ONE LETTER, ONE TO THREE NUMBERS, THREE LETTERS
This is the registration system used prior to the current one and most of the vehicles on Britain's roads today display a plate of this
type.
The first letter, in the above example A, is the 'age identifier' or 'year letter' and shows the date when the vehicle was first registered
- in this case between 1 August 1983 and 31 July 1984.
The last two letters, in the above example BC, are the 'area identifier' and indicate where the vehicle was first registered. Area
identifiers for newer vehicles are different to those used with this system.
The numbers and second letter, in the above example 123 A, are the individual element which give the vehicle it's unique identity.
The numbers are issued in sequence from 21 to 998, with some being witheld for select (personalised number plate) use only. The
second letter (called the serial letter) is issued in sequence, usually when all possible numbers and area codes (if an office has more
than one) have been used up. On 1 August 1996, for example, new vehicles in NW London were issued plates from P21LLA. When
the series had reached P998LLA the next registration to be issued was P21LLB - the next NW London area code - until all possible
NW London area codes were used and the series returned to LA with the serial letter advancing, P21MLA. On 1 August 1997, the
"P" age identifier was replaced with the "R" age identifier but not all possible serial letters had been used - the LA series had reached
PLA.
Although this series of plates ceased being issued to new vehicles in September 2001, it is still in use for re-registrations - that is,