Suffix Style
1963–1983. Three letters, a sequence number, then a year letter at the end. The classic plate of the 60s, 70s and early 80s.
Cherished and dateless number plates.
Issued before 1963, with no age identifier, so they can go on any vehicle of any age. The rarest registrations in the UK.
A dateless number plate is a UK registration with no age identifier, issued before the year-letter system began in 1963. The format is a combination of one to three letters and one to four numbers, in either order, for example A 1, AB 1234 or 123 ABC. Because they carry nothing to mark a year, dateless plates are the only style that can go on a vehicle of any age, which, along with their scarcity, is why they sit at the top of the market and are the most cherished registrations of all.
A 1Letter + number
AB 1234Forward mark
123 ABCReversed
No age, no restriction
A plate with no age restriction
Every dated plate, suffix, prefix or current style, carries an age, so it can never go on a vehicle older than the plate itself. Dateless plates are different. With no age identifier, they can be assigned to any vehicle, classic or brand new, without breaking the age rule. That freedom is the single biggest reason people choose a dateless registration: buy the plate once and it can move with you across any car you own, now or in future.
Anatomy of a dateless plate
What makes a dateless plate
Dateless plates were issued from 1903, when A 1 became the very first UK registration, through to 1962. The letters were originally district codes showing where the plate was issued. Two things drive their desirability:
- Length. The shortest combinations, a single letter and a single number like A 1, are the rarest and most valuable. The more characters, the more affordable.
- Arrangement. Plates with the letters first, such as AB 1234, are known as forward or original marks. Those with the numbers first, such as 1234 AB, are reversed. Forward marks are generally the more sought-after.
The term cherished and the term dateless are often used to mean the same thing. Strictly, a cherished plate is any registration an owner keeps and transfers between vehicles, a "cherished transfer", but in practice the dateless plates are the most cherished, which is why the two are used interchangeably.
A piece of motoring history
The crown jewels of the plate world
Dateless registrations are scarce by definition: no more are ever issued, so the supply only shrinks. That scarcity has made the best of them some of the most valuable small objects in Britain. The reg 25 O sold at a DVLA auction in 2014 for £518,480, the UK record, and now sits on a classic Ferrari. See our pick of the most expensive number plates ever sold for more.
25 O — £518,480
DVLA auction, 2014. The UK record sale, set on a dateless plate, now fitted to a classic Ferrari 250 SWB.
Most dateless plates are far from that level, but the same qualities, age, rarity and a clean look with no year to date them, are what give the whole style its standing. Like any collectable, a plate's value can rise or fall, so a dateless plate is best bought because you want it, with any long-term value a bonus.
Entry-level dateless
Dateless plates on a budget
Dateless does not have to mean expensive. Longer combinations, and dateless-format registrations issued in Northern Ireland, can be surprisingly affordable while still carrying no age identifier and the freedom that comes with it. Browse cheap private number plates from £40, or search above for a dateless plate within your budget.
Cherished and dateless plates for sale
VFZ 4307
YIG 2804
YIG 5248
YIG 5502
YIG 6570
YIG 6642
YIG 6649
YIG 6752
IMZ 3721
IMZ 4572
IMZ 6213
IMZ 6493
IMZ 6495
IMZ 7285
IMZ 7286
IMZ 7287
See DVLA number plates across all styles, or all number plates for sale. For the next style down in age, browse suffix number plates.
Explore other UK number plate styles.
Prefix Style
1983–2001. Year letter at the front, followed by numbers and area code letters. The most popular personalised style.
Current Style
2001–now. Two area letters, two age numbers, three random letters. The largest pool of combinations.
All plate styles
Compare every UK plate style side by side. Years, formats and examples, plus how to read any plate.
Cherished and dateless plate FAQs.
A dateless number plate is a UK registration with no age identifier, issued before 1963. The format is one to three letters and one to four numbers in either order, such as A 1 or 123 ABC.
They are usually the same thing. Dateless means a plate with no age identifier. Cherished strictly means any plate an owner keeps and transfers between cars, but because dateless plates are the most treasured, the two terms are used interchangeably.
Yes. Because it carries no age identifier, a dateless plate can be assigned to a vehicle of any age, classic or new, without breaking the age rule. It is the only style that can.
They are scarce. None have been issued since 1962, so supply only falls, and the shortest combinations are the rarest of all. That scarcity, plus the freedom to use them on any vehicle, keeps demand high.
From £40 plus VAT and the £80 DVLA fee at the affordable end, up to hundreds of thousands of pounds for the shortest, rarest marks. Length and arrangement are the main price drivers.
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