The more people become connected to their cars and bikes, the more desire they have to own private number plates. There are numerous reasons for people to invest in personalized number plates, including the projection of their status, as a fashion statement, to personalize their vehicle, to hide the age of their vehicle and so on. There are many formats and styles when it comes to choosing a personalized number plate. If you want to buy one for your vehicle, then you should know about the formats and styles before spending your money.
Here are the formats with which you should familiarize yourself
Prefix number plates
These are the most commonly used number plate formats that you will see when driving on UK roads. These private number plates are hugely popular as they are affordable whilst being distinctive. The format for these type of plates is quite simple: a single letter followed by up to three numbers followed by a further three letters. Examples of prefix plates are S7 CRK, S70 CRK, S700 CRK……
These number plates have the year identifier at the beginning and this is represented by the single letter. The prefix letter year indicator excludes the use of the letters U, I, Q, O, and Z.
Suffix number plates
Suffix number plates were first issued to vehicles in 1963 and they continued to be issued until 1983. They were first introduced in 1963 in response to dateless combinations being exhausted. Suffix number system stayed for 20 years until combinations of these became exhausted. The year identifying single letter is at the end of the string of letters and numbers. The cost of suffix plates tends to be higher than prefix number plates. Some examples of sought after suffix number plates are BLO 550M, EXC 173D, JUS 71N, JAV 3D, DAV 1D……
Current style
The current style private number plates were first issued to vehicles in September 2001. These number plates were introduced in response to the prefix number plate combinations becoming exhausted. The year identifier is provided by a combination of two numbers. These are the first UK registration numbers that use numbers rather than letters as the year identifier. An additional change involved the use of the first two letters as the regional identifier. Examples of the current style number plates are WH05 ROB, FA57 CAR, HA22 UPS, MA22 ATS, SA71 URN….
Dateless number plates
Dateless number plates are highly valued and sought after because they allow the age of a vehicle to be hidden. Dateless number plates are only available as already issued registration numbers and they are sought after because of their intrinsic value. People love dateless private number plates because of their history and because they hide the age of the vehicle.
The format for dateless number plates has changed over the years with a reversal of letters and numbers occurring in the 1950’s when combinations were exhausted. The first dateless formats saw the letters in the first section of the plate with letter ranges from AAA to YYY. The numbers in the second part of the plate ranged from 1 to 999. Generally speaking the more valuable formats are those with the letters at the beginning of the registration number.
Northern Irish number plates
These number plates are affordable dateless options, and they are an effective way of hiding the age of the vehicle without incurring too much expense. It is difficult for most people to figure out the region of issue captured within this format of number plate. The format for these number plates involves the use of the second two letters as the regional identifier. As an example for “JAZ 100”, “AZ” identifies the city of issue whilst “J” identifies its position in the series. These number plates comprise three letters with the letter combination containing at least the letter “Z” or “I,” followed by up to four numbers.
Is it wise to invest in a private number plate?
- Combat theft – private number plates make the vehicle stand out in traffic, and that can help in identifying the route taken by car thieves when the car gets stolen. Thieves don’t want to steal vehicles that can be easily identified. So if you invest in private number plates, it will make it easier for potential witnesses to spot and hence reduce the risk of your car being stolen in the first place.
- It makes the vehicle feel special – private number plates reflect sophistication and act as a symbol of status. So if you want to make your vehicle feel special and to impress onlookers you can achieve this with a personalized number plate. The number plate will inspire your confidence, and you will create an impact and wherever you go.
- Increasing Values – private number platesare increasing in value and this has been the case for several decades and it doesn’t look as though this is likely to change. You can invest in the knowledge that you are unlikely to see depreciation in the value of your personalized number plate.