Number Plate Years Explained

Number plates are an excellent way to make your vehicle stand out on the road and add a touch of personalisation. Since the first number plates were introduced they’ve seen significant changes in their format over multiple generations as the number of cars on the road has grown.

Seeing different variations of number plate styles can be confusing at first, but they’re actually a reliable indicator of the car’s age and a way to show its history. 

We will explain what the different number plate years on UK reg plates roads signify and how you can find these plates for yourself.

History of Number Plate Years in the UK

Number plates have looked very different over the years in the UK, with the earliest number plates believed to have been dated back to 1903. 

As the number of vehicles on the UK’s roads rapidly grew, the DVLA had to invent new number plate formats such as prefix and new style number plates to keep up with the rising number of new vehicles being registered.

Suffix Style Number Plate Dates (1963-1982)

Suffix-style number plates were introduced after an explosion in the popularity of new cars. This style of a number plate is formatted with “XYZ 1A”, with the last letter of the plate signifying the year the car was registered.

Prefix Style Number Plate Dates (1983-2001)

The old prefix-style number plates were first issued in August 1983 to solve nationwide number plate shortages. As well as having more identifying characters, these number plates differed from the previous generation where the letter identifying the year was moved to the front of the sequence. 

Prefix style number plates were given to new vehicles registered until August 2001, when the current style registration took its place. The DVLA never released the age identifier letters for I, O, Q, U and Z due to these all looking similar to certain numbers.

New Style Number Plate Dates (2001-Present)

New style number plates are registration plates that we have used since 2001 and the end of prefix plates. New style number plates have tighter restrictions on their combinations, but they are still easily personalised. 

New style number plates were first issued in 2001 after prefix number plates stopped being issued. They are still being used today by millions of drivers and they are not expected to end until 2064. However, new restraints and regulations could come in before then.

2022 Number Plate Dates (2020 Onwards)

When looking at number plate dates, it’s helpful to understand how this will look going forward. We have compiled the number plate dates for 2022, including 2020 to 2029. 
 

How to Find Number Plates By Date

Whether you’re looking for a prefix, suffix or new style number plate, all you need to do is use our super search feature to type the name or term you want to be personalised, then search. 

Our number plate search will search our stock of millions of private registration plates, giving you thousands of options to choose from. For example, if you put in the term “Jack” you could get a combination like “JA7ICKP” and so on until you find the perfect plate for you.

Whether you prefer the old style of number plates or have found a number plate from a different year that’s perfect for what you’re looking for with a private number plate, we stock millions of prefix, suffix and new style number plates.

Number Plate Years FAQ

Are there any restrictions on what number plate year I can put on my car?

You can put a personalised number plate from any year on most vehicles, however, there are some rules that apply. 

The most important rule is, that you cannot place a number plate on a vehicle that makes it appear newer than it is. For example, if you own a vehicle that was made in 2012, you can’t put a 21 plate on it.

When do the new number plates come out?

New number plates are released twice a year. The first at the start of March and the second at the start of September.

The March number plates are reflective of the year e.g. 2022, 22, while the September number plates add 50 to this number e.g. 2022, 72.