The UK’s Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) will ban a number of plates that contain combinations of letters or numbers that are considered rude or offensive.
According to a report from the British tabloid The Sunthis movement is routine and is carried out twice a year before licensing in March and September to prevent inappropriate combinations from reaching the streets.
Hundreds of plates have already been banned in these cycles, but it seems that the 2026 list is much fuller compared to some previous years. According to the Auto Expressmore than 400 combinations have already been pulled.
“The launch of new plates is always an exciting time for us. Unfortunately, it also brings a new horde of combinations that are considered a little too risky to be allowed in the public,” he said Mark TrimbeeCEO yes RegTransfers.
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“The DVLA has an unfortunate role to play and although some may see this as being a ‘killer’, they have a responsibility to keep people safe from offensive, derogatory and provocative signs.”
“This new list of prohibited combinations is one of the largest we’ve seen, but as with every new release, there will still be plenty of great combinations to look for,” Trimbee added.
Anagrams for swear words and combinations that allude to war or that contain the acronyms UKR or RUS (for Ukraine and Russia, respectively) were included in this year’s list.
Motorists have been warned that if a plate does not meet legal regulations it could result in a fine of up to £1,000 (around US$1,300) and the driver also runs the risk of failing their annual vehicle inspection. Ministry of Transport (MOT).
Photo: Unsplash. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
