How the new ’62′ number plate works

It’s now September – which means it’s time for a brand new number plate. From now until March next year, new cars and other vehicles will carry a ‘62’ designation.

Here’s a quick reminder of how the latest number plate system works.

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The current number plate system has now been in place for over a decade, as it was originally introduced in September 2001. It consists of two letters, two numbers and then three letters. Here’s how it works.

Take the example: ‘HA 62 MSN’.

The first two letters – the HA in this case – represent the area the car is from, known as the ‘local memory tag’. The first of these is “Official local mnemonic”, while the second is the “local office identifier.

So for the above example, the HA would denote a car first registers in Hampshire, Dorset or the Isle of Wight (that’s the H), with the A refining it to the vicinity of Bournemouth.

The two numbers represent the year – or in fact the half year, as this designation changes every March as well as September. In March it is literally the year represented, so this March was the 12-plate, and next March will be the (dreaded in some quarters) 13-plate.

September registrations are best remembered and identified by thinking of the year plus 50. So, the 12 from 2012 plus 50 equals 62, which is fairly straight forward. September 2012 will therefore be represented by – you guessed it – 62.

The last three letters are effectively random, and are what make each number plate unique compared to other plates from the same region. We say effectively because many people are fond of personalised number plates, and so may request a specific combination of letters.

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