March is here and it’s not just the start of Spring that makes this one of our favourite times of year! The 1st of March also marks the arrival of an important occasion for motor enthusiasts - the new car registration.
Anybody buying or leasing a new car or van can now get their hands on the newest plates, so whether you are about to upgrade your vehicle or are just keen to stay up to date on number plate rules in the UK, read on to discover everything you need to know!
What Is The New Car Registration?
The new registration is a ‘24’ plate which follows standard patterns to represent the age of the vehicle (‘24’ to demonstrate that the vehicle was registered in 2024). These plates replace September’s ‘73’ registration and will be allocated to all new vehicles until September 2024, at which point the next set of new car registrations will be released.
How Do Car Registrations Work
While all new vehicles will have the same ‘24’ age identifier, each car registration in the UK is totally unique as a number of other rules and patterns are used and followed no matter the age of the vehicle. These are:
Area Code
Letters one and two of UK number plates demonstrate where the car was first registered with the DVLA. The first letter indicates the wider region and the second letter indicates the specific DVLA office within that region.
Age
The third and fourth digits of a registration plate are the age identifier and are what has changed as of March 1st. These numbers reflect when the car was registered and therefore the March registration has an age identifier of ‘24’ to demonstrate that the vehicle was registered in 2024. September registrations see 50 added onto this age identifier, so this year’s September registration will be ‘74’.
Random Digits
The last three digits of a car registration are randomly generated to ensure that all cars have a unique plate and can be distinguished. No particular patterns are followed by these digits - they are totally random - and therefore they are often customized to create personalised but still unique plates.
The New Registration & Private Plates
The release of new car registrations goes hand in hand with the opportunity to access a new set of private plates. However, it is important to note that you cannot have a plate with an age identifier that is newer than the vehicle itself. This means that the only way to get the ‘24’ registration is currently to lease or purchase a new vehicle registered no earlier than March 1st.
Other Registration Plate Rules
As well as following rules regarding age identifiers, there are some other criteria that number plates must meet in the UK. The UK government specifies that the number plates on your vehicle must:
- Have black characters on a white background for the front plate;
- Have black characters on a yellow background for the rear plate;
- Be made from a reflective material with no background pattern;
- Be marked to show who supplied the plate;
- And be marked with the appropriate British Standard number (BS AU 145e for plates fitted after the 1st of September 2021).
More information, including rules on spacing and size, can be found on this page on the UK government website.
How To Get The New Car Registration
New car registrations are on the roads already, meaning that you could be driving away in the latest vehicle in no time. To get your hands on a ‘24’ plate, you’ll need to purchase or lease a brand-new vehicle.
Here at Intelligent Vehicle Finance, we have a huge range of the latest models in stock and ready for delivery today! Browse our selection of the latest lease deals online today or get in touch and speak to our team to find out how you could have your dream drive in a ‘24’ plate!