Free tool

UK Number Plate Decoder

Decode a UK registration to reveal where it was first registered and when. Works with all modern plates from 2001 onwards.

Enter registration

Modern format only (2001 onwards), e.g. AB51 CDE.

2001

system started

regions covered

Instant

results

Decoded plate

Type a registration to decode it

Understanding UK number plates

How the two-letter, two-number, three-letter format breaks down.

2001

System started

Characters

2×

Changes per year

Since September 2001, UK vehicle registrations follow a standardised format: two letters, two numbers, three letters (e.g. AB51 CDE).

The first two letters (the memory tag) indicate the registration region. The two numbers show when the vehicle was registered. The last three letters are randomly assigned to make each plate unique.

Memory tag

The area code — shows the region where the vehicle was first registered.

Age identifier

Shows the registration period — it changes every six months.

CDE

Random letters

Randomly assigned to make the registration unique.

Letters I, Q and Z are not used in area codes, to avoid confusion with numbers and other letters. Z can appear in the random letters, but I and Q never appear anywhere on a standard plate.

UK area codes reference

All DVLA regional identifiers — the first letter is the region, the second the office.

The first letter of the memory tag indicates the broad region; the second letter narrows it down to the specific DVLA office that issued the registration.

Letter	Region	DVLA Offices
A	Anglia	Peterborough, Norwich, Ipswich
B	Birmingham	Birmingham
C	Cymru (Wales)	Cardiff, Swansea, Bangor
D	Deeside to Shrewsbury	Chester, Shrewsbury
E	Essex	Chelmsford
F	Forest and Fens	Nottingham, Lincoln
G	Garden of England	Maidstone, Brighton
H	Hampshire and Dorset	Bournemouth, Portsmouth
K	Luton / Northampton	Luton, Northampton
L	London	Wimbledon, Stanmore, Sidcup
M	Manchester and Merseyside	Manchester
N	North	Newcastle, Stockton
O	Oxford	Oxford
P	Preston	Preston, Carlisle
R	Reading	Reading
S	Scotland	Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen, Inverness
V	Severn Valley	Worcester
W	West of England	Exeter, Truro, Bristol
Y	Yorkshire	Leeds, Sheffield, Beverley

Letters I, Q and Z are not used in UK number plate area codes, to avoid confusion with numbers.

Age identifier guide

How the two numbers reveal when a vehicle was registered.

New plates are released twice a year — in March and September — so every age identifier maps to a six-month registration window.

March plates

Use the last two digits of the year.

24Mar – Aug 2024

25Mar – Aug 2025

26Mar – Aug 2026

September plates

Add 50 to the last two digits.

74Sep 2024 – Feb 2025

75Sep 2025 – Feb 2026

76Sep 2026 – Feb 2027

Older registration formats

This decoder covers the current system only. Older plates use different formats:

AB51 CDE

2001 – present

Current millennium format

A123 ABC

1983 – 2001

Prefix format — first letter is the year

ABC 123A

1963 – 1983

Suffix format — last letter is the year

Want the exact age in years? Our Car Age Calculator decodes the same plate and works out how old the vehicle is today, including prefix-era reference tables.

Check the full vehicle history

Now you know where the car is from, check its MOT history, mileage trends and any recorded defects with our free vehicle check.

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