Number plates
Every UK number plate age identifier
Decode a plate: number plate age checker.
Since 1 September 2001 a UK plate reads two letters for the area, two digits for the age and three random letters. The two digits change every March and September. 76 plates have been issued since 1 September 2026, and 27 plates start on 1 March 2027.
How the current format works
AZ71CDE
Example format, not a real registration: Z is never used as the second letter of a memory tag.
- AZ is the memory tag: the first letter is the region (A is Anglia) and the second the DVLA office the number was issued to. Area codes.
- 71 is the age identifier. March to August uses the last two digits of the year (22 for March 2022). September to February adds 50 (72 for September 2022).
- CDE are random letters.
01 was never issued: March to August 2001 used the Y prefix letter.
Every age identifier
| Year | March | September |
|---|---|---|
| 2027 | 27 plate | |
| 2026 | 26 plate | 76 plate |
| 2025 | 25 plate | 75 plate |
| 2024 | 24 plate | 74 plate |
| 2023 | 23 plate | 73 plate |
| 2022 | 22 plate | 72 plate |
| 2021 | 21 plate | 71 plate |
| 2020 | 20 plate | 70 plate |
| 2019 | 19 plate | 69 plate |
| 2018 | 18 plate | 68 plate |
| 2017 | 17 plate | 67 plate |
| 2016 | 16 plate | 66 plate |
| 2015 | 15 plate | 65 plate |
| 2014 | 14 plate | 64 plate |
| 2013 | 13 plate | 63 plate |
| 2012 | 12 plate | 62 plate |
| 2011 | 11 plate | 61 plate |
| 2010 | 10 plate | 60 plate |
| 2009 | 09 plate | 59 plate |
| 2008 | 08 plate | 58 plate |
| 2007 | 07 plate | 57 plate |
| 2006 | 06 plate | 56 plate |
| 2005 | 05 plate | 55 plate |
| 2004 | 04 plate | 54 plate |
| 2003 | 03 plate | 53 plate |
| 2002 | 02 plate | 52 plate |
| 2001 | 51 plate |
Prefix plates, 1983 to 2001
Before September 2001 the year letter came first (A123 BCD).
Suffix and dateless plates
From 1963 to July 1983 the year letter came last (ABC 123D): suffix year letters. Older dateless numbers, Northern Ireland plates and Q plates carry no age identifier, so they say nothing about the age of the car.
Related
MOT pass rates by postcode area · MOT fail rates by make, model and age · Car tax check
Found one you might buy? Vet the specific car.
The plate tells you roughly when a car was first registered. The VetTheCar Buying Report brings together the MOT history, mileage readings and running costs of one car before you pay.
Source
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DVLA vehicle registration numbering rules (INF104).
Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVLA. How we calculate these figures · Data sources