post-1922. This survived until 1986, although a few new series had to be issued near the end. From 1 January 1987, Ireland introduced a completely different system. This comprises the last two digits of the year, a letter or two for the issuing office, and as many digits as needed for the registrations issued by that office that year. For example 00D12345 � the 12345th registration issued by Dublin in the year 2000.

Usually this gives a plate with up to 8 characters, but Dublin has apparently managed to exceed 99999 registrations per year, and (I am told) one of the lorries in Ballykissangel is registered 98 WW 13802, so 9-character registrations are possible. If older vehicles are re-registered in Ireland, they may take registrations in either the new or old system. Northern Ireland: Rather than following the rest of the UK with year letter suffixes, NI started issuing registrations with four digits. Area marks including I or Z are issued as and when old ones are exhausted, and are used in multiples with 4 digits, e.g. HDZxxxx, JDZxxxx, KDZxxxx for Ballymena. This continues despite the new system in England, Wales and Scotland. As an aside, during 2004 Co Fermanagh finally exhausted its IL series marks after 101 years, and took over the previously unused IG series! Isle of Man: The system is similar to the mainstream system, but suffix letters are exhausted consecutively rather than representing dates (and U has been used as a suffix!).

Man has its own area code, MN, but also uses MAN combinations �borrowed� from Reading (though AN was originally a West Ham, later London, mark) on the mainland, in place of AMN. Guernsey: Just numbers, up to five of them. Jersey: J followed by up to six numbers. Gibraltar: G followed by up to five numbers. Alderney: AY followed by up to five numbers. Other oddities on the mainland include �Portsmouth� GPO marks being reserved for the General Post Office, issued by London, though this series fell out of use some time ago. From 1971, �Swansea� SCY marks were issued by Truro for use on the Isles of Scilly! MAN was not issued by Reading, as noted above. USN was also withheld by London for the use of the United States Navy, which operated a fleet of civilian VIP vehicles to take its many Admirals between London, the various Naval Dockyards they used regularly, and the two airfields at which they maintained a fleet of VIP aircraft (Blackbushe and West Malling), although they now use American Military numbers. ABF did not get issued, nor did certain sensitive combinations.

Council issuance � 1903 to 1974 As explained in the text, until 1974 responsibility for issuing registration marks lay with local and regional councils. The table below lists the allocation of marks and which of the new office(s) took over in 1974. In some cases the marks did not go to the new VRO taking over in the local area, so there are two columns. Some councils either disappeared or ceased issuing registrations before 1974, and for those the office that took over issuance for each area is shown in parentheses. Note that all the single letters gradually fell out of use as three-letter combinations became the norm. England Index This table lists the marks alphabetically, to enable marks to be looked up in the tables above, and also for an easy way to follow through any particular mark. There were major changes to the allocation of marks in 1965, 1974, 1980/1 and 1996/7 � particularly in 1974 � so the table below is divided into the resulting periods. However, there have been odd changes at other times as well. For further details see the main list.

Single letter codes generally fell out of use in the 1930s. Ireland ceased to use these letters after 1986, introducing a new system from 1987. Letter * QA-QH/QJ-QP/QR-QY: London temporary import series * ZZ: Dublin temporary import series * XP: London temporary export series (1990s) * XS: RXS for embassy staff vehicles which did not qualify for D or X diplomatic plates. � SV, SY: Marks are used for registering vintage vehicles.

Dates of year letters Letter -A -B -C -D -E -F -G -H -J -K -L -M -N -P Started 1.63 1.64 1.65 1.66 1.67 8.67 8.68 8.69 8.70 8.71 8.72 8.73 8.74 8.75 Letter -R -S -T -V -W -X -Y A- B- C- D- E- F- G- Started 8.76 8.77 8.78 8.79 8.80 8.81 8.82 8.83 8.84 8.85 8.86 8.87 8.88 8.89 Letter H- J- K- L- M- N- P- R- S- T- V- W- X- Y- Started 8.90 8.91 8.92 8.93 8

.94 8.95 8.96 8.97 8.98 3.99 9.99 3.00 9.00 3.01 Dateless Number Plates: 1903 to 1963 DVLA Number Plates, Personalised & Private Car Registrations Dateless Number Plates: 1903 to 1963 The earliest UK Dateless Number Plates were issued using letters to stand for the region of issue, and sequential numbers as unique identifiers.

The lack of a letter or number combination to indicate the year of issue means that these plates are often referred to as dateless number plates. One of the UK’s first registrations, A1 was famously bought by Earl Russel. He reputedly queued outside the London County Council offices all night to acquire this number! As these plates were issued and managed locally by County Council offices, number and letter sequences ran out at different rates in different parts of the country. Therefore, due to differing local demand, there are a wide variety of types of dateless plates with a lot of overlap between the issue periods for different formats. 1903 to 1932 In 1903 the UK’s first registration numbers were issued. Number plates made during this period consisted of: A prefix of one or two letters This was used to reference the local authority issuing the registration. A space A number from 1 to 9999 These were issued sequentially by the issuing office. The 1901 census was used to order issuing offices by the population size they covered. This order determined the prefix code each office was given! The issuing County Council offices in England and Wales were each given a one or two letter prefix code.

For example: London used “A”, Birmingham “O”, up to Rutland with “FP”. Because of this it is hard to say what the UK’s first dateless number plate was. A1 was certainly the first issued in London. Scotland and Ireland had their own 2-letter sequences starting with “S” and “I” respectively. The second letter was allocated alphabetically by county. For example Aberdeenshire was allocated “SA”, Argyll “SB” etc. In Ireland, Antrim received “IA”, Armagh “IB” and so on. When plate 9999 was reached by a licensing authority it was allocated another unused registration letter sequence. There was no pattern to these subsequent allocations other than “first come, first served”. 1932 to 1950s Due to the booming – and unexpected – increase in UK motor vehicles, by 1932 the available numbers from the original format were running out! A new format was devised, this time made up of: The letters I, Q, and Z were not used. They were considered too easy to mistake for letters or numbers or reserved for special use! A three-letter suffix These were taken from the series “AAA” to “YYY”.

A space A number from 1 to 999 These were again issued sequentially by each local office. The new plates retained 2-letter area codes – any remaining single letter codes were replaced. However, the area codes were now the 2nd and 3rd letters in the sequence of 3. The first letter was changed sequentially when the previous letter had used up all the available number combinations. 1950s & 1960s In some areas the available registration numbers within this scheme started to run out in the 1950s! In those places a reversed sequence was introduced. For example “1 AAA” to “999 YYY”. The ever-increasing popularity of the car can be gauged by noting that even these reversed sequences ran out within ten years! By the beginning of the 1960s a further change was made in very popular areas introducing 1- to 4-number registration number sequences and reverting to one and two letter area codes, but in the reverse direction of the original scheme. For example “1 A” to “9999 YY”. Discounts!

Personalised Number Plates How To Buy Over 35 million personalised registration plates are available on the Carreg website. If you cannot find your ideal private plates via our database search please try our plate finder service where we have an alphabetical list of all private plates for sale. If you wish to sell your personal registration plate then visit our Number Plate Valuation page. We can supply most car registrations on government certificates issued by the Driver And Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Swansea, which will be valid for 12 months. Every private number plate and car registration we supply can be transferred via the DVLA, by us or our customers. Some of the 'cherished registrations' offered originate from DVLA Government stock. Please Note: All reduced numbers are subject to VAT and a DVLA fee of £80, all subject to availability. Car Reg arrange all reg transfers via DVLA Swansea. DVLA is a registered trade mark of the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency. Classic Enterprises (UK) LTD is in no way affiliated to the DVLA. Classic Enterprises (UK) LTD is a registered frequent buyer of DVLA registrations and a registered DVLA number plates supplier (No: 27154).

All private plates on this website are subject to price check and availability prior to written confirmation purchase - Classic Enterprises UK LTD & Carreg can not be held responsible for price errors or none availability. Carreg.com, Parkside Garage, Old Stafford Road, Wolverhampton, WV10 7PH, UK. Sales Advice Call 01902 791 997 UK Number Plate Format & Registration Years | Regtransfers.co.uk Car Registration System in the UK A Historical Overview Including an Explanation of formats NB: This article is summarised in bullet points at the foot of the page. When it became obvious that the motor car was here to stay, and that its popularity was rapidly growing, the British government took various steps to introduce regulation and control. It also recognised the need to be able to identify and trace vehicles in the event of accidents, their being used in the execution of crime or their being stolen. One effect of the 1903 Motor Car Act (which actually took effect at the beginning of 1904) was to require all vehicles on British roads to be registered and to display registration plates, which would enable them to be easily identified.

So, although the first car registrations were actually issued in 1903, the legal requirement for vehicles to display them didn’t take effect until 1904. Several numbering systems have been implemented since 1903, the first of which operated until 1932. The Original System: Things got off to a fairly uncertain start in 1903, with various inconsistencies and changes to the original car registrations numbering system appearing in some regions. However, it is generally true to say that the very early number plates consisted of a letter code denoting the issuing authority, and a sequential identification number. Unlike more recent versions, this first generation of number plates had no year identifier. This original car registrations series included the combinations A1-YY9999. The letter component (either single character or a pair) identified the local authority in whose area the vehicle was registered (A, for example, indicated a vehicle registered in London). The number component simply incremented and provided the unique identification for the bearer vehicle within the area shown by its letter code. In England and Wales the area letter codes were assigned alphabetically according to the size of the population in each authority’s area, hence crowded London’s allocation of the ‘A’ designation.

In Scotland and Ireland the system worked a little differently. Registration in those regions began with the letter S in Scotland and I in Ireland. These national identifiers would be followed by another letter which, like the English and Welsh versions, specified the local registering authority, and then by the sequential ID number. Upon reaching 9999 and thus exhausting its available numbers, an authority would be given another two-letter mark which would enable them to continue issuing car registrations. These new letter codes, however, followed no predictable sequence or pattern, as they were allocated ad hoc to authorities that requested them. In 1932 the scheme was extended due to the shrinking number of available combinations. The extension consisted of three-letter/three-number combinations in the range AAA1 to YYY999. Further extensions to the scheme were required in some areas by the 1950s, again due to demand depleting the pool of remaining numbers. In these areas, the format was reversed so that the number component preceded the letter component. In the areas of greatest demand, yet another extension was introduced within a decade, this time using the range 1A -9999YY.

The Suffix System: Demand for registrations continued to grow as the number of vehicles on UK roads increased, and a slightly more flexible format was devised, one which would provide more information about the vehicle. This new format retained the principle of the regional identification letters, and the sequential ID number. The innovation was the addition of a letter code at the end of the plate, which indicated the year of issue. To illustrate: in the first year of this new system, numbers were drawn from the range AAA1A-YYY999A (the ‘A’ signifying 1963, which was the year in which this format commenced). Similarly, in the following year of 1964, the range of possible registrations issued was AAA1B-YYY999B, which is the same as the range for the previous year but with the appropriately altered year suffix, and so on year after year. This had two major benefits: it enabled people (including prospective purchasers of used cars) to determine the age of a vehicle, and it meant that the number sequence used to identify individual vehicles could be reused each year, as the year letter would change.

Because of the placing of the year code at the end of the character string, these new plates became known as suffix number plates. Below is a table showing the issue dates for car registrations bearing each of the suffix year codes. Suffix

Question: In which year was the first British vehicle registration issued?
Answer: 1903