The second number plate series of 2024 will be released next month. Regtransfers made a Freedom of Information request to DVLA in order to get the full list of numbers that DVLA intends to withhold from this series.
Business as usual
DVLA's removal of number plates from scheduled releases is nothing new: they do it every time a new series is issued, and we report on it regularly. The intention is to prevent potentially offensive or provocative registrations from appearing on our roads.
Poor DVLA finds itself in a no-win position. If "offensive" number plates appear in the wild, then the agency will, no doubt, receive complaints from disapproving members of the public. On the other hand, if DVLA practices well-meaning censorship it will, no doubt, receive complaints from disapproving members of the public.
Slipping through the net
Occasionally, we are all surprised by the release of number plates that we expected to be withheld from issue. Regtransfers has owned, and often sold, many examples, notably PEN 15 and ORG 45M. Even less frequently, DVLA issues a vehicle registration but later reconsiders and withdraws it from sale.
A few years ago, a man from Chesterfield purchased BO11 LUX. DVLA later withdrew the plate but that wasn't the end of the matter. A refund was not sufficient to soothe the owner's anger so he contacted the Secretary of State for Transport. The decision to withdraw his number plate was subsequently reversed.
Reasons for banning
There is quite a wide range of sensitive issues that can motivate plate censorship. It is common for character combinations to be withheld if they contain apparent references to violence, warfare, drugs, crime, sex, racism, sexism, sexual and gender identity, politics, some aspects of religion and any term that can be seen as substantially insulting. Plates resembling the names of controversial individuals have also been banned in the past.
Consistently inconsistent
As we have seen, some character combinations that we expect to be blocked do, in fact, get issued. Conversely, there have been many instances of innocent-looking numbers being withheld. In some cases, numbers are kept back for later sale in auction where competition can mean that they may command better prices.
Amongst the eyebrow-raising inclusions at recent auctions have been DEV 1L (which was previously withheld in 2016), DEV 11L, DEV 111L and OEV 1L ("Devil"); S70 LEN and S701 LEN, ("Stolen"); ASA 551N ("Assassin"). When one compares these to some of the visually inferior representations that have been banned, it becomes clear that applying consistent judgement to the censorship process can be a challenge.
What's banned from the 74 release?
NB: In the registrations shown below, the asterisk (*) is a "wildcard" character that stands for any character that may appear in that position.
As always, the list of registrations to be withheld is a mixed bag. Possible references to violence are disallowed, including *S74 BBR ("Stabber"), *S74 BBY ("Stabby") and similar. AT74 CKU ("Attack you") is also being kept from release. There are a number of registrations resembling racial slurs or LGBTQ+phobic insults. Combinations resembling sexual references are, perhaps, the most numerous, but given humanity's talent for coining such terms, there are always many of those.
The full list of exclusions from the May 2024 release of the 74 plates is shown in the table.
Please note that 74 number plates may only be displayed on eligible vehicles originally registered on, or after, 1st September 2024.
| Plate |
|---|
| **74 ARD |
| *S74 BBR |
| AB74 STD |
| AN74 BLK |
| AT74 NNY |
| BO74 CKK |
| **74 NAL |
| *S74 BBS |
| AB74 USD |
| AN74 LEZ |
| AU74 STC |
| BO74 CKS |
| **74 NUS |
| *S74 BBY |
| AB74 USR |
| AN74 LGB |
| AW74 NKY |
| BO74 CKS |
| **74 RSE |
| *S74 BED |
| AD74 RKY |
| AN74 LZR |
| BA74 DYK |
| BO74 CKZ |
| **74 RTS |
| *S74 BER |
| AF74 GAT |
| AN74 PAK |
| BB74 STD |
| BO74 KKS |
| **74 WAT |
| *S74 BSS |
| AF74 GGT |
| AN74 PKY |
| BE74 END |
| BO74 KKZ |
| *H74 MAS |
| *S74 BZZ |
| AF74 GGY |
| AN74 USA |
| BJ74 STY |
| BU74 SHT |
| *J74 HAD |
| *S74 MBO |
| AF74 GTS |
| AN74 VAX |
| BL74 CKY |
| BW74 NKY |
| *S74 ABS |
| *W74 NKR |
| AF74 GTT |
| AP74 KEY |
| BL74 WJB |
| BY74 RUS |
| *S74 ABU |
| *W74 NKS |
| AF74 GTZ |
| AP74 KKY |
| BO74 C** |
| BY74 UKR |
| *S74 ABZ |
| AA74 LAH |
| AF74 GUT |
| AP74 KYS |
| BO74 CCC |
| CH74 NKY |
| *S74 BBB |
| AA74 RYN |
| AH74 OMO |
| AP74 KYZ |
| BO74 CCK |
| CO74 ORD |
| *S74 BBD |
| AA74 YAN |
| AJ74 HAD |
| AR74 YAN |
| BO74 CCS |
| CR74 PLE |
| *S74 BBN |
| AB74 ORT |
| AL74 WAR |
| AT74 CKU |
| BO74 CCZ |
| CR74 PPL |
| SP74 STC |
| ST74 BER |
| TW74 WAT |
| UH74 TEU |
| UP74KYS |
| YS74 WAR |
| SP74 STK |
| ST74 BES |
| TY74 NNY |
| UH74 TEX |
| UR74 CST |
| SP74 ZES |
| ST74 BNG |
| UB74 STD |
| UH74 TEZ |
| US74 WAR |
| SP74 ZZY |
| ST74 BRS |
| UB74 TCH |
| UK74 UKR |
| UT74 NNY |
| SP74 ZZZ |
| ST74 BRZ |
| UF74 GAT |
| UK74 YKE |
| WA74 RAB |
| ST74 ABB |
| ST74 BSS |
| UF74 GGT |
| UN74 RUS |
| WA74 RUS |
| ST74 ABS |
| ST74 BZZ |
| UF74 GGY |
| UN74 UKR |
| WA74 UKR |
| ST74 BBB |
| SU74 CDE |
| UF74 GTT |
| UP74 KEY |
| WH74 WAR |
| ST74 BBD |
| TA74 BAN |
| UF74 GTZ |
| UP74 KKY |
| WW74 NKZ |
| ST74 BBN |
| TR74 DDS |
| UF74 GUT |
| UP74 KYY |
| XT74 NNY |
| ST74 BBR |
| TR74 DSS |
| UH74 ATE |
| UP74 KYY |
| YB74 TCH |
| ST74 BBS |
| TR74 NNY |
| UH74 TED |
| UP74 KYZ |
| YE74 RUS |
| ST74 BBY |
| TT74 NNY |
| UH74 TER |
| UP74 RUS |
| YE74 UKR |
| ST74 BED |
| TT74 WAT |
| UH74 TES |
| UP74 UKR |
| YE74 WAR |
