Number plate search guide
Welcome to our Private Number Plate Search Guide! Whether you’re looking for yourself, a unique gift, a professional touch for your business, or simply want to hide the age of your vehicle, this guide will help you find the perfect option. We’ll walk you through everything you need to know to make the process simple and enjoyable, ensuring you find a number plate that suits your needs and style. Let’s get started on your search!
Areas Covered in This Guide:
1. How to Search (including a step-by-step tutorial)
2. Watch a Video Guide instead
3. Looking for a Non-Personalised Plate? Click here to skip ahead if you’re just looking for something that looks good.
4. Understanding Number Plate Formats
How To Search
1. Choose what to Search For
This should be the main idea behind your plate (a name, word or initials). Find inspiration below.
Type this into our search bar to get started.
Tip- Entering PETER, for example, will get you better results than searching for P3T3R.
2. Review & Refine
Our Smart Search tool will generate many search strings and show sets of results from each number plate style for you to consider.
You can refine and combine ideas you like to further personalise your search (try adding a lucky number or a fun word)
3. Shortlist and Purchase
Click the heart next to a search result to add it to your Favourites shortlist. You can open the shortlist using the large heart in the bottom left of the website and compare your choices. You can share ideas from here to get a second opinion.
Once you are ready to buy, simply click on the plate to start reviewing your purchase and payment options!
Names & Words
Most people start with a name or word search.
A name may take up the whole registration, or just part of it. Simply type a word into our search bar and let our Search engine find the closest matches by swapping letters and numbers. You may wish to combine the name with other ideas such as important dates or filler words.
Initials
These initials can be from your name, your business, your sports team, etc.
Lucky Numbers and Dates
As you’ve seen in previous examples, all UK registration marks include numbers. Many numbers look like letters (A=4 or S=5) but you can also use numbers to represent significant dates or figures.
Partner Plates
These are plates that are either based on, or chosen for, a romantic partner. You can use two names if they are short, or two sets of initials. For the number, you could use 04 as ‘for’, or a number that is significant to the two of you.
Filler numbers and letters
For a plate that isn’t too personal and looks good, you can fill in the space with a fun word - we call these fillers. You’ve probably seen some common fillers such as B055 and CU73. Enter your 3 initials and our search system will automatically show you some options with plate fillers under the heading “Popular Choices...”Tutorial
But how do you put all of this together?
In this example, we are looking for a plate for someone named GEMMA JONES - you can use these techniques to find a plate for you. Or, check out the video version here
We start with a simple search for the name Gemma.
Gemma’s car is from 2016, so we add the vehicle age check filter for a 16 reg.
When you find a plate you like, you can click the heart to add it to your Favourites area.
Then, we try a nickname search for Gem:
And, after saving some of our favourite plates, we complete an initial search for GKJ.
We look for plates that spell fun words, like this one. 
We also look for plates with important numbers. Gemma was born in May, so a 05 plate is great!
Then you can combine ideas! Search for specifics using the style format search, which can be found by clicking Refine Search. You can change individual characters this way, making searches easier.
For example, this plate is a gift for Gemma’s 18th Birthday, so you could try:
Or, you could do a search where the 6 and the 3 act as the G and the E, with G J at the start for Gemma Jones.
Then, you can view all of your selections in the Favourites tool, send them to friends for their opinion and decide on the best one for you!
We hope this helps!
You can find the Smart Search on our Homepage here to start looking.
If you want some help finding your plate, our search team is ready to assist. Just call us on 01792 477316. Whichever option you chose, you’ll have access to our years of expertise, and helpful people who prioritise excellent customer service.
Buying Guides
Plates for Everyone (Not Personalised to you)
Here are some links to interesting plates that aren’t personalised:
If you are looking for something more generic for privacy reasons, or to disguise the age of your vehicle, try a cover plate. These are also great for keeping track of fleet vehicles.
Or, if you’re looking for a non-personal plate for investment purposes, you could start here.
- Cheapest Dateless Number Plates on the market
- Dateless "Number Ones", Showing lowest price first
- Index of dateless number plates
Understanding Number Plate Formats
Throughout the years, the Government has introduced various formats for registration marks. If you're looking for a specific format or “style”, please select the relevant search option below.
Current Style number plates (issued since 2001)
AA51 ABC SEARCH- Age identifier is the two digit number in the middle
- No I or Q and Z only in the last three letters
Prefix Style number plates (issued between 1983 and 2001)
A1 ABC SEARCH- Age identifier is the first letter (prefix)
- No I, Q or Z in the registration
Suffix Style number plates (issued between 1963 and 1983)
ABC 1A SEARCH- Age identifier is the last letter (suffix)
- No I, Q or Z in the registration
Dateless Style number plates (Mainland UK) (issued between 1903 and 1963)
123 ABC ABC 123 SEARCH- Can be transferred to any age vehicle
- Very rare due to their age
- Generally the most expensive style
- No I, Q or Z in the registration
Northern Irish Number plates
ABZ 1234 SEARCH- Can be transferred to any age vehicle
- Always have an I or Z in the registration
- A cheaper alternative to a dateless number plate