Cheap Private Number Plates

What’s the cheapest type of number plate?

Current Style

Current or new style registrations are the cheapest type of number plates available in the UK. This is because they are more readily available than past registration formats.

Current style plates have been issued since September 2001, and contain 2 letters for the initial registration location, 2 numbers for the registration year, a small gap, and then a random sequence of 3 letters (e.g. TP52 REG).

This structure is much more restrictive than past styles, contributing to their cheaper price. But don’t let this put you off — if you play your cards right and get creative, you can use combinations of letters and numbers to create a cheaper private number plate that is iconic to you, without the hefty price tag.

Prefix Style

The second cheapest number plate format is the prefix style. They’re an older style of registration issued between 1983 and 2001 and contain a string of characters with 1 letter for the registration year, any number from 1 to 999, a small gap and then 3 letters for the registration location (e.g. T123 REG).

While prefix plates might cost a bit more than current-style plates, they offer a lot of flexibility. Unlike the standard 7-character limit, prefix plates allow for shorter registrations between 5 and 7 characters. This opens up a world of possibilities if you’re looking for a more concise and impactful plate.

Suffix Style

The third cheapest number plate format is the suffix style. These were originally issued between 1963 and 1982. Like the prefix style, they contain 3 letters for the registration location, a small gap, a sequence number from 1 to 999, and 1 suffix letter for the registration year (e.g. TOP 944S).

These plates are a bit pricier because they’re older and there are less in circulation so they tend to be harder to find. You’ll struggle to find cheap private number plates under £200 in this style.

Dateless Number Plates

And finally, we have dateless number plates. Originally issued from 1903 until 1963, these are the rarest, most highly sought-after, and most expensive plates on the market.

These pricey plates contain 1, 2, 3 or 4 numbers, followed by a small gap and then 1, 2 or 3 letters. This order can also be reversed with 1, 2 or 3 letters followed by 1, 2, 3 or 4 numbers (e.g. 1234 TOP or TOP 1234).

Dateless are – by a wide margin – the rarest plates you can buy, which of course is factored into the price. You’ll be incredibly lucky to find one for under £200. The price also skyrockets for dateless plates with fewer characters. For example, the F 1 plate is going for millions!

What about financing?

If you want to spend a bit more, but not all at once, you can use our affordable and competitive number plate finance from Klarna. Authorised and regulated by the FCA, we can provide you with flexible and secure finance plans for purchases between £50 to £5,000.

Explore Number Plate Finance