Prefix number plates
Prefix number plates ran from 1983 to 2001. Every plate starts with one year letter, for example A100 JOY. For the same prefix plate, we compare all-in prices at every seller and list the cheapest first.
Cheapest prefix number plates, all-in
An all-in price covers the plate, VAT, and the £80 fee that DVLA charges for assignment. Cheapest always comes at the top, and that ranking never moves; buying through a link may earn us a fee (how we earn money).
Lowest prices at other sellers
Each seller's lowest all-in price.
Reading the age of a prefix plate
The first letter identifies the year. The first prefix letter was A, and each later letter stands for a later year. Spelling names is what prefix private plates are good at, because one to three numbers and three letters come after the letter: A100 JOY, or one number with initials.
In price terms, prefix plates usually fall between current-style and dateless plates, and the cheapest ones often prove a fair buy for a name.
Checks to make before you buy
No plate can make a car look newer than it actually is. A car first registered in the year of its prefix plate's letter, or in a later year, can carry that plate; an older car cannot. From 1983 onwards, an A prefix fits nearly any car, and a late letter fits fewer. Use our number plate years table to check the letter against your log book.
Your car must be a type requiring an MOT, be taxed or hold a SORN, and must not be Q registered. Display the plate exactly as it was issued, using standard spacing. Once you are ready, learn the steps for assigning a private plate, or check older suffix number plates for a car that is from before 1983.