Number plate check
Enter a UK number plate to decode it and see the vehicle it belongs to: when and where the plate was issued, whether it fits the vehicle's age, and its tax and MOT.
Free · No sign-up · DVLA and DVSA records
How to read a UK number plate.
Three numbering systems have been used since 1963, and all three are still on the road.
| Format | Example | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Current (since 2001) | MA16 XYZ | MA is the memory tag: M for Manchester and Merseyside, then the local DVLA area. 16 is the age identifier: registered March to August 2016. XYZ is random. |
| Prefix (1983 to 2001) | R123 ABC | The first letter is the year letter. R means registered between August 1997 and July 1998. |
| Suffix (1963 to 1983) | ABC 123K | The last letter is the year letter. K means registered between August 1971 and July 1972. |
| Dateless | ABC 123 | No year identifier at all. Almost always a private registration today, and it says nothing about age. |
| Northern Ireland | ABZ 1234 | Contains an I or a Z and no age identifier. |
| Q plate | Q123 ABC | Issued where the DVLA could not establish the vehicle's age or identity. |
Full tables: every age identifier and its dates and every memory tag and its DVLA area.
When the plate does not match the car.
The check sets the plate against the recorded first registration. A mismatch is common and usually innocent, but it is worth knowing which kind you are looking at.
Plate older than the car
A registration can go on a newer vehicle but never an older one, because that would make the vehicle look younger than it is. An older plate on a newer car is a private or transferred registration.
Plate newer than the car
Not allowed for a transferred plate, but normal for an import. Its plate follows the date it was first registered in the UK, not the date it was first registered abroad.
Import checkNo age identifier
Dateless and Northern Ireland marks carry no date, so the plate hides the vehicle's age completely. The recorded first registration is the only reliable answer.
A number plate check or a reg check?
They start from the same registration but answer different questions. This page is about the plate itself: what its letters and numbers mean, and whether it belongs with the vehicle wearing it. A reg check is the quick lookup of what a registration is registered to, and the MOT history check shows every test in full.
A plate that has moved leaves a record. Previous registrations and the dates each one went on or came off the vehicle are held by the DVLA and shown in the £15 report, along with finance, write-off, theft and keeper history. The plate change check explains what those records mean.
Number plate check FAQs
How do I check a number plate?
Enter it above. The check decodes the plate, shows the make, model, colour, tax and MOT of the vehicle it is registered to, and tells you whether the plate fits the vehicle's age.
Can I find out who owns a car from its number plate?
No. The keeper's name and address are personal data that the DVLA only releases for specific legal reasons. A number plate check shows the vehicle, not the person. The car owner check explains what ownership history you can see.
Does the number plate tell you how old a car is?
Only roughly, and only if the plate is original. The age identifier shows when that registration was issued. A private plate can be older than the car, and a dateless plate shows nothing, so the recorded date of first registration is the reliable answer.
What do the first two letters on a number plate mean?
On a current-style plate they are the memory tag: the first letter is the region and the second the DVLA office area the vehicle was first registered through. The check shows the area for you.
Can I see the previous number plates of a car?
Not in the free check. Previous registrations and plate transfer dates are held by the DVLA and included in the £15 vehicle history report.
Why does the check find no vehicle for a plate?
No vehicle currently carries it on the DVLA or DVSA record. The registration may be held on retention, assigned but not yet in use, or never issued. The plate itself can still be decoded.
More vehicle checks
See the plate history
Previous registrations and transfer dates, plus finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history, in one £15 report.
Vehicle, tax and first registration details from the DVLA Vehicle Enquiry Service. MOT status from the DVSA MOT history service. Plate formats, age identifiers and memory tags are published DVLA reference data. Carpeep is not affiliated with the DVLA or DVSA.