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It’s that time of the year again when the year-identifier numbers on car registration plates move on…
Twice a year (in March and September) every new vehicle in the UK gets two new numbers on its registration plate.
On March 1, 2025, the numbers will switch from ’74’ to ’25’. So, the plate format will be AB25 CDE. This will be the case until September 1 when the year-identifier numbers change again to ’75’ (AB75 CDE).
In other words, the 25-plate will denote that a car was bought between March and September 2025.
The two year-identifier numbers are just one of three elements that make up a standard registration plate, which is issued by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).
The first two letters signify the region the vehicle was registered in, while the final three are a set of randomly generated letters.
The year-identifier numbers matter because cars and vans with a more recent registered number tend to be worth more, though other factors such as condition and mileage matter too. This is especially important when vehicles enter the used market a few years down the line.
March and September are traditionally the biggest two months for new car sales because of the attraction of the latest number plates.
A total of 1.953 million new cars were registered in the UK in 2024, of which 317,786 were sold in March and 275,239 in September.
The number plate sequences until 2030 will be as follows:
- 2025: 25 and 75 plates
- 2026: 26 and 76 plates
- 2027: 27 and 77 plates
- 2028: 28 and 78 plates
- 2029: 29 and 79 plates
- 2030: 30 and 80 plates
