National Numbers

National Numbers, personalised number plate dealer in the UK

National Numbers presents itself as a British distributor of personalised number plates recognised by the DVLA and active since 1981. Its catalogue brings together more than 80 million registrations, which the company describes as the largest database in the UK, and covers dateless, prefix, suffix and current format plates as well as cherished and Northern Irish plates.

Search by name, initials or theme

The site organises the search according to what the buyer wants to express: name, initials, nickname, football team or any other reference. From there it offers themed categories such as name plates, funny plates, rude plates, sports plates and a selection of registrations under £200. It also allows you to build the combination character by character by first choosing the format.

Number plate formats explained

• Dateless: issued before 1963 and with no age identifier, so they can be fitted to any vehicle regardless of its year.
• Northern Irish: three letters and up to four numbers, always with an I or a Z, also without an age identifier.
• Cherished: highly sought-after older registrations, usually dateless or early suffix, associated with classic and prestige vehicles.
• Prefix: issued between 1983 and 2001, with a letter, numbers and three final letters.
• Suffix: issued between 1963 and 1983, with the year letter at the end; the company highlights them as the most affordable route to a personalised number plate.
• Current format: in use since 2001, with two letters, a two-digit age identifier and three letters.

Own stock and discounted prices

The company distinguishes the number plates it owns directly from those that come from third parties. Its discounted plates section shows price reductions on registrations from its own stock, ready to transfer and available while the unit lasts; at the time of analysis, the site's catalogue included examples with discounts of between 3% and 46% off the previous price.

Finance and practical guide

National Numbers offers 0% finance across the UK, presented as a versatile option. It also maintains a help section and a DVLA guide with instructions on how to assign, retain, transfer or renew a number plate, how much a plate may be worth, how registrations are valued, what happens after removing a plate, how to trace a registration, how long a transfer takes, how to remove and fit a number plate and whether private plates affect insurance. A number plate valuation service completes the offer.