number plates | number plates

Number plates began in 1903 with the release of A1 to Earl Russell. As the 1903 motor act declared all vehicles must be registered and display a registration number; so the UK government had to create a system of generating unique reference numbers.

The Oxford English dictionary defines a number plate as:

number plate

• Noun Brit. a sign on the front and rear of a vehicle displaying its registration number.

Why letters and numbers?

To have just letters or just numbers would greatly reduce the number of combinations available which, even in 1903 was a consideration as the popularity of the motor car increased dramatically.

Despite using letters and numbers there is a continuous and incremental demand for more number plate combinations each year and so over time the number plate has evolved to different formats in a bid to cater for this demand.

Why do we have different styles of number plates?

The original number plates - now known as dateless number plates - were replaced with the Suffix system. This was reversed to become the prefix system and finally in 2001 the "current style" number plate format was released.

Find out more about number plate styles.

Why are private number plates so popular?

With the advent of DVLA Registrations and the ability to change the registration number on your car - ever increasing numbers of motorists choose to have a personalised registration- but why?

Well some number plates - such as those of Pimlico Plumbers - are used to great effect as a marketing and PR tool to drum up business.

Some are given as presents for weddings and birthdays as lasting mementos to be remembered.

There are those who invest in number plates and see them as financial good sense- and those with nothing better to spend their money on (!)

Finally there are those who see number plates as a way to "finish off" and perfect their vehicle- whether they are spelling a name or word- having a private number plate sets them apart from the crowd.

What is the future for number plates?

Generally speaking the "current style" number plate system will be in operation until 2049. At that point the DVLA will have to introduce yet another system to provide a few million more combinations.

Baffled by Jargon? Try our number plate glossary