The New British System
September 2001 was the starting point of the present system. A radical change from previous systems is that the numeral series (which ran from 1 to 999) is replaced by a letter series (from AAA to ZZZ).
Plates start with a two letter area code, followed by two numbers, followed by three letters.
The first part of the two letter area code indicates a region, the second letter an issuing office, and the two numbers are for the year. High numbers such as 51 indicate a vehicle registered between September and February 2002, whilst 02 plates commenced in March 2002, and changed to 52 in September. The system should last until 2049.
The index of registrations is set out below:
| Region | Office | Two letter issues |
|---|---|---|
| A = Anglia | Peterborough | AA - AN |
| Norwich | AO - AU | |
| Ipswich | AV - AY | |
| B = Birmingham | Birmingham | BA - BY |
| C = Cymru (Wales) | Cardiff | CA - CO |
| Swansea | CP - CV | |
| Bangor | CW - CY | |
| D = Deeside | Chester | DA - DK |
| Shrewsbury | DL - DY | |
| E = Essex | Chelmsford | EA - EY |
| F = Forest & Fen | Nottingham | FA - FP |
| Lincoln | FR - FY | |
| G = Garden of England | Maidstone | GA - GO |
| Brighton | GP - GY | |
| H = Hampshire | Bournemouth | HA - HJ |
| Portsmouth | HK - HV, HX, HY | |
| Isle of Wight | HW | |
| K = South Midlands | Luton | KA - KL |
| Northampton | KM - KY | |
| L = London | Wimbledon | LA - LJ |
| Stanmore | LK - LT | |
| Sidcup | LU - LY | |
| M = Manchester & Merseyside | Manchester | MA - MY |
| N = North | Newcastle | NA - NO |
| Stockton | NP - NY | |
| O = Oxford | Oxford | OA - OY |
| P = North West | Preston | PA - PT |
| Carlisle | PU - PY | |
| R = Reading | Reading | RA - RY |
| S = Scotland | Glasgow | SA - SJ |
| Edinburgh | SK - SO | |
| Dundee | SP - ST | |
| Aberdeen | SU - SW | |
| Inverness | SX - SY | |
| V = Severn Valley | Worcester | VA - VY |
| W = West of England | Exeter | WA - WJ |
| Truro | WK - WL | |
| Bristol | WM - WY | |
| X = Exports (VAT free) | XA - XY | |
| Y = Yorkshire | Leeds | YA - YK |
| Sheffield | YL - YU | |
| Beverley | YV - YY |
Codes starting with I, J, Q, T, U and Z are not allocated to areas. They can be used in "select" registrations.
Issue numbers run from AAA to ZZZ, but some combinations are excluded. These spell names, i.e. "JOE" or are considered rude, etc. This also includes versions in foreign languages.
It does not follow that the issuing offices uses all available combinations, or progresses in a natural order, Peterborough started with AE, followed by AF, but then issued AK, AJ, AG and AD. Leeds started at YK, then YJ, YD, etc.
Northern Ireland, Channel Islands, and Isle of Man continue to use their own systems.
