In the UK, the country is gearing up for new ’76’ license plate combinations. These plates are issued to new vehicles in the UK that are registered from Septmber 1st, 2026, to the end of February 2027. However, there are more than 1,000 plates that are set to be banned as September begins.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) regularly screens license plates, and it looks for those that could be considered inappropriate or that are likely to offend. With the new ’76’ plates coming up, the DVLA is continuing that practice.
Ahead of the new plates coming into effect, the DVLA reviews thousands of possible registration combinations to vet them and make sure they are suitable to go onto a motor vehicle. Amongst the possible combinations are plenty that might kick up a fuss if they are spotted on someone’s car.
This is one of the quirks of the UK and how it registers its new vehicles. The idea is to stop any of these plates getting onto cars before a potential owner has spotted and decided it might be funny to run with something that could be offensive.
Why Does the DVLA Make More Than 1,000 License Plates Illegal?
The DVLA reviews thousands of potential registration combinations ahead of every new registration release. Some of the combinations can be flagged as offensive, discriminatory, inappropriate, or controversial and must not be allowed to appear on new cars in the UK. This happens ahead of every new registration launch in the UK.
Ahead of the March 2026 registration change, for example, the DVLA was able to pinpoint more than 400 registration numbers that could have fallen into the above categories. Even when it is borderline, license plates could be interpreted in a bad way, so these ones are also removed by the DVLA. A lot of work goes on behind the scenes to ensure these plates never see the light of day.
Ben Raffell, Car Expert at BigWantsYourCar.com, said: “While the withheld plates often generate plenty of interest because of the words or phrases they appear to spell, they represent only a tiny fraction of the millions of possible combinations available.” “For anyone buying a new ’76’ plate car this September, the registration itself shouldn’t influence your purchasing decision,” he added.
How Many Plates Were Withheld Earlier in 2026?
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The DVLA carried out the same process for March 2026, where new cars in the UK would gain ’26’ plates for 2026. During that review, the agency withheld over 400 registration combinations, ensuring they were not seen by anyone before they could be registered. Ahead of the September 2026 plates launching, 513 specific registrations have already been withheld. This includes ten wildcard combinations, which themselves could block at least 1,000 potential combinations, making it at least 1,500 plates blocked for September 2026.