It’s that time of year again: new car number plates are changing. Twice a year (in March and September) every new car in the UK gets a new sequence of numbers on its registration plate. But what does it all mean?
We’ll talk you through how the UK number plate system works, answer some of the common questions and talk you through some of the very latest electric cars arriving with the new ‘25′ plates.
When do number plates change?
From 1st March 2025 you’ll start seeing new cars on the roads with ‘25′ in the third and fourth digit of the number plate. When you buy a new car from this date onwards it will be registered as such: for example ‘MY25 ABC’.
This will be the case until 31st August 2025, when new car number plates change again. We detail the UK number plates change system below so you can learn what each letter means.
What do the registration plate letters and numbers mean?
The current format for UK number plates arrived in September 2001 for all new vehicles registered. All standard (non-personalised) plates follow the same system. But what does it mean?
Using our plate: ‘MY25 ABC’ as an example, this is the breakdown:
- The first two letters are called the ‘local memory tag’, showing you in which area of the country the vehicle was registered. So, in our example, ‘MY’ means Merseyside. Below this section is a full list of the memory tags and where they relate to.
- The next two numbers on the plate are the ‘age identifier’ – showing you when the car was registered. These change every six months. In March, the age identifier is the same as the year (‘25′ means 2025), and when they next change in September it’s the year plus 50 (so ‘75′ this year). Last year, vehicles registered from 1st March to 31 August would carry a ‘24′ age identifier, while those registered in September to 29 February 2024 would carry a ‘74′ plate. Back in 2019, the March plates would carry ‘19′, and the September plates would be ’69’. Hopefully you get the idea by now.
- The last three random letters are meaningless, as they are randomly generated and allocated to the dealership when registered. They only serve to differentiate every new number plate (and spell out fun things for personalised number plates or private number plates).
Memory tags: Where was my car registered?
The first two letters of the number plate tell you where the car was first registered. They are:
- AA-AY = Anglia
- BA-BY = Birmingham
- CA-CY = Cymru (Wales)
- DA-DY = Deeside to Shrewsbury
- EA-EY = Essex
- FA-FY = Forest and Fens
- GA-GY = Garden of England
- HA-HY = Hampshire and Dorset
- HW = Isle of Wight
- KA-KY = Borehamwood and Northampton
- LA-LY = London
- MA-MY = Manchester and Merseyside
- NA-NY = North
- OA-OY = Oxford
- PA-PY = Preston
- RA-RY = Reading
- SA-SY = Scotland
- VA-VY = Severn Valley
- WA-WY = West of England
- YA-YB = Yorkshire
What are the next number plates?
The number plate sequences for the next five years and beyond will be as follows:
- 2025: 25 and 75 number plates
- 2026: 26 and 76 number plates
- 2027: 27 and 77 number plates
- 2028: 28 and 78 number plates
- 2029: 29 and 79 number plates
- 2030: 30 and 80 number plates
How do I get the latest number plate on my new car?
You can ensure your new car comes with the latest number plate by arranging with the dealer or leasing company for it to be registered and delivered in the month or March (or September) onwards.
Bear in mind, though, that there are some tempting deals out there for those car buyers who are prepared to do without the very latest number plate, because manufacturers will be keen to shift stock of cars registered with the older number plate type.
Why do electric cars have green number plates?
Since 2020, the number plates issued onto electric vehicles sold in the UK have been given a green flash on the front plate (white background) and rear plate (yellow background).
This green strip can only be fitted to completely to cars sold that are zero emission (so that’s pure electric or hydrogen). If you’ve got a used car that’s electric but was bought before 2020, then you can pay for new registration plates with the green flash. It’ll cost around £40.
The green variation was introduced by government to raise awareness for EVs and also in the hope that local authorities may offer extra incentives to cars with green number plates.
This never materialised as it was too easy to mimic green car registration plates and any techniques used to track EVs would already know the fuel type by the registration number itself.
What are the best 25 plate electric cars?
Any new car registered from this day forwards will come with the new ‘25′ age identifier on the number plate. But what if you want one the very latest EVs that have just launched to show off to your neighbours?
You can check out our full guide of exciting new EVs coming later this year, but below run down some of our current favourite zero emission vehicles on sale.
Volvo EX30
The compact family SUV market is one of the most crowded out there. So standing out in the market is tough but the Volvo EX30 manages to do just that. It’s got a premium feel for a price tag of just over £30,000, over 200 miles of range and a huge touchscreen inside. Plus we love the yellow colour that’s it’s available in.
Volkswagen ID. Buzz
Few things can match the ID. Buzz for retro cool. Based on the iconic 50s and 60s VW camper (affectionately known as the ‘splittie’), the ID. Buzz turns flower power into electric power. The MPV – available with five or seven seats – has the space, comfort and range for day-to-day life and weekend adventures.
Kia EV9
The 2024 World Car of the Year, the Kia EV9 is the perfect seven-seater for anyone with a big family that still want to travel in luxury. Sure, it’s not cheap but you get a lot for your money. It’s got over 300 miles of range, multiple seating configurations, rapid charging capability and vehicle-to-load technology. There’s not much it can’t do.
Porsche Taycan
We can’t have a list of our favourite EVs without the fastest charging electric car involved. The Porsche Taycan is stylish, great to drive and has over 350 miles of real-world range. Oh, and then that charging capability – maxing out at 320kW. That’s enough to add 100 miles in about five minutes. Don’t believe it’s possible? We saw it on our network in late 2024.
Renault 5
The rebirth of Renault 5 has been well worth the wait. Effortlessly cool with its retro-modern styling, it’s also practical with a 300-litre plus boot and over 200 miles of range. Inside it’s got recycled fabrics, a dash of French flair and all the latest modern tech you could want. Plus prices for the supermini start from just over £20,000.
