People mind-blown after finally realising what the letters on their reg plates mean
Lucy Devine
Featured Image Credit: Courtneywrightxxx/TikTok/Oli Scarff/Getty Images
Hands up if you knew that the first two letters of your car reg actually mean something?
One woman on TikTok has revealed she was left in utter shock when she found out, explaining that she had spent decades thinking the letters were totally random.
You can watch her explain below:
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Speaking about the revelation, @courtneywrightxxx explained that while she was aware that the first two numbers of a registration plate correspond to the year the car was registered, she had no idea that the first two letters are also important.
"I've just learned something new this morning," she said.
"I'm actually sure that nobody else knows this… so on a car number plate... I just thought the only relevance to a number plate was the number.
"So obviously if it's 23 then it's registered in 2023.
"But no, apparently the first two letters on your number plate actually mean something, so my old car was MV, and that means that car was registered in Manchester.
"So you've got where the car was registered, the year it was registered and then a random three letter sequence.
"It's literally blown my mind... like actually mind-blown."
The DVLA explain that there are three components to a number plate.
The first one is the 'local memory tag' which represents the first two letters on the registration.
These show where the vehicle was registered. While the first letter correlates to the region, the second represents a DVLA local office.
Meanwhile, the first two numbers reveals the age of a vehicle and the three letters at the end of the plate are totally random and give the vehicle its unique identity.
"The first two letters are the DVLA memory tag, the two numbers (the age identifier) indicate the age of the vehicle, and the last three letters are random," explains the DVLA.
"For example, BD signifies Birmingham, 51 represents September 2001 and SMR are random letters. The age identifier changes every six months in March and September."
After Courtney shared her video, other drivers were divided.
Some said it was 'common knowledge' while others were equally as baffled.
"Been driving 13 years, and I never knew this!!!" Said one.
"I can’t believe I’ve just found this out," added another.
Others shared the first two letters of their reg, asking the poster where their cars were registered.
If you're desperate to know, you can find a full list of registration plate locations over on the webuyanycar.com website.
Did you know about this?