petert 641 Posted October 3, 2014 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. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
iPlod999 143 1 Cars Posted October 3, 2014 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. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tom Fenton 1,650 Posted October 3, 2014 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. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
welshpug 1,737 Posted October 3, 2014 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 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ryan 99 Posted October 3, 2014 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. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
unariciflocos 49 1 Cars Posted October 3, 2014 this whose system makes as much sense as imperial units. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PAGOS 15 4 Cars Posted October 3, 2014 Northern Irish registrations use 'Z' ,. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
welshpug 1,737 Posted October 3, 2014 yes but not as a year suffix. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
allanallen 528 2 Cars Posted October 3, 2014 To confuse things even more, cars with Q plates look absolutely rubbish! Fact! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Daviewonder 533 3 Cars Posted October 3, 2014 To confuse things even more, cars with Q plates look absolutely rubbish! Fact! I have no idea why but this is 100% true. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PAGOS 15 4 Cars Posted October 3, 2014 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. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Simes 248 2 Cars Posted October 3, 2014 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. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeremy 71 Posted October 3, 2014 Was Q not given to stolen recovered vehicles that could not be identified, due to their vin numbers being removed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
welshpug 1,737 Posted October 3, 2014 Not specifically, reshelled or re-bodied vehicles often end up on q plates, imports where original documents arent present etc Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
petert 641 Posted October 4, 2014 this whose system makes as much sense as imperial units. Or better still, mix imperial with metric. Thanks guys, more understood now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
