UK Auto Registration Plate System

[Huntsman]

Can someone explain to me about the registration in the UK? I understand there are desireable numbers and specialized numbers are hard to come by -- there is an actual trade in registration plates or something? I also sometimes hear cars referred to as having such-and-such a reg -- "it has a Y-reg."

What's all this about? On this side of the pond, you get a plate when you register or transfer the car, issued by your state. If you want one of the specialized plates commemorating some event, wartime service, charity, or custom character sequence, you sign up for them (provide documentation of service if need be), pay a smallish fee and await the mails. So I am in the dark. Have no need to know, just curious.

Regards,
Huntsman

 

[earthdragon]

Indicates the year of manufacture of the vehicle and first registration (and road tax).

My car was a 2000 = 'W' Reg'. 2001 - 'Y' and so on.

Yes, there is a trade in desirable plates, though nothing compared to the outrageous $ paid in places like Hong Kong. In 96' when I lived there, someone had paid about 800K for the plate with the following sequence of 'lucky numbers. 888.

 

[Huntsman]

Ah. So you can't order a specialized plate sequence, it's just luck-of-the draw, and if the draw is good you can sell your plates?

 

[Bouji]

To an extent you can order a plate, 'Y Reg' etc. however, is the old system, the new system is as follows

AA 00 AAA
City code Year Random letters

For example,

LC 06 DDJ
London March 2006 Random letters

To varying extents you can choose the random letters, and to a lesser extent the second letter, that is the 'C' in the above example.

Some plates go for high values, such as A1 etc.

 

[Matt]

does that mean you can only register 1000 vehicles per city per year?

 

[Huntsman]

Interesting, Bouji.

M@t -- if the three last digits can be any of the 26 letters plus the 10 digits, then there can be 36^3 combinations, or a little over 46,000. If only the letters may be used, it's 26^3 or over 17,000. Still seems a stretch per year in London!

Regards,
Huntsman

 

[Bouji]

I forgot to mention that plates are issued twice a year,

0- for March e.g. 06 - March 2006

5- for September e.g. 56 - September 2006

Also, the second letter in the plate is not only one for a city,

LA 51 AAA
and
LB 51 AAA

Would both be London, and London, Wimbledon for that matter.
A-J are Wimbledon (South London)
K-T are Stanmore (North London)
U-Y are Sidcup (South-East London)

Hence,

LN 55 OFC
London Stanmore September 05