For your first port of call, CLICK HERE! for the RAC on-line vehicle registration data checking service. This enables you to input a vehicle registration number to find out the make, model, year of manufacture, vehicle colour, engine size, and date of last change of registered keeper!

1963-1982

During this period the year identifier was an alphabet letter which appeared at the end (suffix) of the GB registration number

Until the end of 1966, the registration year ran from January to December as follows:

A	1963
B	1964
C	1965
D	1966

In 1967 the registration year was changed from the calender year to 1st August to 31st July, so the changeover to new plates took place on 1st August which caused a great rush of newly registered cars to hit the streets every August to coincide with new plates. The year identifier remained at the end of the registration number.

E	JAN-JULY 1967
F	AUG 1967- JULY 1968
G	AUG 1968- JULY 1969
H	AUG 1969- JULY 1970
I	Not issued
J	AUG 1970- JULY 1971
K	AUG 1971- JULY 1972
L	AUG 1972- JULY 1973
M	AUG 1973- JULY 1974
N	AUG 1974- JULY 1975
O	Not issued
P	AUG 1975- JULY 1976
Q	Not issued
R	AUG 1976- JULY 1977
S	AUG 1977- JULY 1978
T	AUG 1978- JULY 1979
U	Not issued
V	AUG 1979- JULY 1980
W	AUG 1980- JULY 1981
X	AUG 1981- JULY 1982
Y	AUG 1982- JULY 1983

In 1983 the year identifier was changed to a letter appearing at the front of the registration number (prefix)

A	AUG 1983- JULY 1984
B	AUG 1984- JULY 1985
C	AUG 1985- JULY 1986
D	AUG 1986- JULY 1987
E	AUG 1987- JULY 1988
F	AUG 1988- JULY 1989
G	AUG 1989- JULY 1990
H	AUG 1990- JULY 1991
I	Not issued
J	AUG 1991- JULY 1992
K	AUG 1992- JULY 1993
L	AUG 1993- JULY 1994
M	AUG 1994- JULY 1995
N	AUG 1995- JULY 1996
O	Not issued
P	AUG 1996- JULY 1997
Q	Q Plate denote a vehicle of unknown / unproven origin.
R	AUG 1997- JULY 1998
S	AUG 1998- FEB 1999

From 1st March 1999 the year identifier remained at the front of the registration number but was changed half yearly

T	MARCH 1999- AUG 1999
U	Not issued
V	SEPT 1999- FEB 2000
W	MARCH 2000- AUG 2000
X	SEPT 2000- FEB 2001
Y	MARCH 2001-AUG 2001

From Sept 2001 the registration format was changed to the current system:

Take a typical registration number AA51 XYZ

a - this is the first part of regional identifier which indicates the general region of the local DVLA office which issued the      registration number
b- this identifies the exact office which issued the registration number

For a list of the regional identifiers CLICK HERE!
In DVLA-speak a & b are referred to as the memory tags

c - this is the first part of the age identifier and until 2010, will be either the numeral '0' or '5' (in the 2020 decade the     '5' will become a 6 until 2030 and so on and so forth...)
        

0	means that the vehicle was registered between 1st March and 31st Aug of the year in question
5	means that the vehicle was registered between 1st Sept and 28 / 29th of Feb

d- this is the second part of the age identifier, and (sort of) corresponds with the year of registration (or to be exact, the last digit of the year) eg 2001 = 1, so in the above example AA51 XYZ was issued sometime between 1st September 2001 and the end of February 2002. To be precise '0' connotes the first half of the registration year, '5' the second half, but remember the registration year runs from March of the calender year to the end of February of the next! (See below for a complete list through to the end of 2008). 

e- .....and last but not least the registration number ends with 3 random letters, in this example XYZ.

AGE IDENTIFIERS 2001-2008

01	Not issued
51	SEPT 2001- FEB 2002
02	MARCH 2002- AUG 2002
52	SEPT 2002- FEB 2003
03	MARCH 2003- AUG 2003
53	SEPT 2003- FEB 2004
04	MARCH 2004- AUG 2004
54	SEPT 2004- FEB 2005
05	MARCH 2005- AUG 2005
55	SEPT 2005- FEB 2006
06	MARCH 2006- AUG 2006
56	SEPT 2006- FEB 2007
07	MARCH 2007- AUG 2007
57	SEPT 2007- FEB 2008
08	MARCH 2008- AUG 2008
58	SEPT 2008- FEB 2009

Hughes Walker Solicitors accept NO responsibility or liability howsoever arising in respect of any inaccuracy whatsoever regarding the information contained herein.
© HWSL viii05. 'Hughes Walker' & 'Hughes Walker Solicitors' are registerted trademarks.