However, some people may find their creative juices stifled by the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) who, each year, ban some personalised plates which may be inappropriate or may cause offence or embarrassment.
The combinations kept back by the DVLA are those that may represent insults, swear words, sexual references, references to criminal organisations and activity, references to terrorism, references to drugs, references with racist, sexist or LGBTQ+ connotations, as well as some political and religious references.
(Image: Getty)
Among the banned combinations are several “wildcard” plates – registrations that share a partial string of characters deemed to be unsuitable for release.**25 HAG, **25 HAT, **25 LAG, **25 LUT, **25 PAS, **25 PAZ and **25 TAB are among these partial combinations due to their rude or ableist connotations, as well as **25 RUS and **25 UKR, in response to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Yet more banned plate combinations reference war, such as AR25 WAR, EU25 WAR, GB25 WAR, GO25 WAR.
Commenting on the list of banned registrations, Regtransfers CEO Mark Trimbee said: “It’s always entertaining to see some of the plates deemed inappropriate by the DVLA, but there are also those that remind us why this is a necessary process.
“Personalised number plates are an excellent form of self-expression, but they shouldn’t be used to display genuinely harmful messages or views.
“As well as the usual sex and violence references, there are those subtle combinations that don’t seem to convey a clear meaning at first sight.
“With a little thought, however, we see how numbers such GB25 BAD, GB25 BOM, and GB25 SHT could seem to convey anti-British sentiments that might offend some. To ban or not to ban is obviously a bit of a balancing act.”
The first registration number series of 2025 will be the 25 series, eligible for use on the roads from March 1, 2025. The 75 series will follow later in the year, in September 2025.
Is your number plate legal?
These are the rules you should be aware of around licence plates from the DVLA.
The number plates on your vehicle must:
- be made from a reflective material
- display black characters on a white background (front plate)
- display black characters on a yellow background (rear plate)
- not have a background pattern
- be marked to show who supplied the number plate
- be marked with a British Standard number – this is ‘BS AU 145e’ for plates fitted after 1 September 2021
The characters must not be removable or reflective. If your number plates were fitted after 1 September 2021, they must also be a single shade of black.
Your number plates can also:
- have 3D (raised) characters
- display certain flags, symbols and identifiers
- display a green flash, if you have a zero-emission vehicle
