As the new “24” vehicle number plates go on sale on March 1, many individuals are considering a personalised number plate to bring a touch of personality to their vehicles.
However, the Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency (DVLA) imposes restrictions on certain personalised licence plates each year to prevent offensive or embarrassing combinations.
The DVLA showcases some of the best “good” 24 registrations like “MY24 BMW,” “LO24 TUS,” “HA24 RRY,” and “AD24 AMS” in their online auction starting at £250. The auction will run from March 20 to March 26, 2024.
Carwow, an online marketplace for car modifications, recently revealed a list of prohibited 24 number plates obtained through a Freedom of Information request to the DVLA. These include combinations that are deemed inappropriate or resemble certain letters or characters.
Some of the banned number plates for this year include:
- C24 ASH
- TE24 ROR
- **24 RSE
- *D24 UNK
- SL24 GGS
- The letter W was banned immediately before **24 NKR
- **24 NAL
- *F24 RTS
- BB24 STD
- NO24 RUS
- EU24 WAR
- FK24 RUS
Reflecting on the list of banned number plates, Carwow stated, “Spotting the new number plates is always exciting, and we appreciate the DVLA’s discretion in preventing these from being seen on the road.”
Is your number plate legal?
Here are the rules regarding licence plates from the DVLA that you should be aware of:
- be made from a reflective material
- display black characters on a white background (front plate)
- display black characters on a yellow background (rear plate)
- not have a background pattern
- be marked to show who supplied the number plate
- be marked with a British Standard number – ‘BS AU 145e’ for plates fitted after 1 September 2021
The characters on the number plate must not be removable or reflective. For plates fitted after 1 September 2021, the characters must be a single shade of black.
Your number plates can also:
- have 3D (raised) characters
- display certain flags, symbols, and identifiers
- display a green flash if you have a zero-emission vehicle