Irish number plates
In Northern Ireland, Irish number plates are issued with an I or Z among their letters and without a year identifier, which lets them fit any car. At each seller, we compare the all-in price for the same Irish plate.
Cheapest Irish number plates, all-in
An all-in price covers VAT and the £80 DVLA assignment fee, plus the plate. Sellers are ranked from cheapest to most expensive, and that ranking never changes. We may receive a fee when a purchase comes through a link (commission disclosure).
Lowest prices from other sellers
For each seller, this is their lowest all-in price.
How to recognize an Irish plate
Northern Irish number plates work on a system much like the original 1904 one. Each plate shows a group of letters and a number, like AAZ 8 or ACZ 409. Check the letters for an I or Z. In Great Britain, memory tags never use I, Q or Z, so a plate carrying either of those letters gives itself away.
Without a year letter or age identifier, the plate gives no sign of the car's age.
Reasons buyers choose them
With Irish plates, you get a dateless look for less money. Shorter plates with low numbers cost more, but are usually far cheaper than dateless plates of a similar length from Great Britain. As UK registrations, they fit a car registered in the UK, taxed and used there, like any other private number.
Things to check
The car needs to be a type that requires an MOT, be taxed or hold a SORN, and it cannot be Q registered. Display the plate in the form it was issued; you may not change the spacing so the letters read differently. Compare them with dateless number plates, or use number plate search to find a name.
What people ask
How can you recognize an Irish number plate?
You can spot an I or Z among the letters, with no year marker included. Great Britain memory tags never use I or Z, so those letters show that a registration comes from Northern Ireland.
Are Irish number plates legal in the UK?
Yes, they can. These Northern Irish registrations are UK registrations. A qualifying car may use them anywhere in the UK if the plates are displayed in the correct way.
Why do Northern Irish number plates have a Z?
Letter groups in Northern Ireland use I or Z, never seen on Great Britain memory tags. This keeps both systems separate.
Can an old car carry an Irish plate?
Yes, they can. It has no year identifier, so it cannot make a vehicle look newer. It fits vehicles of any age that follow the usual rules.