The mandatory registration plates that are currently used to display a vehicle’s registration mark in the UK are referred to as vehicle registration plates.  These have been in existence since 1903 when the vehicle identification system was implemented and their display was first required by UK law.  When the Motor Car Act of 1903 came into being on New Year’s Day of 1904 it required vehicles that were used on public roads to be officially entered on a vehicle registry and to display vehicle plates, which were numbered.

The act was passed in order to easily track a specific vehicle should an accident occur that involved that vehicle.  These car registration plates are typically manufactured in a rectangular or square shape with the exact dimensions and lettering prescribed by the current motor vehicle laws.

Additionally, there are currently two numbering and registration methods which are used in the UK.  One of these methods applies to Great Britain, which the Driver Vehicle and Licensing Agency (or DVLA) administers.  The second is the Northern Ireland Driver and Vehicle Agency (or DVA).  Both of these are recognised as being equal in legislative status.

The Road Vehicles Regulations of 2001 (Display of Registration Marks) mandates that car registration plates must be displayed in accordance to this legislation.  As of the 1st January 1973, vehicles manufactured after that date must display car registration plates manufactured from reflex reflecting materials using a white background on the front plate and yellow background on the rear plate.  Both of which must have black characters on the plates.

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Whenever you are considering purchasing private number plates at a DVLA auction, you need to be aware of a few aspects of the process.  Firstly, bid lots typically start with a reserve of around £200, but some have sold for many thousands.  Secondly, you have several options for bidding as follows:

- You can bid in-person at the auction
- You can bid online at the DVLA website
- You can bid over the telephone
- You can bid by virtue of submitting a “sealed bid”

Interestingly enough, and from an entertaining standpoint, we decided to include a list of the 10 most expensive private number plates to be purchased at a DVLA auction.  The following is a list of the most expensive ones auctioned off since 1989 including the rank, the number on the plate, the price it sold for at auction, and the year it happened:

#1 – 1 D – £352,411 – 2009 (the current record price)
#2 – 51 NGH – £254,000 – 2006
#3 – 1 RH – £247,000 – 2008
#4 – K1–NGS – £231,000 – 1993
#5 – 1 O – £210,242 – 2009
#6 – 1 A – £200,000 – 1989
#7 – 1 OO – £197,000 – 2006
#8 – 2 O – £142,249 – 2009
#9 – 6 B – £130,000 – 2008
#10 – 1 HRH – £113,815 – 2009

For further information regarding purchasing private number plates for your vehicle at a DVLA auction, you can search their website as well as contact them in-person or by phone with your questions.

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Automatic number plate recognition is a government surveillance method that relies on optical scanning equipment to read car number plates as the vehicles travel on public roads. Car number plates, issued by national licensing agencies such as the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in the UK, are unique vehicle identifiers that relate a car owner, their address and vehicle to each other. Number plate recognition methods are typically used to track down criminals, road traffic offenders, to monitor road tax compliance and to find stolen vehicles.

Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) is also known as automatic licence plate recognition (ALPR), automatic vehicle identification (AVI), car plate recognition (CPR) or licence plate recognition (LPR). In the UK, ANPR was first developed in the 1970s and rolled out over the UK from the M1 motorway and onwards to other major roads.

ANPR can also be used to monitor cars for tolling purposes. In London, for example, the congestion charge can be paid automatically, with cameras able to check cars automatically for their (non)-payment. Car number plates can be read both from the front or the back of the car.

So as to be able to be used throughout the whole 24 hours and in as many atmospheric conditions as possible, most ANPR systems use infrared technology. The technology used can also read number plates on cars driving at considerable speed.  A common complaint against ANPR systems is that they amount to state surveillance of citizens on a mass scale.

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In the United Kingdom, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is the government body responsible for the issuing and monitoring of car registration numbers.  The details are kept in a national database known as the vehicle information database. It also monitors road traffic offences, road taxation compliance and issues driving licences.

Personalised car number plates; also known as vanity number plates, prestige number plates, cherished number plates, custom number plates or private number plates, can be bought privately at auctions or from websites as well as from the DVLA directly. The only limitations placed on personalised number plates are duplication – it must be an original plate – and broad standards of decency – no swear words or contentious issue denotation.

The DVLA sells personalised number plates through its telesales arm and it also runs its own auctions. Auctions are common when some personalised number plates are highly sought after; typical in the case where the combination of letters and / or numbers spell out common personal names. The cheapest personalised number plates currently sold by the DVLA are around £250, with £80 additional assignment fee. Naturally, there is no limit on the highest price, since these are determined by the auctions.

The DVLA auctions take place six times each year, throughout the United Kingdom. Auction venues are announced each year for the year to follow, with the list of personalised number plates up for auction being circulated in advance. There are also more regular online auctions.

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The registration marks of the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man differ from those in the rest of the United Kingdom.

In Jersey the registration marks all start with the letter J and are suffixed by between one and six numbers. Recently, plates have changed to incorporate the Jersey Coat of Arms on the left hand side and the country code GBJ for Great Britain – Jersey. They are similar to the new style of EU plates, although Jersey is actually outside the European Union. There are some exceptions to the standard registration marks. For example, all hire cars in Jersey have a silver letter H displayed against a red background, to the left hand side of the plate.

Registration marks in Guernsey consist purely of numbers, the lower the number, the higher the value of the vehicle. The plates vary in colour, from black digits on yellow or white plates, to silver digits against a black background. Fire and rescue vehicles do not have assigned registration numbers.

Alderney is a dependency of Guernsey, but the registration marks are different. Plates issued here are alphanumerical and all start with the letters AY suffixed by a combination of numbers. These plates feature a black background with white text.

Sark and Herm have no motor vehicles on their roads, apart from agricultural vehicles and therefore have no vehicle registration system.

The system for registering cars in the Isle of Man has changed many times through the years. Now, Isle of Man registration marks have a prefix letter followed by the letters MN. This letter combination is followed by up to three numbers and suffixed by a trailing letter.

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Personalised registrations or prestige plates are most commonly referred to as private number plates in the UK.  In Australia and New Zealand they are called either custom or personalised plates, whereas in the US, they are referred to as personalised or “vanity” plates.  The DVLA has private number plates for sale here in the UK, which are a special type of vehicle registration plates that vehicle owners willingly pay additional money for.  This type of vehicle plate enables the owner to have their choice of letters or numbers that depict their initials, a recognisable phrase, or a catchy slogan.

There are a few considerations regarding private number plates that you should be aware of should you be contemplating purchasing one for your vehicle.  First and foremost, offensive phrases or words are not allowed by the DVLA on these types of plates and your request for such will not be approved.  Interestingly enough, in recent years the DVLA displayed some leniency and has released combinations of phrases and/or words which had previously been banned (e.g. DAM and SEX).

Although there are some restrictions involved with having a private number plate, the registration can be sold or transferred to another automobile or vehicle.  If you are planning on transferring your plate, the vehicle that the number is associated with (a.k.a. the “donor” vehicle) must have a valid MOT and V5 certificate.  This applies to vehicles that are over three years old.  However the tax disc must also be current in the past 6 months and can only have expired naturally.  In other words, it cannot have been cashed in.

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The current system for registering vehicles in Argentina consists of an alphanumerical combination of three letters followed by three numbers. However, there have been two distinct phases in the registration of vehicles in the country, the decentralised phase, which ran until 1972, and the centralised phase from 1972 onwards.

Decentralisation commenced with the issuing of registration plates in the early 1900s. At that time the responsibility for assigning registration marks was devolved to each individual municipality or province. There are few records still in existence of the earliest registration marks, but from 1916 onwards each plate tells a story, as every district was responsible for designing their own plates.

In 1972 the Argentine government took the decision to standardise the format and design of the country’s registration plates. This new layout consisted of a prefix letter followed by six numbers and the registration number was printed in white against a black background. The numbers were issued in sequence, while the prefix letter acted as a province identifier. When Buenos Aires and Buenos Aires City exceeded a million plates each, they had to halve the height of the prefix letter to insert an additional digit beneath it.

From 1995, the registration plates have again been redesigned and standardised. The new regulations apply to all cars, including used cars, sold on or following 1st January 1995. The revised format does away with the provincial indicator and consists solely of three letters followed by three numbers. The process of standardising plates on vehicles sold prior to this date started with the letter R, whereas the new vehicles started from AAA 000.

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The UK Government organisation that is responsible for maintaining a vehicle driver licence database as well as a database containing the details of vehicles in the UK is the DVLA – Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.  The DVA or Driver and Vehicle Agency is the Northern Ireland counterpart of this government agency.  It is one of the Department for Transport’s executive agencies, one of the ministerial teams of the department, and answers to the Minister of State.

Based in Swansea, in Southern Wales, the DVLA was originally known as the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Centre or DVLC.  The Local Office Network is the agency’s network of offices throughout Great Britain.  There are several responsibilities of the DVLA inclusive of the following:

- the issuing of driving licences and DVLA registrations
- organising the collection of excise duties on vehicles (also referred to as road fund licence or road tax)
- selling private number plates

Additionally, the introduction of EVL or Electronic Vehicle Licensing enables individuals to pay their vehicle excise duties online or by telephone.  However, you are still also allowed to take care of your vehicle tax payment through the Post Office.

Contrary to some public opinion, the DVLA has no legal authority where the conviction of motorists who have committed driving offences is concerned.  Despite this, it is erroneously assumed that the DVLA endorses penalty points on driving licences.  When an endorsable driving offence occurs and an individual’s licence is handed over to the police, it is normally transferred to the Magistrate’s Court of the county where the offence was committed.  The DVLA does enter such endorsements onto a driver’s record.

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Where DVLA registrations are concerned, the forms and procedures for registering cars are based upon the way they are categorised or described.  Registration fees and procedures are based on classifications such as new, used, kit cars, radically altered, or rebuilt.  If you want to register a vehicle that is categorised as a kit car or one that has been radically altered or rebuilt, there are certain steps that you need to take in order to get them registered properly.

If you have a vehicle that falls into one of these specific categories, it will need to comply with certain criteria before you can successfully register it.  Based on the evidence that you provide, your Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) local area office will assign either an appropriate registration mark or the vehicle’s original one.  It typically boils down to a couple of aspects, namely the vehicle’s identity and a vehicle identity check.

Whenever a vehicle needs to be rebuilt, the identity of the vehicle may come under scrutiny.  Certain questions may be asked.  These questions may include, “was the original vehicle rebuilt,” or, “were so many different or new parts used during the process of rebuilding it that you have broken up the original vehicle?” When a registration mark has been allocated to a rebuilt vehicle, the DVLA has to establish if the vehicle had no original or previously registered identity.  Additionally, if the rebuilding of the vehicle has been significant, you will need to take it to a DVLA office in order to have it examined.

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Standard issue registration plates in Croatia follow a specific format, which consists of two letters followed by three to four numbers and suffixed by one to two letters. The prefix letters are separated from the numerical combination by the Croatian coat of arms, while the significance of the prefix letters is that the act as a city identifier.

There are some exceptions to the style of registration plates in Croatia. The alphanumerical combination, used on standard plates, is printed in black, but green numbers and letters are displayed on vehicles owned by foreign citizens, temporarily registered vehicles and those belonging to international organisations. Plates on larger vehicles, which are unsuitable to be driven along smaller roads, have their registration numbers detailed in red.

The plates on Croatian police cars differ further still, as they are assigned registration marks consisting of six numbers split into two groups, printed in blue, which are separated by the country’s coat of arms. Croatian military vehicles have yellow plates, though the registration numbers follow the same format as standard vehicles, with the exception that they display HV, which stands for Hrvatska Vojska, meaning Croatian military, in place of a city code.

All of the plates are made from metal, but when a vehicle is displayed for sale in a dealership, it is assigned a test plate, which is made purely from paper. This plate is attached to the right hand corner of both the front windscreen and the rear window. They follow a different format from the standard plates, consisting of five numbers, preceded by the city code and split by the Croation coat of arms. After purchasing a vehicle, the temporary plates may only be used for a period of five days.

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