Number plates are that part of the car we just take for granted. If you buy a used car there’s no initial choice and even if you buy a new car there’s only a fraction more choice – and that assumes you’ve got a friendly dealer who’ll at least let you pick from a pot of number plates they’ve been allocated.
However, if you’re as geeky about cars as we are, then it’s worth knowing a few pub-quiz question winning facts.
When was the first number plate introduced?
You can probably guess that A1 was the first ever number plate officially issued in the UK, but less well known is when it was introduced. A1 was issued in August 1903 when the Motor Car Act was introduced by parliament. The act not only introduced number plates but also driver licencing, the crime of reckless driving and raised the speed limit to a dizzying 20mph from the 14mph limit set in 1896.
That first A1 plate cost 20 Shillings to register, about £125 in today’s money. Legend has it that Earl Russell made his butler queue overnight outside the London County Council offices in order to secure A1.
The initial system for number plates used a single or double letter followed by numbers from 1 through to 9999, with the letters being allocated to councils by population size; hence ‘A’ was London. The letter combinations ran as far as FP for Rutland, the UK’s smallest county. This system was used until 1932.
Most expensive number plate
To date, the most expensive number plate was 25 O, which sold for £518,480 at auction in 2014. That may sound a little steep, but when you consider a Ferrari 250 GTO sold for £52 million in 2018, the plate would represent less than 1% extra.
As well as suiting wealthy Ferrari owners, the 25 O plate also has pedigree as it was once owned by rock guitar legend Eric Clapton.
The rest of the top five most expensive plates are X1(£502,500), G1 (£500,000), RR1 (£472,000) and F1 (£440,625).
Official number plate font
The DVLA (and the police) are very strict about what goes on a number plate and it has to be Wright, that’s Charles Wright, the font. At the risk of stating the obvious, the font is named after its creator. However, there have been a few versions of the font over the years with subtly different names such as Charles Wright Bold or Charles Wright 1935.
The current iteration is often referred to as Charles Wright New and was introduced in 2001 when the format of UK number plates changed to the current layout and twice-yearly change.
Bonus facts, on number plates the O (letter) and 0 (number) are the same and in the font I (capital i) and 1 (the number) are identical, but the letter I isn’t used on number plates.
Aside from your registration what else has to go on a plate?
Number plates in the UK must also carry some additional info to be 100% legal. The plate must be “legibly marked” with the correct British standard number which is currently BS AU 145d, but will change to BS AU 145e from 1 September 2021. The numberplate also needs to have the “name, trademark or other way of identifying the manufacturer” and “name and postcode of the supply outlet” which means the dealer. Typically these are in a very small font at the bottom or edge of the plate.
There’s also the option of displaying a select few flags or “national identifiers” (that’s letters such as ‘GB’ or ‘SCO’ to you and me) on the left-hand side of the number plate.
And from 8 December 2020 you can also, optionally, have a green stripe on the left side of your number plate if you have and fully electric vehicle.
What docs do you need to buy a new plate?
Normally your car will come with a number plate and so you won’t have to think about getting a plate made. However, if you buy a personalised registration or your plate is broken, falls off, or is stolen then you can only get an legal number plate made up by a registered number plate supplier. However, you can get non-legal plates, often called show-plates made elsewhere.
A registered plate maker will need confirmation of your name, address and proof that you’re allowed to show the registration you’re asking for – typically the V5C registration document or the green new keeper slip from the V5C if you’ve just bought the car.
Keyword: Five facts about number plates you probably never knew