Why Do Vehicles Have Number Plates?
Number plates are used to identify, register and tex vehicles. The number plate stays with the vehicle until the vehicle is destroyed or exported – although in some instances you can transfer the number plate to another vehicle.
The Format of Vehicle Registration Numbers
The current format of registration numbers was introduced on the 1st of September 2001 for all new vehicles being registered. The format is two letters (DVLA Memory Tag), two numbers (Age Identifier) and the last three letters are random.
The DVLA Memory tag corresponds to wherever the vehicle was registered e.g. NA signifies Newcastle and SA signifies Glasgow. The Age Identifier changes every six months in March and September, in March of 2023 the age identifier will be 23 and in September of 2023 the age identifier will be 73.
This pattern will continue until all variations have been used.
Number Plate Specifications
Your number plate has to follow strict guidelines regarding the size and spacing of the letters and numbers.
- Characters must be 79mm tall and 50mm wide, although the number one (1) and the letter L aren’t as wide.
- The space between characters must be 11mm.
- Character strokes must have a thickness of 14mm.
- The margins at the top, bottom and sides must be 11mm.
- The space between the age identifier and random letters must be 33mm.
Only one font has been used since 2001 – the Charles Wright font.
All vehicles made after 1st of January 1973 have the same number plate colours – a white background for the front plate and a yellow background for the rear plate.
You can be fined up to £1,000 if you don’t follow the proper specifications.
