Jargon Buster

• What year is a 74 plate?

  A 74 plate means the car was first registered between September 2024 and February 2025.

• What year is a 76 plate?

  A 76 plate means the car was first registered between September 2026 and February 2027.

• How do I tell what year a car is from its number plate?

  Look at the two digits after the letters - that's the age identifier, issued twice a year since 2001.

• What do the letters on a UK number plate mean?

  The first two letters point to where the car was first registered, not who owns it or where it lives now.

• What is a Q plate?

  Issued when a car's true age or identity can't be verified - not automatically a red flag, but worth extra questions.

• Does a private number plate hide a car's age?

  It hides the age identifier from view, but the car's real first registration date is still on record.

• Is a plate change on a car a bad sign?

  Not on its own - a plate change is usually just a private plate being added or removed.