UK Number Plate Decoder
Decode a UK registration to reveal where it was first registered and when. Works with all modern plates from 2001 onwards.
Modern format only (2001 onwards), e.g. AB51 CDE.
Decoded plate
Type a registration to decode it
Registration area
Anglia
DVLA Office: Peterborough
Registration date
September 2001
September 2001 - February 2002
Invalid format
Enter a valid UK plate, e.g. AB51 CDE
Understanding UK number plates
How the two-letter, two-number, three-letter format breaks down.
2001
System started
7
Characters
2×
Changes per year
Since September 2001, UK vehicle registrations follow a standardised format: two letters, two numbers, three letters (e.g. AB51 CDE).
The first two letters (the memory tag) indicate the registration region. The two numbers show when the vehicle was registered. The last three letters are randomly assigned to make each plate unique.
Memory tag
The area code — shows the region where the vehicle was first registered.
Age identifier
Shows the registration period — it changes every six months.
Random letters
Randomly assigned to make the registration unique.
Letters I, Q and Z are not used in area codes, to avoid confusion with numbers and other letters. Z can appear in the random letters, but I and Q never appear anywhere on a standard plate.
UK area codes reference
All DVLA regional identifiers — the first letter is the region, the second the office.
The first letter of the memory tag indicates the broad region; the second letter narrows it down to the specific DVLA office that issued the registration.
| Letter | Region | DVLA Offices |
|---|---|---|
| A | Anglia | Peterborough, Norwich, Ipswich |
| B | Birmingham | Birmingham |
| C | Cymru (Wales) | Cardiff, Swansea, Bangor |
| D | Deeside to Shrewsbury | Chester, Shrewsbury |
| E | Essex | Chelmsford |
| F | Forest and Fens | Nottingham, Lincoln |
| G | Garden of England | Maidstone, Brighton |
| H | Hampshire and Dorset | Bournemouth, Portsmouth |
| K | Luton / Northampton | Luton, Northampton |
| L | London | Wimbledon, Stanmore, Sidcup |
| M | Manchester and Merseyside | Manchester |
| N | North | Newcastle, Stockton |
| O | Oxford | Oxford |
| P | Preston | Preston, Carlisle |
| R | Reading | Reading |
| S | Scotland | Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen, Inverness |
| V | Severn Valley | Worcester |
| W | West of England | Exeter, Truro, Bristol |
| Y | Yorkshire | Leeds, Sheffield, Beverley |
Letters I, Q and Z are not used in UK number plate area codes, to avoid confusion with numbers.
Age identifier guide
How the two numbers reveal when a vehicle was registered.
New plates are released twice a year — in March and September — so every age identifier maps to a six-month registration window.
March plates
Use the last two digits of the year.
September plates
Add 50 to the last two digits.
Older registration formats
This decoder covers the current system only. Older plates use different formats:
AB51 CDE
2001 – present
Current millennium format
A123 ABC
1983 – 2001
Prefix format — first letter is the year
ABC 123A
1963 – 1983
Suffix format — last letter is the year
Want the exact age in years? Our Car Age Calculator decodes the same plate and works out how old the vehicle is today, including prefix-era reference tables.
Check the full vehicle history
Now you know where the car is from, check its MOT history, mileage trends and any recorded defects with our free vehicle check.