Woman’s ‘Mindblowing’ Discovery After Driving 7 Years Has Everyone Searching Their Own Number Plate
A woman has shared a ‘mindblowing’ discovery about car registration plates in the UK.
Most of us know that the numbers near the beginning of our car number plate refer to the year of the car’s manufacture.
For example, a ’14’ means, you guessed it, the car was registered in 2014.
But it turns out, this isn’t the only information conveyed by your car’s registration plate.
A TikToker has shared her ‘mindblowing’ discovery that she’s ‘sure no one else knows’.
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Courtney Wright took to TikTok to share her finding, announcing: “I’ve just learnt something new this morning. I actually can’t believe [it].”
The mum, who uses the handle @courtneywrightxxx, is ‘sure’ that others are also unaware of her brand new revelation.
And it seems she’s right, as her comments section is filled with similarly floored motorists.
“I had no idea either!” one writes.
Another agrees: “I can’t believe I’ve just found this out!”
Courtney explains: “Did anyone know that on a car number plate… so I just thought the only relevance to a number plate was the number.
“So obviously, like, if it’s 23 then it was registered in 2023. No. Apparently, the first two letters on your number plate – so, like, my old car was MV and that means that car was registered in Manchester.
“So they all have different codes, so it goes from MA to M-whatever and that’s all from Manchester.
“The first two letters actually mean something. So you’ve got where the car was registered, the year it was registered and then just a random sequence.”
She continues: “I’m actually… it’s literally blown my mind. Actually, mind blown. I’m just… I can’t believe it.”
@courtneywrightxxx This has litereally BLOWN my mind #newfact #mumlife #vlog #fyp #cars #girls #fact #trending ♬ original sound – Courtney | Motherhood Journey
Jon Kirkbright, sales director at Private Number Plates has previously shared with Driving.org: “To the untrained eye, number plates may look like a random combination of letters and numbers.
“While many people will be aware that the numbers refer to the year the car was made and registered, they may not know that the letters before them also have a hidden meaning.
“They are known as ‘regional identifiers’ and refer to the DVLA office where the car was registered.
“This may be why your number plates start with the same letters if you buy more than one car from the same dealership, for example – it is not just a coincidence.”
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So, as Courtney explains, M is for the Manchester and Merseyside region, including MA, MB, MC… and so on.
Plates that begin with LA, LB, LC, LD etc. were registered in London, and BA, BB, BC and the rest are from Birmingham.
If this brand-new information has you wanting to explore the history of your own vehicle, you can check out a full list of number plate identifiers here.
