| British
numberplates were 100 years old in August 2003. |
| Initially they
comprised of one or two letters followed by up to four numbers. |
| February 1963
saw the age identifying suffix introduced. |
| The suffix changed
on January 1st until 1967 when it swapped to August 1st |
| The letters I,
O, Q, U and Z weren't used in mainland Britain. |
| Northern Ireland,
however, has used I, Q and Z. |
| 1983 saw the layout
change, the year defining letter as the prefix instead of suffix. |
| V, W, X and Y
prefixes were issued at 6 monthly intervals to ease August sales. |
|
| September 1st
2001 saw a completely new system introduced |
- The first two letters identify one of 40 DVLA issuing
offices
|
- Then two numbers indicate the age, for example:
|
|
March to September 2003 is 03, then the next six months is 53 |
- The last three letters are random, uniquely identifying
the vehicle.
|
|
| The Q prefix,
introduced in 1983, is for vehicles like kit cars and imports |
| Three numbers,
letter D, three more numbers are issued to London embassies. |
| Three numbers,
letter X, three more numbers are issued to staff of consulates. |