Car registration years – the complete number plate guide

Are you unsure how old a vehicle is? Well, there is an easy way to find the age of a car in the UK - just look at the number plate.

Registration plates in the United Kingdom follow a specific format and set of rules, which makes it simple to work out the age of a car or van.

Standard UK car number plates consist of a combination of letters and numbers, typically in the format of two letters, followed by two numbers, a space, and then three more letters or numbers (for example, AB12 CDU). 

What do the letters and numbers on a UK registration plate mean?

• The first two letters represent the region where the vehicle was registered and are assigned by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)
• The two numbers in the middle are the ‘age identifier’. The second number indicates the year of registration, and the first number indicates the specific six-month period within that year (usually March to August or September to February).
• The last three letters on the plate are generally random and do not carry any specific information

It is a legal requirement for vehicles to display front and rear number plates.

If you are buying and selling vehicles then it's important to be aware that some cars have personalised number plates that don’t follow UK registration rules. It's a popular (and perfectly legal) tactic to hide the age of a car. 

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Number plate registration years chart

From 1983 until 2001, the letters used to date a number plate were used as prefixes before the rest of the letters and numbers.

Before 1983, they used the letters as a suffix. this started in 1963 with the letter A, and ended in 1983 with Y.

When will the 2026 car registration plates be released?

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) released the '25' car registration on the 1st March 2026. The '76' registration was launched on 1st September 2026.

Can I find a car owner's detail by the registration number?

Yes, you can request information about a car's owner from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). However, your request will be refused unless you have 'reasonable cause' to obtain this information. 

The DVLA may provide a car's owner's details if any of the following circumstances apply:

• Finding the registered keeper of a car that's been abandoned 
• Locating the owner of a vehicle that's parked on private land
• Tracing someone who was responsible for a road accident
• Issuing a parking ticket or trespass charge notice
• Tracing a person responsible for driving off without paying for goods and services
• Finding someone who is suspected of insurance fraud

How to request a car owner's details by registration number

To request a car owner's details by registration number you will need to take the following steps:

• Get a V888 form from your local Post Office or download the V888 from Gov.uk/government/publications/v888-request-by-an-individual-for-information-about-a-vehicle
• Complete the V888 by providing your name, address and telephone number. You will also need to supply the details of the vehicle (make, model and registration) plus the reason(s) why you need the car owner's details
• Pay the £2.50 DVLA fee - cheques and postal orders must be made payable to 'DVLA Swansea'
• Send the completed V888 form and payment to: Vehicle Record Enquiries, DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1AJ