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Great Britain

Last update: 4 July 2018
In general:
explanation for the new system (from Sept 2001): the age identifier and regional identifier

 

Picture

 Date of
first issue		 Date of
last issue		 Type Description Remarks
1 Nov 1903
Jan 1904		 July 1932 car A 1234
AB 1234		 A - Y and AA - FP (ommiting G, I, Q, S, V and Z)
for Scotland G, S, V, SA - SY and AS - YS Brekke
for Ireland IA - IZ and AI - WI (in 1922 independent)
BF and DF were used for a short time
and then withdrawn (bloody fool and damned fool
2 Jan 1904 July 1932 mc A 1234
AB 1234		 motorcycle
disc is from 1921
1975 no front plate required
Europlate
3
1904 1920 dlr A 12 BC
AB 1234
AB 1 CD
AB 12 C
ABC 123
ABCD 1		 dealer
these were called 'General Identification Marks (GIMs) '
different colours were used
mostly wh/re, but also re/wh and other colours
A = London re/wh
AC = Warwickshire gr/bk
Humberette car
Excelsior motorcycle
web
4
1921 1922 dlr 1234 A
1234 AB		 dealer
these were called 'General Identification Marks (GIMs) '
Y = Somerset
HA = Smethwick
paper tax disc used at the front plate
from Jan 1921 untill Oct 2014
Europlate
Newall
5
Mar 1921 1983 imp QA 1234 temporary import
for vehicles entering the UK without valid paper work
Q plates are valid for a year
started with QQ (1921), than QA (1930)
D = given out by the RAC
QD = 1949
J = given out by the AA
QJ = 1957
QX = 1981/1982
QY = 1982/1983
Klotz
Europlate
 
6

1923 1970 dlr 123 A
123 AB
12 ABC		 general trade (dealer)
from now on called 'trade plates'
GF disc 31 Mar 1968
web
BN = Bolton
Francoplaque
West Bromwich (AEA) and Norfolk (EVF) used 3 letters
 Europlate
7
 


1923 1970 dlr 123 A
1234 A
123 AB		 limited trade (dealer)
from now on called 'trade plates'
AF disc 31 Dec 1929
Weeks
BK pre 1952

BK disc 31 Dec 1976 £20
web
O disc 31 Dec 1974
web
8
1923 1970 dlr 123 AB motorcycle general trade (dealer)
first one pre 1952

Francoplaque (2x)
9 1923 1970 dlr 123 AB motorcycle limited trade (dealer)

Frampton
10 July 1932 Apr 1953 car ABC 123 first letter = serial letter
Brekke
11 July 1932 Apr 1953 mc ABC 123 motorcycle
first letter = serial letter
Brekke
12
Jan 1949 1982 army 12 AB 34 different styles
handpainted
German dies
motorcycle
Landrover
AN = Royal Air Force

before 1949 the Army had a normal registration
besides their own registration

53 ER 01 (-08) are used for the Queen's baggage train
Elizabeth Regina's coronation in 1953

motorcycle front plate
Klotz
13
Jan 1949 1982 army 12 AB 34 Royal Air Force
AA - AY RAF
AM = watertanks and cars
AJ = trucks, vans and Land Rovers
AZ = Dept. of Environment overseas
also German dies
 
14 Jan 1949 1982 army 12 RN 34 Royal Navy
RN
1939-1982 - 12345 RN ?
also RN 1234 seen ?
15 Jan 1949 1987 army 12 AB 34 army dealer trade plate
Europlate
16 Apr 1953 Feb 1963 car 123 ABC first letter = serial letter
Brekke
17
Apr 1953 Feb 1963 mc 123 ABC motorcycle
first letter = serial letter
Brekke (2x)
 
18 Jan 1963 1975 dlr A 12 BCD general trade plate (dealer)
for the areas XA - XF (London area)
first letter A = Kirkcaldy
web
19 Jan 1963 1975 dlr A 12 BCD limited trade plate (dealer)
for the areas XA - XF (London area)
first letter F = Torbay
web
20 Feb 1963 Jan 1973 car ABC 123 D last letter being the year letter
year letter A = Jan 1963 - Jan 1964
year letter C = Jan 1965 - Jan 1966
Francoplaque
21 Feb 1963 Jan 1973 mc ABC 123 D motorcycle
last letter being the year letter
year letter A = Jan 1963 - Jan 1964
year letter C = Jan 1965 - Jan 1966
Brekke
no 3-line plates after Aug 2001
22 1963 1972 exp ABC 123 D export (no purchase tax paid - later VAT)
normal registration
yellow border
Europlate
23

1965? now car A 0
AB 0		 zero on a plate
S 0 = City of Edinburgh
LM 0 = London Mayor (used since 1965)
Europlate (3x)
24

Jan 1968 Aug 1983 car ABC 123 D reflective plates (optional)
white front, yellow back
from Jan 1973 mandatory
(older cars can have wh/bk plates)
year letter P = Aug 1975 - Aug 1976
Francoplaque (2x)
reissue, plastic plate, nice low number
25 Jan 1968 Aug 1983 mc ABC 123 D motorcycle
reflective plates (optional)
from Jan 1973 mandatory Klotz
year letter R = Aug 1976 - Aug 1977
(older motorcycles can have wh/bk plates)
26
Apr 1970 Sept 2001 car SCY 123 A
A 123 SCY		 SCY was reserved for use on the Isles of Scilly
with SCY 1J and to Y46 SCY
Klotz
Europlate
27

1970 Oct 2000 dlr 123 AB

trade plate (dealer)
only one dealer type remained
tax disc at the front Klotz
nothing at the rear van Wersch
web

stamp vd Valk

not legal but used: plastic version,
used for export (no triangle)

even in German dies web (2x)

28
 		 1970 Oct 2000 dlr 123 AB motorcycle trade plate (dealer) Europlate
square disc (1973?-2014?)
blue disc is from 2000 (even years from 1990)
orange disc is from 2005 (uneven years from 1989)
29
1973 Jan 1993 exp ABC 123 D
A 123 BCD		 export (no VAT paid)
normal registration
red border
Europlate
30

Oct 1978 now diplo 123 D 456

diplomatic
starting at 101
215 = the Netherlands
van Wersch
134 = Dominican Rep.
Klotz
225 = Norway (new dies)
Brekke
International Organizations starting at 900
from 1997 issued by the DVLA with new dies

some Embassies use short plates from the normal series

New Zealand did this already in 1949

Qatar

Fiji Europlate (3x)
31 Oct 1978 now diplo 123 X 456 consular and non diplomatic personnel
225 = Norway
Brekke
32 1982 1994 army 12 KA 34 KA - KZ
normal colours on luxury cars
new dies
also hand-painted
highest seen KL
33 1983 Sept 2001 imp 1234 QA  temporary import
QA - QY (valid for a year - from S only 6 months)
2nd letter the same as the year letter
A = Aug 1983 - Aug 1984
C = Aug 1985 - AUG 1986
Europlate
34

1983 now other Q 123 ABC
QNI 1234  		vehicles whose age cannot be readily determined
(vehicle made from several different ones)
Q as year letter in a normal registration
Northern Ireland
Europlate (3x)
35 car
A 123 NYA		 Aug 1983 Sept 2001 car A 123 BCD first letter being the year letter
year letter A = Aug 1983 - Aug 1984
 
36 mc Aug 1983 Sept 2001 mc A 123 BCD motorcycle
first letter being the year letter
year letter A = Aug 1983 - Aug 1984
 
37
Apr 1984 1987 other RXS 123 A
A 123 RXS		 3rd car of a diplomat
from RXS 21L - D 21RXS
Europlate (2x)
38 Jan 1993 Sept 2001 exp A 123 BXP export (no VAT paid)
valid 2 months
first letter = year letter
V being Sept 1999 - Mar 2000
letter before XP = the month
A being Jan Europlate
39
1994 2004 army AB 12 CD ending on AA
1996 JP
Brekke
40
May 1997 now? car all up to 6 characters(or 7 with a 1)
Weeks (2x)
one in the old letter size (57mm) and one in the new ( 50mm in 2001)
also UK is uesd
41
Oct 2000 Apr 2013 dlr 123 AB

plastic trade plate (dealer)
only one dealer type remained
plastic version with red seal since Oct 2000
plastic set with disc 31 Dec 2014 £165
web

 

(2000 - before 2012) (before 2012 - now)
US size (real?)
web
42 Oct  2000 Apr 2013 dlr 123 AB plastic motorcycle trade plate (dealer)
square disc (1973?-2014?)
blue disc is from 2000 (even years from 1990)
orange disc is from 2005 (uneven years from 1989)
red ER stamp, same as above
Europlate
43



Mar 2001 Sept 2001 car A 123 BCD new lettering on all plates
50mm wide
Euro legal, no need for the GB oval anymore

Scotland Euro
also legal (Dec 2001), but need GB oval travelling to the continent

Scotland lion
same for the Scotish lion
Welsh Euro
same for the Welsh Euro
44 Sept 2001 now car AB 12 CDE first two letters: regional identifier
in this case G = Garden of England
and L is Maidstone
next two numbers: age identifier
in this case: Sept 2001-Mar 2002
last three letters are serial
no 3-line plates after Aug 2001
45 Sept 2001 now mc AB 12 CDE motorcycle
16 = Mar 2016 - Aug 2016
Brekke
46 Sept 2001 now car AB 12 CDE eurosymbol is not a legal requirement
but need GB oval travelling to the continent
02 = Mar 2002 - Aug 2002
47
Sept 2001 now imp 123 Q 45 temporary import
02 = Mar 2002 - Aug 2002
09 = Mar 2009 - Aug 2009
Europlate (2x)
48 Sept 2001 now exp XA 12 BCD export (no VAT paid)
A = March and Sept
02 = Mar 2002 - Aug 2002
Europlate
49 2004 now army AB 12 CD ending on AB
Europlate
50 May 2013 Feb 2015 dlr 12345 trade plate (dealer)
centrally issued by the DVLA
paper tax disc used form Jan 1921 untill Oct 2014
Europlate
51 May 2013 Feb 2015 dlr 12345 motorcycle trade plate (dealer)
centrally issued by the DVLA
paper tax disc used form Jan 1921 untill Oct 2014
Europlate
52 Feb 2015 now dlr 12345 trade plate (dealer)
Francoplaque
53 Feb 2015 now dlr 12345 motorcycle trade plate (dealer)
Europlate
             
             
54 ? ? army ABC 123
ABCD 123		 US forces in the UK
UK American Exchange
also used: USAF, USN, AFEX, UKER, DOT and RC
             

If you have any comments, pictures or even plates, please drop me an e-mail.

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