Welcome to Number Plates .ORG. Here at Number Plates we aim to provide a simple and clear guide to the private number plates (Car Registrations) industry in the UK. We will explain how the number plates industry in the UK works, how you can buy personalised car registration plates , where you can buy them and how the whole number plate transfer process is carried out.

Number Plates Guide

What is a car number plate?

The British car number plate we see every day on cars is the legal identifier of the car it is on, it is the ‘car registration number’. Every car is given its unique registration number by the DVLA and this allows it to be identifiable. The registration number is printed on the plate which is then fixed to the back and front of the car. In the UK it is a legal requirement that each vehicle carries its number plates so that they are clearly readable, which includes keeping them clean!

So, what is a personalised number plate?

There is an alternative to living with the anonymous registration number that the DVLA allocates to your car. You can buy a personalised number plate that means something to you. Owning and displaying a personalised number plate that actually means something to you is a popular idea, whether it be your birth year, your name, your job or your football team, a car registration plate that has some resonance with you is an attractive proposition.  In addition, for those that like cars rather than merely see them as a form of private transport, it is an excellent way to enhance the look of their car, add personality to it and make it easy to spot by themselves as well as people who know them. Finally, an added benefit to a personalised number plate is that they typically increase in value at an attractive rate and can be an alternative form of investment.

Who the DVLA are you?

The DVLA or the ‘Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’ are the UK governmental body who handle all aspects of vehicle licensing in Britain.  So, for example, If you wish to change your car registration number then the DVLA are the people involved alongside the company you purchase the private plates from. This company should always be DVLA registered and approved to resell private number plates / car registrations.   An approved private registration plates company will change the legal paperwork associated with the car so that it can display the new private registration number. This essential legal paperwork will also include changing of the MOT, tax and vehicle registration documents.

What is a cherished number plate?

A cherished number plate is really just a given name to certain number plates that are particularly attractive because they contain just one or two words and so that word is easily identifiable.  For example, you a plate with a persons name like STE 28 would be classed as a cherished number plates. Of course, cherished number plates are not just those that use a persons name it could be anything including a career or job e.g. WEBS1TE .  Not surprisingly cherished number plates are often the most desirable and so most expensive, especially when compared with prefix number plates and current number plates (see below).

What is a prefix number plate?

Prefix number plates are actually just the standard number plates that were issued directly after the ‘suffix number plates’  to give a whole new combination of registration numbers. Prefix number plates were issued from 1983 until 2001, so these are older plates and different in style to the current number plates style (see below). The benefit of their age is that they can be legally used on a newer car when the reverse is not true, you cannot put a younger plate on an older car. It can make the car ageless as they will clearly be unconnected. They can contain less letters and number than current plates in which case they are considered more attractive and valuable. As mentioned, the prefix number plates followed the Suffix letter series which ran from 1963–1983 and thereby gave the DVLA millions of new registration number possibilities.

What are current or ‘new style’ number plates?

Current or ‘New style’ plates were introduced in 2001 so ‘new style’ is a bit of misnomer!  They are often the cheapest form of private plate you can buy as they are less likely to make a recognisable word. They replaced the prefix number plates format which ended in 2001 and instead the new style number plates use a year identifier as well as a local identifier so its possible to tell when and where the registration number was first issued. They are not quite as popular as cherished or prefix number plates due to their structure which makes it more difficult to create attractive combinations or spell out words, of course, as with everything there are exceptions and here is one example: MU51CAL.

What about Irish Number Plates?

Irish number plates (or ‘Irish plates’) are not surprisingly (…the clue is in the title) those registration plates that were issued to vehicles in Northern Ireland. As the cherished number plate and private number plates industry matured it was only a matter of time before these irish plates came onto the radar of number plate dealers and private plate enthusiasts. Althought irish number plates come in different forms they have one very distinct difference to UK mainland number plates in that they do use the letters I and Z . Unfortunately, due to the way that irish number plates are constructed they are hard to make desirable combinations and as such are not particularly valuable and they form the bottom end of the private number plates industry. In saying that, they are therefore perfect as a basic ‘cover plate’ , that is, they are one of the cheapest ways to buy a private number plates that can cover or disguise the age of a car.