As a proud car owner it's common to memorise the numbers and letters located at the front and back of your vehicle, in case you ever need them. It's handy to know these off by heart, as they are used for different things - from in car parks to when you need to insure your motor.
But while the numbers might be etched into your brain, have you ever stopped to think what these seemingly random jumble of numbers and letters actually mean? Every car has a number plate at the front and back, giving each vehicle its own identity, and allows information to be stored.
The current format for vehicle registration plates in England, Scotland and Wales was introduced on September 2001 - which is two letters, two numbers, a space, and three further letters. And it turns out those first two letters and numbers aren't random at all.
A salesman from Braceys Motors Ltd, a specialist used car dealer based in Hitchin, Hertforshire, recently shared on TikTok: "Did you know the first two letters on your on your plate signify where your car was produced*? SH, we've got Scotland, Glasgow, YT, we've got Yorkshire, Sheffield, so on and so forth. Where was your car made?"
*The first two letters of the car registration are the 'DVLA memory tag' and more specifically represents where the vehicle was registered, not produced. For example, if if the first letter is L, it was first registered in London, while Y stands for Yorkshire, and B is Birmingham. The second letter is based on the postal area where it was registered.
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In the comment section many car owners were keen to know where their cars were registered. If you are also wondering, you can check the DVLA website, where there is a full list of letter codes, or memory tags, so you can see where your car is registered.
The next two numbers on the car number plate also has a meaning, and according to the DVLA it's called an age identifier - indicating the age of the vehicle. But it's not so simple. The first two digits show when the car was first registered, but it covers a six month period. For cars that are registered between March and August, the last two digits of the year will be added, so for example 23. However, if they were registered from September to February, another 50 is added to that number. This means 73 will be on the number plate for cars registered from September 2023 to February 2024.
Meanwhile, the last three letters on the number plate are completely random, to keep each number plate unique. The only letters not used are I and Q - so they will be a combination of the remaining 24 letters.
Jon Kirkbright, sales director at Private Number Plates, previously said: "To the untrained eye, number plates may look like a random combination of letters and numbers. While many people will be aware that the numbers refer to the year the car was made and registered, they may not know that the letters before them also have a hidden meaning.
"They are known as 'regional identifiers' and refer to the DVLA office where the car was registered. This may be why your number plates start with the same letters if you buy more than one car from the same dealership, for example - it is not just a coincidence."
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