Why are some 2025 registration plates banned?
The 1st of March sees the brand new 75-plate vehicles hit the road and many drivers will be considering personalised number plates - we’re here to offer out advice on the naughty number plates banned by the DVLA that could be considered offensive or inappropriate. Each year, the DVLA will ban a series of number plates that fall under this category.
What 75-number plates are banned?
The number of banned number plates changes every year and this year, the DVLA has banned a total of over 3,400 plates for 2025. Some examples range from childish registrations like **74 RSE, to ones with a more political stance, for example, anything relating to a war with number plates such as AR25 WAR, EU25 WAR, GB25 WAR and GO25 WAR are all banned.
Of course, on the list are several registration plates that allude to swear words, whilst others allude to crimes and violence, examples include, **25 TAB and DD25 UGD.
Is my number plate legal?
Along with the list of banned registration plates, there are also several rules around how number plates should be displayed. Following these rules can help you to avoid a fine and stop your vehicle from failing its MOT before anyone’s even taken a look under the bonnet.
Number plate rules to follow:
- It must be made from a reflective material.
- Display black characters on a white background (front plate).
- Display black characters on a yellow background (rear plate).
- There should be no background pattern.
- It should be marked to show who supplied the number plate.
- It should be marked with a British Standard number – this is ‘BS AU 145e’ for plates fitted after 1st September 2021.
- The characters must not be removable or reflective and if fitted after the 1st September 2021, must be a single shade of black.
Rules for customising your number plate:
- You can have 3D (raised) characters.
- You can display flags, symbols or identifiers.
- Flags can include the Union Jack, Cross of St George, Cross of St Andrew and the Red Dragon of Wales.
- Identifies can include, UK/United Kingdom, GB/ Great Britain, CYM/Cymru, ENG/England, SCO/Scotland and Wales.
- It should display a green flash, if you have a zero-emissions vehicle.
Those who are looking to transfer a personalised plate to a new lease vehicle will be pleased to know that this is possible - it involves a little bit of paperwork as you’ll have to submit a retention document and a certificate of entitlement, depending on your situation.
Buy your brand-new car with Swansway
With the new registration plates soon to be making their way onto the roads, now’s the perfect time to think about buying a brand new car. At Swansway, we have a huge range of brand-new cars available to view and test drive today. Our teams are experts in their field and are ready to help you find the perfect new car for you and you family. If you’re looking for something a little more within budget, take a look at some of our nearly new and used cars to keep costs a little bit lower. If you’re unsure what you're looking for or would like more information about one of the vehicles you see on our website, don’t hesitate to get in touch with one of our team and we’d be happy to help you.