The History of Car Number Plates in the London

Since 1904, car number plates have been a part of UK law. This was when an official vehicle register was established. All vehicles were required to display alphanumeric plates. Many things have changed over the years, with the much more random combinations of numbers being replaced by a standard system in the sixties.

Today's Car Number Plates

The original number plates had the alphanumeric characters in silver against a black background. This was the case until 1968, when reflective plates were introduced.

Since 1975, reflective plates are standard. They have yellow and white stripes on the front and rear. Black plates may be used on vehicles registered prior to January 1, 1975, but are not allowed on later vehicles. All vehicle number plates must comply with a standard font with uniform-sized characters, starting with September 2001's introduction of the current vehicle registry system.

What does the character mean?

The current registration system does not use random numbers and letters. It is a system that has a set of characters, each one serving a purpose. This is a continuation of the 1962 system that provided an additional year of registration indicator to the existing local identifier.

The first and second letters of modern car number plates provide the local identifier. The first letter is used to identify the area where the vehicle was registered. The second letter refers to the location of the town. The age identifier is the next number, which changes every two years.

The number of the current calendar year is taken into account in the front half of each year. For example, '18' in 2018. The second half of the year that begins in March will take the number of the current year, so 2018's '18' will be the front half. The third letter represents the serial number of the vehicle.

Practical Application

This system serves many purposes. The three groups of characters make it easier to remember individual parts of the registration. Potential buyers can quickly determine the vehicle's age by simply looking at the numbers.

Personalization of number plates

Personalization of car number plates is allowed. Personalized number plates in London can be ordered in any combination of characters that matches one of the previous systems, subject to the year numbers not being in the past. You can have your plates personalized to match your initials, or even spell out your name. You can purchase the plates from an authorized retailer by simply purchasing your number through the /DVLA.

For a set UK number plates at a fair price, contact Number Plate Clinic if you have a personal number plate or damaged your plates. Our customers in Bolton and the surrounding areas can get high-quality number plates, including 3D gel plates.