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Have you ever spotted an old-school car and wondered about its backstory? Prefix style number plates, introduced in the UK in August 1983, might just hold the key to that story.
What is a prefix number plate? These plates, which prepend a significant letter to the registration, mark a pivotal chapter in the evolution of vehicle identification. Like flipping through an old photo album, prefix plates offer a snapshot of the automotive trends and registration nuances from the early ’80s to the start of the new millennium.
Age identifier: The prefix, a single letter at the very start of the plate, specifies the year the vehicle was registered. This system cleverly cycles through the alphabet, with each letter representing a different registration year, skipping ‘I’, ‘Q’, ‘U’ and ‘Z’ to avoid confusion with numbers and other letters.
| Age Identifier | Registration Period |
| A | 1 August 1983 – 31 July 1984 |
| B | 1 August 1984 – 31 July 1985 |
| C | 1 August 1985 – 31 July 1986 |
| D | 1 August 1986 – 31 July 1987 |
| E | 1 August 1987 – 31 July 1988 |
| F | 1 August 1988 – 31 July 1989 |
| G | 1 August 1989 – 31 July 1990 |
| H | 1 August 1990 – 31 July 1991 |
| J | 1 August 1991 – 31 July 1992 |
| K | 1 August 1992 – 31 July 1993 |
| L | 1 August 1993 – 31 July 1994 |
| M | 1 August 1994 – 31 July 1995 |
| N | 1 August 1995 – 31 July 1996 |
| P | 1 August 1996 – 31 July 1997 |
| R | 1 August 1997 – 31 July 1998 |
| S | 1 August 1998 – 28 February 1999 |
| T | 1 March 1999 – 31 July 1999 |
| V | 1 August 1999 – 29 February 2000 |
| W | 1 March 2000 – 31 July 2000 |
| X | 1 August 2000 – 28 February 2001 |
| Y | 1 March 2001 – 31 July 2001 |
Random numbers: The numbers in the middle of the plate are sequentially assigned and do not carry specific meaning but ensure that each registration is unique.
| Regional Identifiers | Region |
| BS, PS, RS, SA, SE, SO, SS | Aberdeen |
| CC, EY, FF, JC | Bangor |
| AZ, CZ, EZ, FZ, GZ, MZ, OI, OZ, PZ, TZ, UZ, WZ, XI | Belfast |
| DA, JW, O, OA, OB, OC, OE, OF, OG, OH, OJ, OK, OL, OM, ON, OP, OV, OX, UK, VP | Birmingham |
| AA, CG, EL, FX, HO, JT, KJ, PR, RU | Bournemouth |
| AP, CD, DY, FG, HC, JK, NJ, PN, UF, WV, YJ | Brighton |
| AE, EU, FB, HT, HU, HW, HY, OU, TC, WS | Bristol |
| EN | Bury, later Manchester |
| AX, BO, DW, HB, KG, NY, TG, TX, UH, WO | Cardiff |
| AO, HH, RM, SM, SW | Carlisle |
| AR, EV, HJ, HK, JN, NO, OO, PU, TW, VW, VX, WC | Chelmsford |
| M | Cheshire |
| CA, DM, FM, LG, MA, MB, TU | Chester |
| DZ, KZ, RZ | County Antrim |
| LZ, XZ | County Armagh |
| BZ, JZ | County Down |
| NZ, UI, YZ | County Londonderry/Derry |
| VZ | County Tyrone |
| AC, DU, HP, KV, RW, VC, WK | Coventry |
| R | Derbyshire |
| T | Devon |
| DH, EA, FD, FK, HA, NX, UE, WD | Dudley |
| ES, SL, SN, SP, SR, TS | Dundee |
| J | Durham |
| FS, KS, LS, MS, S, SC, SF, SG, SH, SX | Edinburgh |
| F | Essex |
| CO, DR, DV, FJ, JY, OD, TA, TK, TT, UN, UO | Exeter |
| L | Glamorganshire |
| CS, DS, G, GA, GB, GD, GE, GG, HS, NS, OS, SB, SD, SJ, SU, US, YS | Glasgow |
| AD, CJ, DD, DF, DG, FH, FO, VJ | Gloucester |
| PA, PB, PC, PD, PE, PF, PG, PH, PJ, PK, PL, PM | Guildford |
| BX, DE, EJ | Haverfordwest |
| CP, CX, HD, JX, VH | Huddersfield |
| AG, AT, KH, RH | Hull |
| AS, JS, SK, ST | Inverness |
| BJ, DX, GV, PV, RT | Ipswich |
| MN | Isle of Man |
| D | Kent |
| V, VD | Lanarkshire/Luton |
| B | Lancashire |
| BT, DN, NW, U, UA, UB, UG, UM, VY, WR, WT, WU, WW, WX, WY, YG | Leeds |
| AY, BC, FP, JF, JU, NR, RY, UT | Leicester |
| BE, CT, DO, EE, FE, FU, FW, JL, JV, TL, VL | Lincoln |
| BG, CM, DJ, ED, EK, EM, FY, HF, JP, K, KA, KB, KC, KD, KF, LV, TB, TJ, WM | Liverpool |
| A, H, HM, HV, HX, JD, UC, UL, UU, UV, UW, YE, YF, YH, YK, YL, YM, YN, YO, YP, YR, YT, YU, YV, YW, YX, YY | London (Central) |
| MC, MD, ME, MF, MG, MH, MK, ML, MM, MP, MT, MU, MV, MX, MY | London (North-East) |
| BY, LA, LB, LC, LD, LE, LF, LH, LK, LL, LM, LN, LO, LP, LR, LT, LU, LW, LX, LY, OY, RK | London (North-West) |
| GU, GW, GX, GY | London (South-East) |
| GC, GF, GH, GJ, GK, GN, GO, GP, GT | London (South-West) |
| BH, BM, GS, KX, MJ, NK, NM, PP, RO, TM, UR, VS | Luton |
| FN, JG, JJ, KE, KJ, KK, KL, KM, KN, KO, KP, KR, KT, VB | Maidstone |
| BA, BU, CB, DB, JA, N, NA, NB, NC, ND, NE, NF, RJ, TD, TE, VM, VR, VU | Manchester |
| BN, WH | Manchester or Bolton |
| AJ, DC, EF, HN, PY, VN | Middlesbrough |
| BB, BR, CN, CU, FT, GR, JR, NL, PT, RG, TN, TY, UP, VK | Newcastle-upon-Tyne |
| BD, NH, NV, RP, VV | Northampton |
| X | Northumberland |
| AH, CL, EX, NG, PW, VF, VG | Norwich |
| AL, AU, CH, NN, NU, RA, RB, RC, RR, TO, TV, VO | Nottingham |
| BW, FC, JO, UD, WL | Oxford |
| AV, CE, EB, EG, ER, EW, FL, JE, VA, VE | Peterborough |
| BK, BP, DL, OR, OT, PO, PX, RV, TP | Portsmouth |
| BV, CK, CW, EC, EO, FR, FV, HG, RN | Preston |
| AN, BL, CF, DP, GM, JB, JH, JM, MO, RD, RX, TF | Reading |
| DK | Rochdale, later Manchester |
| AK, DT, ET, HE, HL, KU, KW, KY, W, WA, WB, WE, WF, WG, WJ | Sheffield |
| AW, NT, UJ, UX | Shrewsbury |
| Y | Somerset |
| CR, OW, TR | Southampton |
| E | Staffordshire |
| BF, EH, FA, RE, RF, VT | Stoke-on-Trent |
| P | Surrey |
| CY, EP, TH, WN | Swansea |
| AM, HR, MR, MW | Swindon |
| YA, YB, YC, YD | Taunton |
| AF, CV, GL, RL | Truro |
| C | West Yorkshire |
| AB, NP, UY, WP | Worcester |
Prefix plates open a fascinating window to personalize your vehicle while paying homage to its era. With a fixed letter indicating the year, enthusiasts often seek specific letters to match the age of classic cars, ensuring authenticity in restoration projects or personal collections. Yellowhite’s array of options lets you explore and claim a piece of motoring history, perfectly pairing with your vintage ride.
Maintaining the integrity of this system is crucial, governed by strict rules:
Age consistency: It’s illegal to use a number plate that makes the car appear newer than it is. This ensures transparency and fairness in the used vehicle market.
Standardisation: All plates must comply with specific standards, including using reflective material and the Charles Wright font, to ensure visibility and uniformity.
Legality and conformity: Modifying plates to misrepresent or obscure the information is prohibited, helping to prevent fraud and ensuring that all vehicles are easily identifiable by authorities.
At Yellowhite, we specialise in creating premium number plates that are fully compliant with DVLA standards. Whether you’re looking for a plate that showcases your initials, a special date, or any other combination that holds significance to you, we ensure that your choice abides by all regulations while enhancing the uniqueness of your vehicle.
Step up your plate game with Yellowhite and let your vehicle proudly display its identity on the road—legally, stylishly, and uniquely yours.
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© 2025 Yellowhite
Yellowhite is proud to be a DVLA-registered supplier of personalised number plates and feature on the on the DVLA Registrations website. We work closely with the DVLA to ensure your registration transfers are completed quickly and smoothly. Our plates meet all DVLA standards and regulations, so you can be confident you're getting top quality.
DVLA is a registered trade mark of the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency. Yellowhite is not affiliated to the DVLA or DVLA Personalised Registrations. Yellowhite is a recognised reseller of DVLA registrations. Yellowhite is registered with the DVLA to supply physical number plates, i.e. the actual acrylic plate.
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