Plates?

[petert 601]

Can someone explain how the UK system of plates works? I often see cars listed as B plate, C plate, etc., but I have no idea what it means.

[iPlod999 143 1 Cars]

Year of vehicle manufacturer.

 

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/articles/2011/08/cars/complete-guide-to-numbeplates

 

Unless someone has a cherished/presonal/private plate on their vehicle.

 

Hope it helps.

[Tom Fenton 1,548]

The Uk number plate system for the period 205's were around used a prefix letter which indicates the 12 month period the car was first registered in. It would be too easy for a letter to equal a 12 month calendar year, so the new letter used to change on the 1st of August every year.

So for example G reg was Aug 89 to Jul 90. H reg Aug 90 to Jul 91. Etc etc.

[petert 601]

No Z?

[welshpug 1,666]

nope, also no Q year as Q is used for vehicles of undetermined age or identity.

 

https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-registration/q-registration-numbers

[GilesW 41]

No I either.

[Ryan 99]

No Z?

 

I, O, and Z were skipped to prevent confusion with 0, 1, and 2. U was skipped to avoid confusion with V.

 

Q is reserved for certain special cases - usually vehicles with unknown histories, or kit/self-built cars that don't qualify for age-related plates.

[unariciflocos 49 1 Cars]

this whose system makes as much sense as imperial units.

[PAGOS 15 4 Cars]

Northern Irish registrations use 'Z' ,.

[welshpug 1,666]

yes but not as a year suffix.

[allanallen 528 2 Cars]

To confuse things even more, cars with Q plates look absolutely rubbish! Fact!

[Daviewonder 533 3 Cars]

To confuse things even more, cars with Q plates look absolutely rubbish! Fact!

 

 

I have no idea why but this is 100% true.

[PAGOS 15 4 Cars]

Mei is right,N.I. reg plates are hard to date and because of their format almost useless for anybody wanting a name type plate/reg.Although for anybody wanting a plate with a difference there are some tasty plates to be had.

[Simes 248 2 Cars]

Z wasn't used at in the earlier plates not just for year but at all.

Now it's rife, including my on own e91.

[jeremy 71]

Was Q not given to stolen recovered vehicles that could not be identified, due to their vin numbers being removed.

[welshpug 1,666]

Not specifically, reshelled or re-bodied vehicles often end up on q plates, imports where original documents arent present etc

[petert 601]

this whose system makes as much sense as imperial units.

 

Or better still, mix imperial with metric. Thanks guys, more understood now.