THE DVLA has revealed its full list of banned 2025 number plates, with more than 250 deemed “too rude” for the road.
The new plates are set to be issued within months, but there will be some notable absences – including some new entries thanks to current events.
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New registrations are issued twice a year, first in March and then again in September.
The first release is the year-number plates, with ’24 plates this year, ’25 next year and so on.
The second then contains plates marked with the year number plus 50 – so ’74 this year et cetera.
But drivers can’t go for any number they want as the DVLA puts restrictions on registrations which could potentially be offensive or insensitive.
Before the March round, the agency draws up a list of banned plates which cannot be displayed.
Using a banned plate can result in a fine of up to £1,000 and a failed MoT.
Now a Freedom of Information request from Regtransfers, a private plate sales platform, has seen the list release publically.
Prominent on the list are numbers banned because they could be misread as rude words.
These include variations AS25 HOL and PU25 SYY.
OR25 GSM is also banned but, unusually, ORG 45M seems to still be allowed.
Others have been struck out because they bear potentially racist, sexist or homophobic messages.
Examples include LE25 BOS and NG25 NOG.
Any references to war, weapons or killing are also prohibited.
Perhaps most interesting is a ban on plates ending in UKR or RUS for fear that they could be interpreted as alluding to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
Similar plates suggesting political views are, likewise, banned.
Mark Trimbee, CEO of Regtransfers, said: “It’s always entertaining to see some of the plates deemed inappropriate by the DVLA, but there are also those that remind us why this is a necessary process.
“Personalised number plates are an excellent form of self-expression, but they shouldn’t be used to display genuinely harmful messages or views.
“As well as the usual sex and violence references, there are those subtle combinations that don’t seem to convey a clear meaning at first sight.
“With a little thought, however, we see how numbers such GB25 BAD, GB25 BOM, and GB25 SHT could seem to convey anti-British sentiments that might offend some.
“To ban or not to ban is obviously a bit of a balancing act.”
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