National numbers say the high figures are due to the designs being ordered before their release dates with reg plates being available for purchase from November 2019.
DVLA number plates show when a car was first registered and is usually a strong indicator of a vehicle’s actual age. Newer number plate designs mean the car has been recently reported and will likely be more expensive.
Road users could save money by purchasing a brand new car with last month’s reg numbers at a dealership.
This is because forecourts often reduce prices to make way for new stock equipped with the new plates.
As costs are reduced, road users can pick up an older model at a more affordable price than brand-new designs.
Motorists who acquire the older models will not be able to install new 2020 number plates on their cars as this would be breaking the law. Number plates on vehicles can make a car look older but cannot be used to create a vehicle appear new.
Therefore, motorists can install plates from previous years on their vehicles but would get into trouble if they tried to stick a new 2020 reg number on their used car.
However, older models are now shunned from the spotlight at a cheaper rate. As costs have been reduced, prospective buyers could pick up an older car at a much more affordable rate than a new-release model.
Since 1 January 1973 (47 years ago!), the front number plate must have a white background with a plate at the year with a yellow background. There are strict rules in place concerning the specification of letters and numbers in the registration plates.
Trivia Time: Did you know the font used for number plates has been the same since 2001 and is called Charles Wright font?
To determine a car’s age, you need to pay attention to the two numbers, the age identifiers.
They tell you in which six-month period the car was first registered, either March to August or September to February. The age identifier changes yearly on the 1st of March and the 1st of September.
For example, a car registered in March 2016 will have the number 16 as its age identifier.
The code for cars registered between September and February is the year (as of September) +50.
Therefore, cars produced from September 2016 to February 2017 will have 66 as their age identifier.
The first two letters are known as the local memory tag, showing where the vehicle was registered.
The first letter represents the region, and the second represents a DVLA local office.
For example, a vehicle registered in London will have a number plate starting with LA to LY. ‘Z’ is only used as a random letter, never in an area code.
From 1983, number plates followed the format of X111 XXX. In this system, the first letter acted as the age identifier representing the year the car was registered.
Initially, this changed each year in August, but from 1999 it was updated every six months until the entire number plate system was revamped in September 2001.
To avoid any confusion, the letters I, O, U and Z were never used as year identifiers because of their similarities to the numbers of other letters. I is too similar to one; O is too similar to zero; U is too similar to V, and Z is too similar to two.
As new DVLA number plates were launched in march, many motorists can expect new designs to emerge in the coming months.
The new REG laws state motorists can only use number plates, making the car appear older than it already is.
New ”20” designs cannot be placed on a car that is a couple of years old. Road users can still purchase plans and be issued a certificate of entitlement.
This certificate makes the plate valid for ten years with an option to add an extension for another 10.
This further allows prospective buyers to purchase the new designs now and keep them until they have secured a vehicle registered after March 1.
The New ”20” number plates will be featured on all new cars registered after March 2020 and run up to August. After this date, new vehicles are given a ”70” number plate design with a ”21” plate set to launch in March 2021.
Road users looking to secure a new plate can still buy personalised designs starting at as little as £250. Motorists can easily acquire a range of designs as the UK leaves the European Union with Brexit-themed plates such as ”UK20 0UT” going for as much as £4000!
There are many online Reg plate marketplaces though we recommend acquiring a REG through the official DVLA Website, which can be found here:
https://dvlaregistrations.dvla.gov.uk/
It is best to purchase through DVLA as they are direct and accredited and includes both VAT and their £80 assignment Fee in the price. No hidden fees!
With all that being said, we hope you are now aware of the new reg and how you can make informed decisions on your next purchase, whether it be the new ”70” plate or a new motor.
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