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Suffix style number plates are a format of UK number plate that has been used since the early 1900s. Though new suffix plates haven’t been distributed since 1989, this style of number plate can still be seen on the roads today.
Being the first dated format, suffix style plates are a great choice for anyone looking for a classic yet classy plate for their vehicle.
What are Suffix Style Number Plates?
Suffix number plates are those that end in a letter, which tells you the date that your vehicle was registered. For example, registrations that end with A represent 1963, and registrations ending in Y represent 1982.
Suffix-style registration plates were first issued in 1963 and ran till 1983 after replacing dateless number plates. They were the second number plate style to ever be issued in the UK and lasted for a total of 20 years until they were replaced.
What do Suffix Registrations Look Like?
Suffix registration numbers were issued before the launch of prefix number plates. They consist of 1, 2, or 3 letters, then a space, followed by 1, 2, or 3 numbers finishing the registration mark, with a letter identifying the year. Therefore, the combinations are endless!
Finding the Perfect Suffix Style Number Plate
Our state-of-the-art number plate search feature allows you to search any word or name and then pops out every registration that correlates to that word or name in every car registration style.
For example, if you search the name “GEORGE” on our Super Search, some results for suffix-style car registration options you may get are “GEO 22F” and “GEO 111F”. If you search the name “PETER”, some suffix registrations that may pop up include “PET 526K” and “PET 66L”.
Are Suffix Number Plates A Good Investment?
Suffix style number plates are very attractive for investment. The three letters at the start of the plate can result in some great personalised combinations for investment or personal enjoyment. Due to this, three-letter names such as SAM or TOM are very highly sort after by investors due to their rarity. They became so popular that the DVLA prevented names from being on number plates when they switched to the prefix style. This resulted in some suffix plates becoming even more valuable.
Therefore, suffix number plates can be a great investment or a great personalised number plate for you to enjoy. They’re also cheaper than dateless number plates and offer better customisation than prefix number plates.
If you need help getting started, read our guide to investing in number plates.
Suffix Style Number Plate Issue Dates
| Suffix Letter 1 | Year of Issue |
|---|---|
| A | 1963 |
| B | 1964 |
| C | 1965 |
| D | 1966 |
| E | 1967 |
| F | 1967 |
| G | 1968 |
| H | 1969 |
| J | 1970 |
| K | 1971 |
| L | 1972 |
| M | 1973 |
| N | 1974 |
| P | 1975 |
| R | 1976 |
| S | 1977 |
| T | 1978 |
| V | 1979 |
| W | 1980 |
| X | 1981 |
| Y | 1982 |
Why You Should Buy Your Suffix Number Plate from Absolute Reg
Largest Stock
Including the DVLA, we have the most licence plates of any dealer – 50 million in all!
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Absolute Reg makes sure you get the best deal on the best selection of private registration plates through our price promise.
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Whether it's two weeks after your purchase or two years, our friendly after-sales team is always ready to help.
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See why our private number plates are so popular by purchasing your private number plate online or by phone today! Our accolades are also available on reviews.co.uk.
Suffix Number Plates as Gifts
Whether it’s a birthday, an anniversary, graduation, Father’s Day, or your best friend’s wedding – suffix registrations make popular gifts no matter the occasion!
The flexibility in registration numbers has made suffix number plates a popular gift choice. Part of the appeal of buying a number plate as a gift is that you can personalise it and customise it to a specific occasion by just tinkering around a bit with the combination.
Due to the nature of the suffix registration, the combinations are endless. These combinations are often highly valued years later, and the personalised nature allows for great gifts.
To read more about number plates as gifts, read through our gifting and gift wrapping number plates guide.
Other Styles of Number Plates
Aside from our suffix number plates, we have over 55 million car registrations in stock, as well as other number plate styles.
Current / New Style
Current registration plates also referred to as “new-style registrations”, were introduced in September 2001. These number plates identify the year of issuance with a number. For example, 01 = Mar 2001, the first month of issue.
Prefix Style
Prefix DVLA number plates were first issued in August 1983. Prefix registrations are the most popular style in the private number plate market.
Dateless
Number plates can be used on any vehicle regardless of age. Often a prized collector's item owing to its rarity, a dateless reg plate contains a combination of 1, 2, or 3 numbers/letters. For example, A1, 123 A, or 123 ABC.
Northern Irish
Over the years, Northern Irish registration plates have remained the same and are used across the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland for private plates. Northern Irish registration marks will always contain I or Z to represent the area of Northern Ireland in which they were first issued.
Suffix Number Plates FAQs
What does suffix mean?
Suffix number plates are number plates that use a letter at the end of the registration (or suffix) as an age identifier for the vehicle. Each ending letter refers to the year it was issued. For example, suffix number plates that finish with B were issued in 1964.
Refer to the table above for all suffix registration dates.
When did suffix number plates start being issued?
Suffix-style number plates were first introduced in 1963. The DVLA stopped issuing suffix number plates in 1983.
What other rules are there for buying suffix-style number plates?
As always, the number plate you purchase cannot make the vehicle appear to be an age older than what it is. Learn more in our number plate rules guide.
What year was my suffix number plate issued?
To find out which year your suffix number plate was issued, you first have to look at the last letter on your registration. If it ends with an A, its issue date would be in 1963, B would be 1964, and so on. See our table above to discover the issue date of your suffix style number plate.
Are all the letters of the alphabet used for Suffix registration plates?
Not all the letters of the alphabet were used for suffix style number plates. The letters I, O, Q, U and Z were excluded from suffix number plates due to various reasons. “I” and “Z” were only ever used in Northern Ireland, “O” was considered to be too close to the number 0 and “U” resembled “V” too much. “Q” was reserved only for when the date of the car manufacturer may have been in doubt.
Read our guide on number plate laws to learn more.
Get Your Dream Plate with Absolute Reg
Sometimes, knowing where to start with getting a new number plate can be difficult, that's where Absolute Reg comes in. Whether you want a new plate as an investment, or as a gift to someone else, using our number plate search tool you can browse our vast range of number plates.
Start your search for your dream suffix number plate today with Absolute Reg.
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Number Plate Spacing Laws: How to Stay Compliant