Number plate age checker

From 1963 to 2001, a single letter showed the year. It came at the end of the plate until July 1983, on suffix plates, then moved to the start, on prefix plates. The letter changed every August until 1999, when it began changing twice a year, in March and September, as current plates still do.

I, O, U and Z were never used as year letters. Q is kept for vehicles whose age or identity is in doubt.

On current plates, the first letter of the memory tag is the region and the second is the local DVLA area. A tag shows where a car was first registered, often by the dealer that sold it new, so it doesn't tell you where the car is kept now.

The plate is a good starting point. To pin down a car you've spotted, put it together with what the car itself tells you.

1. Read the plate. If it's the car's original plate, the code tells you when it was first registered: to within six months on current plates, and usually to within a year on older ones.
2. Work out the generation. Each generation of a model was built for a set run of years, so it narrows the date down. Our guide to Porsche 911 generations shows the kind of details that give a generation away, and every car in the CarSpot car database has its years.
3. Look for facelift clues. Many cars get new lights, bumpers or grilles part way through a generation, which splits it into earlier and later cars. Our guide to identifying a car from a photo explains what to look at.
4. Check the official record. For the make, colour and date of first registration on DVLA's record, enter the registration into the free vehicle enquiry service on GOV.UK.