More than 4 in 10 Brits aren’t sure they understand UK number plates

New research from Go.Compare car insurance has found that 24% of Brits surveyed respondents do not understand how UK number plates work, and a further 20% said they were “unsure” about the number plate system.*

The new survey asked 2000 nationally representative people whether or not they understand the current number plate system and found that more than two in five (43%) either admit they’re in the dark, or just aren’t sure. The findings also show that respondents aged between 25-34 are the most clued up when it comes to number plates, with just 19% saying they don’t understand, compared with the overall average of 24%.

The survey also asked about the breakdown of a number plate, and revealed that even fewer people understood the significance of the letters and the numbers used. 37% of respondents said they didn’t know what the first two letters meant, and a further 32% didn’t understand the significance of the first two numbers.

The current UK registration format is two letters and two numbers followed by three letters. The first two letters are known as a 'Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) memory tag' and identify where in the UK the vehicle was registered.

The two numbers are known as the 'age identifier', with the first number indicating whether the car was registered in March or September. From 2020 to 2030, the first digit is either two (for March) or seven (for September). The second number identifies the exact year the car was made and the last three letters at the end are random.

For example, the number plate CA74 ABC is a vehicle registered in Cardiff, in September 2024.

When asked about how often new number plates are released, 47% either weren’t sure or gave an incorrect answer – including 19% who said they thought it was once a year, and others guessing three (4%) or even four times (2%) a year - while just over half (53%) gave the correct answer of twice a year.

Commenting on the research, car insurance spokesperson for Go.Compare, Tom Banks, said:

"It's always good to be able to work out the age of any car you're thinking of buying, particularly if it's second-hand, and looking at the number plate is an easy way of doing this – but from our research it seems that many drivers are in the dark about what their number plates mean. The age of a vehicle is also one of the factors that will be taken into consideration by your insurance company.

"When it comes to your number plate, it's also important to be aware of the various rules and regulations regarding the colour of the plate, the size and spacing of the letters and numbers, and even the font required, as there are legal requirements in place that you must adhere to. Your number plate must:

• Be made from a reflective material
•  Display black characters on a white background (front plate)
• Display black characters on a yellow background (rear plate)
• Not have a background pattern
• Be clear and visible (as a failure to show your number plate can incur a £1,000 fine, and your vehicle will fail its MOT)
• Motorbikes only need to display a number plate on the rear.”

For more information about UK number plates, please visit: https://www.gocompare.com/motoring/guides/number-plates/