All-new 74 plate: What do number plates actually mean?
It seems hard to believe it’s a full six months since the arrival of the 24 plate, but now that it’s September, that can mean only one thing: it’s time to introduce the shiny new 74-plate to the UK market.
All cars registered on or after 1 September 2024 will receive the new number. But what does it actually mean?
What does the 74-plate actually mean? Is it different from the 24-plate?
UK number plates change twice every year, and have done since 2001. The first change occurs in March, and the second in September.
So all cars that were registered between 1 March 2024 and 31 August 2024 will have a 24 plate. Any vehicle registered from 1 September 2024 until the end of February 2025 will get a 74 plate instead.
Here’s a hand diagram that helps you decipher exactly what part of a number plate means.
The current registration system was introduced in 2001, and it can be difficult to understand. You can boil it down to three main components:
1. The two letters at the beginning of every new plate refer to the regional office where it was issued. You can see the full list of these local memory tags here.
2. The two numbers in the middle of the plate tell you when it was issued (full table below).
3. The three letters at the end of a plate are completely random and are there to ensure an almost infinite amount of registrations can be created.
How to tell the age of a car by its number plate
How to tell the age of a car by its number plate
Two sets of numbers are issued every year, which is known as the age identifier. Some are obvious, others are not. A 22-plate for example, refers to a car registered between March and September that year. A 72-plate though, refers to cars issued between September 2022 and February 2023.
Using this system will allow the DVLA to issue number plates until at least 2050, with an infinite amount of combinations available for issuance for another three decades. The last number plates to use this system will be issued in 2050, ending with ‘00’.
And what about personalised registration plates?
If you were wondering whether you can put a personal registration on a lease car, you can. You simply need to gain permission from the lease company and exchange the relevant documentation (a V750). Once that’s done, you’re free to put on any plate you wish (provided it doesn’t make the vehicle look newer than it is).
If you fancy a brand-new plate for your brand-new lease car, you can buy them directly from the DVLA – including a host of 70 plates that will have been retained for sale at auctions. Depending on the plate in question though, it can be a pricy prospect – some plates regularly top £50,000 at auction.
Ready to find your 74-plate lease car?
For those looking for a new lease car on a 21-plate, you’ll find what you are looking for on Leasing.com. You can compare all lease deals, or hit the button below to see five of the best lease cars that are just as new as the 74 plate.