Understanding Models And Plates

[strouf]

Hi all...

 

Being a Greek, I 'm totally confused with the car licence plates related to the year of manufacture. ie. what year is "s reg",or "x plate". I'm trying to tell if the car in question is a Mk1 or aMk2. Could you give me a general rule how to tell the model year by the plate ?

Thanks...javascript:emoticon('B)')

smilie

[mumof4]

mine is an x reg .2001 model mk2 new shape.

 

y reg is also 2001 model mk2 new shape(so i believe.)

 

i think everything above 2001 is the new shape galaxy mk2(im sure ill get busted down if im wrong!!)

[Masked Marauder]

In the UK there are now 3 main types of Numberplate, of which two types are relevant to the Galaxy.

 

First is the PREFIX type, where a letter designating the year is the first thing on the plate. Some letters are not used as they could be confused with other letters or numbers.

 

http://www.arbo14.dsl.pipex.com/Plate1.gif

 

N 01 August 1995 to 31 July 1996

 

P 01 August 1996 to 31 July 1997

 

R01 August 1997 to 31 July 1998

 

Now this is where it gets more confusing... We went from a letter showing a 12 month period to a letter showin a six month period!

 

S 01 August 1998 to 28 February 1999

 

T 01 March 1999 to 31 July 1999

 

V 01 August 1999 to 28 February 2000

 

W 01 March 2000 to 31 July 2000

 

X 01 August 2000 to 28 February 2001

 

Y 01 March 2001 to 31 July 2001

 

When we got to Y we had to have a new system as we had exhausted the letters, so a "less confusing" system of numbers was introduced:

 

http://www.arbo14.dsl.pipex.com/Plate2.gif

 

The number is made up by having the year of registration forming the second number and the first number indicating what half of the year, with 0 being March to August and 5 indicating September to February.

 

So 51 indicates the car was first registered in the second 5 half of 2001

 

In March 2010 the numbers will be xx10 xxx and in September 2010 it will be xx60 xx. March 2011 will be xx11 xxx and September 2011 will be xx61 xxx then 12 then 62, 13, 63, 14, 64 etc forever......

 

So thats simple then.....

[strouf]

Now this is what I call "explanation" !!!!! Very thorough

[HJT]

"So 51 indicates the car was first registered in the second 5 half of 2001"

 

Except mines a 51 plate and was registered in January 2002 ;)

Trust the DVLA to make it really confusing :D

[katman]

Why use the first and seventh months as the start of the six month periods when you can make it MUCH more complicated by using the third and ninth months !!!

[Masked Marauder]

"So 51 indicates the car was first registered in the second 5 half of 2001"

 

Except mines a 51 plate and was registered in January 2002 ;)

Trust the DVLA to make it really confusing :D

Pedant!

 

and 5 indicating September to February.

[Andrew T]

I'm trying to tell if the car in question is a Mk1 or aMk2.

Just to add to MMs info, the Mk2 arrived in Autumn 2000, so an "X" reg could be a either a Mk1 or 2. One of the big changes on the Mk2 was the introduction of the "PD" Diesels, but the 2.3 engine has carried on pretty much unchanged since being introduced in '97. Although at some point (with the introduction of the Mk2?) it was detuned slightly (Down from 145 to 142 BHP) to comply with Euro IV emissions standards.

[dave_m]

then to confuse us even more in 2010

[Guest Cepheus]

Why use the first and seventh months as the start of the six month periods when you can make it MUCH more complicated by using the third and ninth months !!!

DVLA had to bow to the pressure of the RMIF and new car dealers so that they could maximise the sale of new cars at 2 points throughout the year instead of just in August when the new plates used to come out. Moving the reg changes to January and July was perceived as a bad move for sales as people wouldn't buy a new car in January just after the expense of Christmas. IIRC :lol:

[katman]

so that they could maximise the sale of new cars at 2 points throughout the year instead of just in August when the new plates used to come out.

I remember when August 1st was "the" new car day.

 

People would collect cars from garages a 00:01 to be the first on the road with a new car and you always saw loads during the day.

 

Given that we are 10 days into the "06" registrations I think I have only seen about 6 or 7 cars with an 06 plate.