People are just realising the hidden meaning behind the letters on car number plates

SHOCKED drivers are being taken aback by the hidden meanings on their car’s number plates.

The letters on your licence plate might be taken for granted for many people getting behind the wheel – yet a dedicated expert has gone the extra mile to explain just what each one shows.

GettyLondon, Great Britain – January 3, 2018: White electric car Tesla Model S parked on a street in London, Great Britain[/caption]

Many motorists might know the numbers shown at the back and front of a vehicle point to which year it was first put on sale.

Two different numbers are applied annually depending on which half of the year it initially hit the road.

But there are other detailed formulas behind the lettering and numbering which you display every time you take a trip.

This month and year, the last cars issued before September 1 will carry a 23 number plate – but from next month onwards, all new releases will be branded 73.

And the two capital letters before any numbers are also significant, a motoring expert is now keen to highlight.

Jon Kirkbright has explained how these initials are actually regional identifiers, with particular postal codes covering different regions.

They tag cars to specific places across the UK, showing where each one was first registered by the Swansea-based DVLA.

Jon, sales director at Staffordshire-based firm Private Number Plates, has more than 11 years’ experience in the motor trade.

He has now compiled a full list mapping the nation’s number plates – place by place, with the DVLA’s precise geographical categories.

He said: “To the untrained eye, number plates may look like a random combination of letters and numbers.

“While many people will be aware that the numbers refer to the year the car was made and registered, they may not know that the letters before them also have a hidden meaning.

“They are known as ‘regional identifiers’ and refer to the DVLA office where the car was registered. 

“This may be why your number plates start with the same letters if you buy more than one car from the same dealership, for example – it is not just a coincidence.”

Such rules do not apply, however, if you choose to splash out on private registration plates – choosing your own combinations of letters and numbers.

But Jon warned that these options – sometimes decried as “vanity” plates by others – can’t be put on cars when trying to sell, to make them appear newer than they really are.

He said: “It is an offence to misrepresent the registration in any way.

“You can make your car seem older than it actually is but you are not allowed to make it look newer – for example, you cannot put an 11 number plate on a 07 plate car.”

Jon, 45, went into the number plates business by turning his side hustle into a full-time job that nets him £140,000 for just one sale.

He previously worked in car sales and insurance before setting up his new business via eBay just 11 years ago.

Celebrities going for cars with personalised plates include England and Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford – though he got caught up in a mix-up between his Mercedes 765LT and a Skoda.

A plate aimed at Arsenal supporters went up for auction earlier this year, at a time it seemed the club were on course to win the Premier League title before they let their lead slip to Manchester City.

A West Ham United fan spent £57,000 on a WE57 HAM plate in 2007.

Other famous names to opt for personalised plates include England cricket legend Lord Ian Botham playing on his “Beefy” nickname with “B33 FYS”, former heavyweight champ Chris Eubank opting for “1 KO” and fellow boxer David Haye choosing “DD11 AYE”.

TOWIE star Amy Childs went with “AMY 22Y”, TV presenter Denise Van Outen plumped for “OUT 3N” and horse racing jockey Frankie Dettori chose “60 FD” – which he said should suggest: “Go, Frankie Dettori!”

Yet drivers have been warned about how personalised number plates could potentially affect their insurance.

Earlier this summer many motorists only just realised their plates could possibly cost them £1,000 fines.

The launch of the new 23 plates this year also prompted officials to issue a list of banned options – including any offering bad-taste responses to Russia‘s invasion of Ukraine.

Brits have spent around £2billion on personalised plates since the DVLA started selling them in 1989, with 400,000 bought each year.

The Sun has also revealed the jaw-dropping prices Britain’s rudest private plates are fetching online.

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