From 1 September 2001, registrations took on a new format.

The new format was introduced because the old age identifier prefix letters ran out on the 31st August 2001 and the new format makes number plates easier to read and more memorable.

Two letter regional identifier.

The first two letters of the registration now show the region where the vehicle was first registered. This will help with the recall of registrations and the identification of vehicles.

• The first letter represents the region
• And, the second relates to a DVLA Local Office.

Using the above example, "AB" shows that the vehicle was first registered in Anglia (A) at the DVLA's Peterborough office (B).

Two figure age identifier
The age identifier will change every six months in March and September. In the above example, "12" represents the 6 month period from April 2012 to August 2012. Please refer to the chart for a full list of age identifiers.

Three random letters
The three random letters will provide a random element to make each registration unique. 

Combinations that may be considered offensive as well as the Letters "I" and "Q" will be excluded from this element of the registration.