DVLA memory tags
Cardiff number plates
Cardiff registrations carry the memory tags CA, CB, CC, CD, CE, CF, CG, CH, CJ, CK, CL, CM, CN, CO.
Those are the first two letters of a current-style plate. A Cardiff registration reads as one of those pairs, then the two-digit age identifier, then three random letters.
Cardiff covered south east Wales and issued the largest block of Welsh registrations.
Looking at a specific car?
Enter the registration to see its first registration date, plate transfers, finance, write-off, stolen and mileage history.
Cardiff memory tags in full
| Region letter | Region | Codes issued at Cardiff |
|---|---|---|
| C | Cymru (Wales) | CA, CB, CC, CD, CE, CF, CG, CH, CJ, CK, CL, CM, CN, CO |
The region letter is the memory aid: C for Cymru (Wales). The second letter narrows it to the office area within that region.
How to read a UK number plate
Since September 2001 a standard UK registration has three parts. The first two letters are the memory tag covered above. The next two digits are the age identifier, which says when the registration was issued. The final three letters are random and carry no meaning at all.
So a plate reading CA followed by an age identifier and three letters was first issued through Cardiff. To work out the year from the middle digits, see the UK number plate year chart.
What the area code does not tell you
The tag records where the registration was first issued, which in practice usually means where the supplying dealer was. That is all. It says nothing about where the car has lived since, where any of its keepers are, or where it was built. Fleet and lease cars in particular are often registered in bulk in one area and then distributed across the country.
It can also be wrong about the car entirely. A registration can be transferred from one vehicle to another, and a private plate replaces the original tag completely, so the letters on the car in front of you may have nothing to do with either its age or its origin.
- Plate transfers. Recorded against the vehicle, so you can see whether the registration has moved.
- Date of first registration. The DVLA record, which the tag and the age identifier only hint at.
- Import markers. An imported car has a UK record that starts later than the car does.
- Outstanding finance, write-off and stolen markers. None of which appear on the plate or the V5C.
A Carpeep car history check reports all of that against the registration in one £15 report. For the plain DVLA details a plate lookup returns, see the registration check page.
Check the car, not the plate
One registration, one report. First registration date, plate transfers, finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keepers.
Other offices in the same region
- Bangor number plates CW, CX, CY
- Swansea number plates CP, CR, CS, CT, CU and more
Cardiff number plate FAQs
What do Cardiff number plates start with?
Cardiff registrations carry the memory tags CA, CB, CC, CD, CE, CF, CG, CH, CJ, CK, CL, CM, CN, CO. Those are the first two letters of a current-style plate, so a Cardiff registration reads as one of those pairs, then the two-digit age identifier, then three random letters.
Does a CA plate mean the car is from Cardiff?
It means the registration was first issued through the Cardiff office area, usually because the supplying dealer was based there. It does not tell you where the car is now, where any of its keepers have lived, or where it was built. A vehicle can be sold on the day it is registered and driven to the other end of the country.
Are DVLA local offices still open?
No. The DVLA closed its network of local offices at the end of 2013 and all registration work moved to Swansea. The memory tags were kept and are still allocated to the same areas, so a plate issued today still carries the tag for the area it was registered through.
How do I find out where a specific car came from?
The memory tag is only a hint. The recorded date of first registration, any plate transfers, keeper history, import markers and the rest of the vehicle record are what actually describe a car. A Carpeep car history check reports them against the registration for £15.
Memory tag allocations are published DVLA reference information. The DVLA closed its network of local offices in 2013, and the tags are still allocated to the same areas.