UK Registration Year / Letter data
The following table gives information about the "year letter" for the period until 1971.
Most of "our" cars will have one of the following registration formats:
Year letters began in July 1963 (with A) and changed each January. The year letter was not compulsory until January 1965 with the letter C. (Note: E only went from January until July 1967 for those with "late" MK1s)
Registration began in 1903, and areas were issued with codes for example A for London, N for Manchester, Y for Somerset, generally indicating the size of the Registration area (A first for the largest area).
Click here for a full list of Registration Area data.
During the 1970s Registrations were centralised to DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority at Swansea, where they were put onto computer.
Age Related non year letters.
These are groups of numbers allocated, for example when you sell or transfer a cherished number to some-one. You need a number to go on the donor vehicle. The following letters are used: (this is not a definitive list):-
ASV - YSV, CSU - YSU, BSK - YSK, GVS - YVS, TYJ - YYJ, KFF - YFF, MFO - YFO,
and PSY - YSY.
Q-Plates
If a vehicle has no proof of age, or is built from bits, such as a kit-car, a
Q number is issued, in the format Q 123 ABC.
| Registration Year Letter | Dates Used | Comments |
| No start/ end letter | prior to Feb 1963 | (Or Northern Ireland) |
| A - suffix | Feb 1963 - Dec 1963 | |
| B - suffix | Jan 1964 - Dec 1964 | |
| C - etc | Jan 1965 - Dec 1965 | |
| D | Jan 1966 - Dec 1966 | |
| E | Jan 1967 - July 1967 | |
| F | Aug 1967 - July 1968 | |
| G | Aug 1968 - July 1969 | |
| H | Aug 1969 - July 1970 | |
| J | Aug 1970 - July 1971 |
Click here to return to Welcome page
Click here to go to the Registration Area information
Page last updated:- 19 May, 2006 14:51