Are there fewer words on number plates now?

[MagneticMeerkat]

Back in the days of the old style letter prefix number plates cars seemed to get loads of cute/interesting/downright weird words made up of the end three letters.

I've owned a few:

EAR
PUT
and lastly BOO (which was awesome)

But my newer style, as in two letters, two numbers, three letters has a meaningless VGK at the end. I've noticed loads of older cars with words: RAT, CAR, FAN, RAY, FAY etc but this seems to be dying out on newer ones.

Have the DVLA switched to only issuing random letter combinations since the plate changeover?

[A900ss]

If it can spell a word, DVLA will no longer issue it for free. They'll sell it instead.

[Fort Jefferson]

A900ss said:

If it can spell a word, DVLA will no longer issue it for free. They'll sell it instead.

And so they should. It makes the tax payer st loads of money, instead of private dealers.

[goneape]

Not being the least bit bothered about private plates I'd nevet thought about it like that but the above makes s lot of sense. I just wrote the ugly new plates off as another new fangled idea that subtracts another of the little pleasures from life... and replaced mine with a slightly subtle letter prefix private plate

[nagsheadwarrior]

Our dealership gets issues batches of numbers as with campers we still register them the old fashioned paper way.

Most recent batch had FEK and GOA but anything any good goes to the pp market.

Eta- And GNU very exciting for fans of african wildebeest. Still got that one if anyone wants it!

[r11co]

FUD was a rather unfortunate one, especially in west central Scotland.

[The Turbonator]

MagneticMeerkat said:

Back in the days of the old style letter prefix number plates cars seemed to get loads of cute/interesting/downright weird words made up of the end three letters.

I've owned a few:

EAR
PUT
and lastly BOO (which was awesome)

But my newer style, as in two letters, two numbers, three letters has a meaningless VGK at the end. I've noticed loads of older cars with words: RAT, CAR, FAN, RAY, FAY etc but this seems to be dying out on newer ones.

Have the DVLA switched to only issuing random letter combinations since the plate changeover?

A Peugeot dealer in Ilkley had the misfortune of all it's cars starting with the prefix PO, when the new style plates came out. Meant that every March time, the forecourt was awash with cars that had "PO0" at the start of their number plates.

They only lasted a few more years after that. I have no idea whether the plates had anything to do with it or not but it wouldn't surprise me if it did.

[Dbest92]

The Turbonator said:

MagneticMeerkat said:

Back in the days of the old style letter prefix number plates cars seemed to get loads of cute/interesting/downright weird words made up of the end three letters.

I've owned a few:

EAR
PUT
and lastly BOO (which was awesome)

But my newer style, as in two letters, two numbers, three letters has a meaningless VGK at the end. I've noticed loads of older cars with words: RAT, CAR, FAN, RAY, FAY etc but this seems to be dying out on newer ones.

Have the DVLA switched to only issuing random letter combinations since the plate changeover?

A Peugeot dealer in Ilkley had the misfortune of all it's cars starting with the prefix PO, when the new style plates came out. Meant that every March time, the forecourt was awash with cars that had "PO0" at the start of their number plates.

They only lasted a few more years after that. I have no idea whether the plates had anything to do with it or not but it wouldn't surprise me if it did.

I remember when I was a kid seeing an old astra down the road from me with 'poo' at the end. Being young I found this hilarious