Urgent Warning: DVLA Blocks More Than 400 ‘26’ Plates – How to Check Yours
New ’26’ registrations will soon hit UK roads, and many drivers are eager to see the latest ‘26’ plates in circulation, but the DVLA is withholding offensive, provocative or otherwise unsuitable combinations.
FU26 KER, AS26 HOL and SC26 TUM are just some of ‘26’ plate combinations being blocked by the DVLA. These were discovered by private plate supplier Regtransfers following a Freedom of Information request made last year.
Why the DVLA Blocks Certain Plate Combinations
The new ’26’ registrations are set to appear on the UK’s roads soon, from 1st March. However, it’s standard practice for the DVLA to ban “risky” combinations that might cause offence. In September 2024, 210 character combinations were banned from the ’25’ plates. Additionally, a further 436 combinations were confirmed to be withheld from the ’76’ release.
Banned combinations typically contain references to crime, violence, religion, sex, sexual and gender identity, weapons, insults, racism, sexism and more.
How the ‘Wildcard’ Rule Works
The full list of banned ‘26’ plates contains 403 combinations, with a number containing the “wildcard” asterisk character. This “wildcard” means that no matter which letter or digit appears in the position marked by the asterisk, the resulting combination will be withheld.
Examples of Banned ‘26’ Plates
Other examples of banned combinations include slurs like TR26 NNY, LE26 ZER and FA26 OTT. Violence, war and other political matters are also off the table. For example, TE26 ROR and GO26 WAR are blocked. Additionally, JE26 HAD has also been banned, as it reads similarly to “Jihad”.
Plates featuring both UKR and RUS combinations have also been banned. Furthermore, a number of **26 OMB (“bomb”) variants are included.
The potential meaning behind a plate doesn’t need to be explicit in order to be banned. Even a slight resemblance to an offensive term may be enough to trigger removal from a series.
Industry Reaction to the Banned Plates List
Commenting on the list of banned plates, Regtransfers CEO Mark Trimbee states:
“The release of new number plates is always an exciting time for us, as it brings a fresh wave of fun, appealing and valuable combinations to our roads. Sadly, it also brings a new horde of combinations that are considered a bit too risky to allow out into the public. The DVLA have an unfortunate role to play, and while some might see this as them being ‘killjoys’, they do have the responsibility to keep people safe from offensive, derogatory and provocative plates. This new list of banned combinations is one of the larger ones we’ve seen, but as with each new release, there will still be plenty of great combinations to look out for.”
ENDS
About the Data
Data sourced via Freedom of Information Request issued by Regtransfers to the DVLA. The full list of banned ‘26’ plates can be viewed here. You are welcome to copy the list of plates for publishing purposes. However, please do not share direct access to this document in the public domain.
About Regtransfers
Regtransfers, the UK’s leading private number plate supplier, has over four decades of industry expertise. The company was established in 1982 by Tony Brown. It is officially registered with the DVLA and offers an extensive selection of over 50 million personalised registration plates.
Contact
For further information or to request data, please contact: luke@brick-digital.co.uk
