New list of banned UK number plates released by DVLA

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has released a new list of banned UK number plates, adding to the ever-growing list of number plates we won’t see on the road.

In the springtime, references to COVID and the war in Ukraine occupied a lot of the list of banned ‘23’ number plates. 

According to information obtained through a freedom of information request, the full list of “73” number plates that will be declared unfit for public consumption when the new registration is introduced in September includes controversial pairings like BO73 LOX, HA73 GAY, LE73 ZZA, SH73 TER, and WH73 PWR.

The DVLA issues more than one million possible number combinations at every plate change, so, as usual, the list of banned number plate combinations appears surprisingly long.

The AN73 prefix has been forbidden when used with a range of three-letter combinations because it might be interpreted as either “ANTI” or “ANY.” The same is true with HA73, which stands for “HATES,” and EA73, which has the meaning “EATS”.

While understanding the possibility of offence with some of the number combinations requires some thought, other plates that the DVLA has removed off the list require no explanation – some potential shockers include AS73 HOL, BU73 SHT, and EA73 DCK.

The DVLA must take the issue of prohibited number plate combinations seriously. Meetings are held prior to the distribution of each new plate format, which occurs twice a year, to make sure that no improper combinations are put into circulation.

The criteria for plates to be banned is if they “may cause offence, embarrassment, or are in poor taste”. The DVLA notes that the bulk of registrations are publicly available, with only a small fraction of combinations ending up on the suppressed list.

Full list of banned 73-reg plates