Each year, Senior Members of the DVLA hold 2 very time-consuming meetings before the release of each new plate format (March and September) to sift out any potentially offensive number plates that are deemed too rude/offensive for the road.
This is to prevent any inappropriate combinations that may be deemed to cause offense or are in poor taste. These include plates that may represent insults, swear words, sexual references, references to criminal organisations and activity, references to terrorism, innuendos to anti-ULEZ statements references to drugs, references with racist, sexist or LGBTQ+ connotations, as well as some political and religious references.
As you can imagine, having the option to personalise your own number plate with distasteful three letter words at the end can prove all too tempting for some, hence why these measures are taken. Some are more obvious than others but DVLA insist each banned combination has been omitted for a reason.
Every year many local memory tag and age identifier combinations are in the banned list too, due to the fact that they may give the impression of a distasteful word, so it’s not just the random three letters at the end of a registration plate that can prove controversial.
Examples of these include COVID-related words which are an absolute no-no, including; CO22 RNA and CO22 ONA.
Every year, hundreds of plate combinations get added to the banned list, with this year being no exception as a whopping 365 combinations are banned for 2024 for both the 24 release (March) and 74 release (September) see the full list below
DVLA have been banning number plates for years, but some have previously slipped through the net.
Back in 2011, a company director, Alan Clarke from Chesterfield, purchased a plate - which reads ‘BO11 LUX’ - from the DVLA’s website for £399, and proudly displayed it on his black Range Rover Overfinch.
But Alan later received a stern letter from the vehicle licensing body ordering him to remove it, saying the word caused offence.
The married dad-of-one stood his ground and forced the DVLA to back down, saying friends, family and other motorists were amused by the plate.
Alan even contacted the Transport Secretary, Philip Hammond, citing a 1977 court case where it was successfully argued that The Sex Pistols album title Never Mind The B*****ks wasn’t obscene. Nottingham Magistrates’ Court found the profanity wasn’t obscene, after hearing evidence that it was an Old English term referring to a priest.
The DVLA then sent him an email reading: “Upon further instruction from a higher authority you are permitted to keep the number plate.”
Alan, chairman of a telecoms company, said: “I’ve no idea who this higher authority is, maybe it was Phil Hammond himself, but clearly someone with a brain has finally looked at this and decided there was nothing wrong with it after all. I’m relieved I will no longer have to look over my shoulder for police officers.
The triumphant driver added: “I knew I was right all along. If it’s offensive, why did they offer it for sale on their own website?”
We do sometimes struggle though with the banning of certain plates and not others, for example BA57 ARD, AA55 HOL and BL08 JOB have been banned despite the previous release of classics such as PEN 15, ORG 45M and FU 2. Also plates such as BU11 SHT and BO08 LES were banned for obvious reasons, yet R1 APE, 1 CUM and FAT 130Y were issued which is quite bizarre.
Rude or offensive number plates that might slip through the DVLA's net ahead of the change can still be withdrawn at a later date, if need be, but the agency says 'the vast majority of registration numbers are made available', as most are unlikely to cause offence.
But on a more serious note, it’s not just the sniggers and smutty references the DVLA's banned list prevents, they also have to consider potential references that could be seen associated to criminal organisations and activity or terrorism, innuendos to anti-ULEZ statements references to drugs, or racist slurs, sexist or LGBTQ+ connotations, as well as some political and religious references.
More recently any potential references to the war in Ukraine, especially with any Russian connotations are strictly prohibited: 'NO74 RUS', 'EU74 WAR' and 'FK74 RUS' are blocked from use due to their political nature.
On a similar vein, 'J74 HAD' is banned, as is 'H74 MAS' because of the escalating Israel-Hamas situation.
Tweaking the display of a number plate will see a car fail their MOT and a driver could be fined up to £1,000 if caught, this includes number plates where the display has been altered by putting the bolts in a place that changes the original digit to make it look like a word or name, but police can and do pull people over for it.
'In some cases, the registration number can be permanently withdrawn if you have intentionally misrepresented a vehicles registration number and you will not get back any money that you have paid for the registration number, or any other costs you have to pay.
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The 2024 banned registrations are listed below, the asterisk (*) is a wildcard character that stands for any character that may appear in that position, with the other characters in the potential reg being the offensive part:
**74 ARD
RA74 PER
FA74 PRC
**74 NAL
RE74 ARD
FA74 PRK
**74 NUS
RE74 RDD
FA74 TOS
**74 RSE
RE74 RDS
FA74 WAH
**74 RTS
RE74 RDU
FF74 GAT
**74 WAT
RE74 RDX
FF74 GGT
*H74 MAS
RE74 RDZ
FF74 GGY
*J74 HAD
RE74 RRD
FF74 GTS
*S74 ABS
RE74 TAD
FF74 GTT
*S74 ABU
RE74 TRD
FF74 GTZ
*S74 ABZ
RR74 PE*
FF74 GUT
*S74 BBB
RR74 PED
FF74 NGE
*S74 BBD
RR74 PER
FK74 RUS
*S74 BBN
RR74 PES
FK74 UKR
*S74 BBR
RR74 PEU
FL74 NGE
*S74 BBS
RR74 PEX
FU74 BOR
*S74 BBY
RR74 PEY
GA74 AAA
*S74 BED
RU74 UKR
GA74 AJU
*S74 BER
SH74 AGS
GA74 ASH
*S74 BSS
SH74 AGZ
GA74 BOM
*S74 BZZ
SH74 GED
GA74 BOY
*S74 MBO
SH74 GER
GA74 CMP
*W74 NKR
SH74 GGD
GA74 DAD
*W74 NKS
SH74 GGS
GA74 DED
AA74 LAH
SH74 GHM
GA74 GAS
AA74 RYN
SH74 GHR
GA74 HAM
AA74 YAN
SH74 GSS
GA74 HEL
AB74 ORT
SH74 GUU
GA74 JEU
AB74 STD
SH74 TDD
GA74 JUD
AB74 USD
SH74 TED
GA74 KLL
AB74 USR
SH74 TTS
GA74 NAS
AD74 RKY
SH74 TTT
GA74 NAZ
AF74 GAT
SH74 TTY
GA74 OUT
AF74 GGT
SH74 TTZ
GA74 SED
AF74 GGY
SH74 TZZ
GA74 SSD
AF74 GTS
SK74 NKK
GA74 WAR
AF74 GTT
SK74 NKS
GA74 ZAA
AF74 GTZ
SK74 NKY
GB74 BAD
AF74 GUT
SK74 NKZ
GB74 BOM
AH74 OMO
SK74 NNK
GB74 DED
AJ74 HAD
SL74 GGS
GB74 DWN
AL74 WAR
SL74 GGY
GB74 FKT
AN74 BLK
SL74 GGZ
GB74 HTR
AN74 LEZ
SL74 GSS
GB74 KLL
AN74 LGB
SL74 GYY
GB74 KLR
AN74 LZR
SL74 GZZ
GB74 KLS
AN74 PAK
SL74 PER
GB74 RUS
AN74 PKY
SL74 SHH
GB74 SHT
AN74 USA
SL74 SSH
GB74 UKR
AN74 VAX
SL74 UTS
GB74 WAR
AP74 KEY
SL74 UTZ
GG74 SED
AP74 KKY
SP74 SSS
GG74 SSD
AP74 KYS
SP74 STC
GO74 RUS
AP74 KYZ
SP74 STK
GO74 SHT
AR74 YAN
SP74 ZES
GO74 UKR
AT74 CKU
SP74 ZZY
GO74 WAR
AT74 NNY
SP74 ZZZ
GR74 OPE
AU74 STC
ST74 ABB
HA74 BLK
AW74 NKY
ST74 ABS
HA74 BOY
BA74 DYK
ST74 BBB
HA74 GAY
BB74 STD
ST74 BBD
HA74 JUW
BE74 END
ST74 BBN
HA74 LGB
BJ74 STY
ST74 BBR
HA74 PAK
BL74 CKY
ST74 BBS
HA74 PKY
BL74 WJB
ST74 BBY
HA74 UKR
BO74 C**
ST74 BED
HA74 USA
BO74 CCC
ST74 BER
HA74 WAR
BO74 CCK
ST74 BES
HH74 ATE
BO74 CCS
ST74 BNG
HH74 LER
BO74 CCZ
ST74 BRS
HH74 NAZ
BO74 CKK
ST74 BRZ
HH74 TEU
BO74 CKS
ST74 BSS
HH74 TEX
BO74 CKS
ST74 BZZ
HH74 TEZ
BO74 CKZ
SU74 CDE
HH74 TLR
BO74 KKS
TA74 BAN
HH74 WAR
BO74 KKZ
TR74 DDS
HH74TED
BU74 SHT
TR74 DSS
HO74 CST
BW74 NKY
TR74 NNY
JJ74 HAD
BY74 RUS
TT74 NNY
JY74 HAD
BY74 UKR
TT74 WAT
KN74 FED
CH74 NKY
TW74 WAT
KN74 FER
CO74 ORD
TY74 NNY
KN74 FES
CR74 PLE
UB74 STD
KN74 FEU
CR74 PPL
UB74 TCH
KN74 FEX
CU74 MUF
UF74 GAT
KN74 VED
CU74 NOB
UF74 GGT
KN74 VES
EA74 DCK
UF74 GGY
KN74 VEU
EA74 DKS
UF74 GTT
LE74 ZAA
EA74 DYK
UF74 GTZ
LE74 ZAR
EA74 FWF
UF74 GUT
LE74 ZAS
EA74 GAL
UH74 ATE
LE74 ZAY
EA74 GRL
UH74 TED
LE74 ZAZ
EA74 HER
UH74 TER
LE74 ZBO
EA74 MEE
UH74 TES
LE74 ZER
EA74 MME
UH74 TEU
LE74 ZRR
EA74 MOT
UH74 TEX
LE74 ZRS
EA74 MUF
UH74 TEZ
LE74 ZZA
EA74 MUM
UK74 UKR
LE74 ZZR
EA74 NAN
UK74 YKE
MU74 DER
EA74 NOB
UN74 RUS
NA74 TZE
EA74 POO
UN74 UKR
NA74 TZY
EA74 PWP
UP74 KEY
NO74 LEZ
EA74 VAG
UP74 KKY
NO74 RUS
EA74 VAJ
UP74 KYY
NO74 UKR
EA74 YOU
UP74 KYY
OF74 GAT
EU74 BAD
UP74 KYZ
OF74 GOT
EU74 BOM
UP74 RUS
OF74 GTT
EU74 FWC
UP74 UKR
OF74 GUT
EU74 OFF
UP74KYS
PE74 ADO
EU74 RUS
UR74 CST
PE74 RVT
EU74 SHT
US74 WAR
PE74 VRT
EU74 UKR
UT74 NNY
PP74 KEY
EU74 WAR
WA74 RAB
PP74 KKY
FA74 DCK
WA74 RUS
PP74 KYS
FA74 DYC
WA74 UKR
PP74 KYY
FA74 DYK
WH74 WAR
PP74 KYZ
FA74 GAT
WW74 NKZ
PR74 CCK
FA74 GTS
XT74 NNY
PR74 CKK
FA74 GTT
YB74 TCH
PR74 CKS
FA74 GUT
YE74 RUS
FA74 LLY
YE74 UKR
FA74 NNY
YE74 WAR
FA74 NOB
YS74 WAR
