News: When Does the New “23” Number Plate Come Out?

The March 2023 car registration plates are due to be released on Wednesday 1 March.

All brand-new cars registered from 1 March onwards will feature the new “23” plate. 

How can I get a car with the new 23 registration plate? 

If you buy a brand-new car between 1 March and 1 September 2023, your car will come with a 23 plate. 

How do UK number plates work?

The current number plate is a 72 plate, which was released on 1 September 2022. The new 23 plate will come in from 1 March 2023 and will remain in place for all new cars registered until 1 September 2023. 

A standard UK number plate will comprise:

• Two letters that represent the region the car was registered in
• Two numbers that represent when the car was registered (e.g. 23)
• A set of three randomly generated letters 

Number plates issued from March to September contain two numbers representing the year, while the plates issued from September are the year plus 50 (e.g. September 2022 was 22 plus 50, so 72). 

What’s different about the new 23 plate? 

You might have already noticed some changes to UK number plates in the past couple of years – and the new 23 plates will follow suit. 

No EU flag on number plates

Firstly, since the UK officially left the EU on 1 January 2021, new car number plates no longer feature the EU stars. If you’d like a country identifier you now have the option of a UK, England, Scotland or Cymru (Wales) identifier. 

Electric cars continue to feature green number plates 

Since 8 December 2020, new electric cars were fitted with a number plate featuring a green flash on the left hand side – to indicate that the vehicle produces zero emissions.  

The aim of these plates is to increase the awareness around EVs – and encourage other road users to make the switch to electric. 

You can opt out of having the green flash on your number plate, but dealers are likely to fit them as standard on brand-new electric cars. At the moment, they’re a cosmetic item rather than allowing any EV privileges. 

Interested in leasing an electric car? Take a look at our Top Electric Car Lease Deals.