Number Plates History

A brief history of British number plates

By Ruby Speechley

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First number plates in Britain

Year letters - the suffix system

A completely new system was needed by 1963, which came in the form of the ‘year’ letter suffix (ABC 123A). The release of each year letter caused a high demand for new vehicles on 1 January of each year, creating problems for the motor trade. To minimise the demand, the ‘E’ letter was used for only six months, from 1 January to 31 July 1967 and ‘F’ was commenced on 1 August 1967. After which, 1 August became the changeover date for the next 30 years. Unfortunately, the rush to buy a new car at that time of year was also to remain a problem.

Growing interest in cherished numbers

From the start of the year letter plates, the government had begun to withhold some of the better-looking numbers. The A-registrations were issued from the number 21 instead of 1, because A1 to A20 were withheld. During the G-registration year, the range of numbers that were held back was increased to include other desirable numbers like 30, 100 and 111 as well as car models, for instance, 911.

It was at this time that interest in cherished numbers became more widespread. The government had caught on to the idea that people were prepared to pay money for the plate of their choice. Independent dealers had been successfully trading in plates for several years already, and interest was growing steadily. It wasn’t just the rich and famous who could have that special number anymore. The DVLA Select scheme, where most withheld numbers could be purchased, was introduced in 1989.

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