--- title: "Suffix Number Plates Explained: Year Letter Table 1963–83" description: "Full suffix year-letter table A to Y, why I, O, Q, U and Z were skipped, how to read the area code and which cars can carry a suffix plate." url: https://buyprivateplates.uk/number-plate-formats/suffix/ site: "Buy Private Number Plates Online – Instantly Search the DVLA Database" published: 2026-09-29 modified: 2026-09-29 language: en-GB --- # Suffix Number plates 1963 – 1983 ## Suffix Number Plates Explained The first plates to carry a year letter. Read the suffix table, learn which letters were skipped and why, and see which vehicles can carry one today. [Suffix plates for sale](https://buyprivateplates.uk/suffix-number-plates-for-sale/) [Check a plate's year](https://buyprivateplates.uk/number-plate-year-checker/) Quick facts ## At a glance - **1963**Format introduced - **21**Year letters used - **Aug**Change month from 1967 - **1983**Last suffix issued ABC 123 A **Letters** Sequence + area code **Number** 1 to 999 **Year letter** Suffix identifier Three letters, up to three numbers, then the year letter at the end. The last two of the three letters were the local office code; the first was the sequence letter. Where it came from ## History of the format By the early 1960s several authorities had run out of dateless combinations entirely. The fix, introduced in February 1963, was to add a letter to the *end* of the mark to indicate the year of issue — instantly multiplying the available combinations by 21 and giving buyers a way to tell a car’s age at a glance. The first suffix letters, A to E, roughly followed calendar years. In 1967 the change date moved to 1 August so that the annual rush of new registrations fell in the motor trade’s quieter summer — E therefore covered only January to July 1967, and F ran from August 1967 to July 1968. Every letter after that followed the August-to-July pattern until Y closed the series in July 1983. Suffix plates were compulsory nationwide from 1965, and because the format spanned two decades of mass motoring it accounts for a huge number of classic cars still on the road. Reading the year ## Suffix year letters Find the identifier on the plate and read the period straight off. Any vehicle first registered in that period **or later** can carry the plate. Not sure? [Type the registration into the year checker](https://buyprivateplates.uk/number-plate-year-checker/). | Letter | Issued | | --- | --- | | A | Feb 1963 – Dec 1963 | | B | Jan 1964 – Dec 1964 | | C | Jan 1965 – Dec 1965 | | D | Jan 1966 – Dec 1966 | | E | Jan 1967 – Jul 1967 | | F | Aug 1967 – Jul 1968 | | G | Aug 1968 – Jul 1969 | | H | Aug 1969 – Jul 1970 | | J | Aug 1970 – Jul 1971 | | K | Aug 1971 – Jul 1972 | | L | Aug 1972 – Jul 1973 | | M | Aug 1973 – Jul 1974 | | N | Aug 1974 – Jul 1975 | | P | Aug 1975 – Jul 1976 | | R | Aug 1976 – Jul 1977 | | S | Aug 1977 – Jul 1978 | | T | Aug 1978 – Jul 1979 | | V | Aug 1979 – Jul 1980 | | W | Aug 1980 – Jul 1981 | | X | Aug 1981 – Jul 1982 | | Y | Aug 1982 – Jul 1983 | The gaps in the alphabet ## Letters that were never used Five letters were never used as a suffix: **I**, **O**, **Q**, **U** and **Z**. I and Z remained reserved for Northern Ireland, O and U were dropped because they are too easily confused with 0 and V at a distance, and Q was set aside for vehicles whose age could not be established. A plate ending in any of those letters is therefore not a suffix plate. Where the letters point ## Regional codes and memory tags The final two letters of the letter group identified the issuing office, carried over from the dateless system. The first letter stepped through the alphabet as each batch of 999 numbers was used up. So on *ABC 123D* the office is BC, A is the sequence, 123 is the serial number and D dates it to 1966. Today the letters are simply the personal element buyers pay for. The one rule that matters ## Which vehicles can carry this format A suffix plate can go on any vehicle first registered **on or after** the year the letter represents. A 1972 K-suffix plate is fine on a 1972 car or anything newer — including a brand-new one — but not on a 1969 vehicle, because that would make it appear younger than it is. Use the year checker to confirm any specific plate. [Check any plate's earliest eligible vehicle](https://buyprivateplates.uk/number-plate-year-checker/) From the trade ## Buying tips - Suffix plates are the natural match for 1960s and 70s classics where a period-correct letter completes the look. - Early letters (A–E) are scarcer and priced accordingly; L to Y offer the best value. - Look for letter groups that spell a name or initials; the year letter reads almost as punctuation. - A suffix plate on a modern car is perfectly legal and increasingly popular as a “retro” choice. [Suffix plates for sale](https://buyprivateplates.uk/suffix-number-plates-for-sale/) [Value a plate free](https://buyprivateplates.uk/plate-value-checker/) Common questions ## Suffix Number Plates Explained: FAQ **How do I tell the year of a suffix plate?** Look at the last letter and read it off the table above. Remember that from F (1967) onwards each letter runs August to July, not January to December. **Can a suffix plate go on a new car?** Yes. The rule only prevents a vehicle looking newer than it is; an older plate on a newer car is always allowed. **Why does my 1967 car have an E and my neighbour’s a F?** The change date moved from 1 January to 1 August in 1967. Cars registered January to July 1967 got E; from August 1967 they got F. **Are suffix plates good value?** Generally the most affordable of the classic formats. Meaningful three-letter groups with a two- or three-digit number are widely available from a few hundred pounds. Keep reading ## The Other Formats Explained Every UK registration belongs to one of five families. 1903 – 1963 ### Dateless Number Plates The oldest, most prestigious registrations on British roads: what they are, how they were issued, how to read one, and why they can go on a car of any age. [Read the guide →](https://buyprivateplates.uk/number-plate-formats/dateless/) 1983 – 2001 ### Prefix Number Plates Eighteen years of A123 ABC. Decode the year letter, see why the system went six-monthly in 1999, and find out which cars a prefix plate can go on. [Read the guide →](https://buyprivateplates.uk/number-plate-formats/prefix/) 2001 – today ### Current Style Number Plates The AB51 CDE system: how the two-digit age identifier works, what the memory tag tells you about where a car was registered, and which letters you will never see. [Read the guide →](https://buyprivateplates.uk/number-plate-formats/current/) Dateless · any vehicle ### Northern Irish Number Plates The I and Z plates: why they have never carried an age identifier, how to read the county code, and why they are the best-kept secret for putting a private plate on any car. [Read the guide →](https://buyprivateplates.uk/number-plate-formats/ni/) ## Ready to Find a Suffix Plate? Search live DVLA stock and the pre-owned marketplace. Every price includes the £80 DVLA fee and our full transfer service. [Suffix plates for sale](https://buyprivateplates.uk/suffix-number-plates-for-sale/) [Search all plates](https://buyprivateplates.uk/private-number-plates/) --- Source: https://buyprivateplates.uk/number-plate-formats/suffix/