Number plate numbers explained
The two digits in the middle of a registration are the age identifier. They are not random, which is why some digits sell several times faster than others — and why knowing the system makes stock planning straightforward.
Spring and autumn
Registrations issued from March to August carry the year itself: 25 for 2025.
Registrations issued from September to February carry the year plus fifty: 75 for the same registration year.
What that means per digit
Digit 5 opens the whole 50s autumn series as well as the 05, 15 and 25 spring identifiers, so it is one of the busiest.
Digit 1 covers 2010 to 2019 outright, plus 51, 61 and 71.
Digits 6 and 7 cover the 60s and 70s autumn series — the newest plates and a large share of replacement work.
Ordering digits
Order the digit, not the look-alike letter. The two characters after the area code are always numeric, so a rounded character there is a zero.
Each digit's own page sets out which years it covers and how deep to hold it.