Banned car number plates: naughty 74-reg number plates deemed too rude for the roads
The DVLA has revealed its list of new-for-2024 number plates judged too saucy for the streets, and there are plenty of potential shockers on the banned list
Twice a year in March and September, the DVLA issues a new combination of letters and numbers, featuring the new ‘age identifier’ number that signifies the age of your car. These combinations appear on new number plates of recently registered cars, but there’s also a second list of banned car numberplates that will never see the light of day – simply because they’re deemed too rude for the road.
We reported back in February on the previous batch of unsuitably fruity combinations based on the ‘24’ age identifier that the DVLA wouldn’t allow to appear in public. Plates like ‘AS24 OLE’, ‘BA24 TDS’, ‘W24 NKR’, ‘SL24 GSS’ and ‘SH24 GED’ were all withheld.
With the switch to a ‘74’ registration due from September this year, the new list of banned number plates includes some arguably even more eye-catching combinations that might otherwise have been snapped-up by eager buyers of private plates looking to cause a stir.
As the banned list reveals, it’s the ‘4’ in ‘74’ that causes many of the problems, due to its similarity to the letter ‘A’. This means number plates with certain suffixes, such as ‘74 NAL’, as well as full combinations like ‘FA74 NNY’, ‘SH74 TDD’ and ‘BL74 WJB’ won’t ever see the light of day, which is probably for the best.
The topic of banned car number plate combinations may seem light-hearted, but it’s something the DVLA has to take seriously, holding meetings before each new plate format is released – which happens twice a year – to ensure no inappropriate combinations end up on the road.
The criteria for plates to be banned is if they “may cause offence, embarrassment or are in poor taste”. The DVLA points out that it’s only a small minority of combinations that end up on the suppressed list, with the vast majority of registrations being publicly available.
The UK’s banned ‘74’ car number plates
You can find a full list of banned 74-plate combinations below, so we’ll leave it to you to choose any individual favourites. Please note that some of these are more explicit than those we’ve picked out above and may cause offence or distress.
**74 ARD | CU74 MUF |
**74 NAL | CU74 NOB |
**74 NUS | EA74 DCK |
**74 RSE | EA74 DKS |
**74 RTS | EA74 DYK |
**74 WAT | EA74 FWF |
*H74 MAS | EA74 GAL |
*J74 HAD | EA74 GRL |
*S74 ABS | EA74 HER |
*S74 ABU | EA74 MEE |
*S74 ABZ | EA74 MME |
*S74 BBB | EA74 MOT |
*S74 BBD | EA74 MUF |
*S74 BBN | EA74 MUM |
*S74 BBR | EA74 NAN |
*S74 BBS | EA74 NOB |
*S74 BBY | EA74 POO |
*S74 BED | EA74 PWP |
*S74 BER | EA74 VAG |
*S74 BSS | EA74 VAJ |
*S74 BZZ | EA74 YOU |
*S74 MBO | EU74 BAD |
*W74 NKR | EU74 BOM |
*W74 NKS | EU74 FWC |
AA74 LAH | EU74 OFF |
AA74 RYN | EU74 RUS |
AA74 YAN | EU74 SHT |
AB74 ORT | EU74 UKR |
AB74 STD | EU74 WAR |
AB74 USD | FA74 DCK |
AB74 USR | FA74 DYC |
AD74 RKY | FA74 DYK |
AF74 GAT | FA74 GAT |
AF74 GGT | FA74 GTS |
AF74 GGY | FA74 GTT |
AF74 GTS | FA74 GUT |
AF74 GTT | FA74 LLY |
AF74 GTZ | FA74 NNY |
AF74 GUT | FA74 NOB |
AH74 OMO | FA74 PRC |
AJ74 HAD | FA74 PRK |
AL74 WAR | FA74 TOS |
AN74 BLK | FA74 WAH |
AN74 LEZ | FF74 GAT |
AN74 LGB | FF74 GGT |
AN74 LZR | FF74 GGY |
AN74 PAK | FF74 GTS |
AN74 PKY | FF74 GTT |
AN74 USA | FF74 GTZ |
AN74 VAX | FF74 GUT |
AP74 KEY | FF74 NGE |
AP74 KKY | FK74 RUS |
AP74 KYS | FK74 UKR |
AP74 KYZ | FL74 NGE |
AR74 YAN | FU74 BOR |
AT74 CKU | GA74 AAA |
AT74 NNY | GA74 AJU |
AU74 STC | GA74 ASH |
AW74 NKY | GA74 BOM |
BA74 DYK | GA74 BOY |
BB74 STD | GA74 CMP |
BE74 END | GA74 DAD |
BJ74 STY | GA74 DED |
BL74 CKY | GA74 GAS |
BL74 WJB | GA74 HAM |
BO74 C** | GA74 HEL |
BO74 CCC | GA74 JEU |
BO74 CCK | GA74 JUD |
BO74 CCS | GA74 KLL |
BO74 CCZ | GA74 NAS |
BO74 CKK | GA74 NAZ |
BO74 CKS | GA74 OUT |
BO74 CKS | GA74 SED |
BO74 CKZ | GA74 SSD |
BO74 KKS | GA74 WAR |
BO74 KKZ | GA74 ZAA |
BU74 SHT | GB74 BAD |
BW74 NKY | GB74 BOM |
BY74 RUS | GB74 DED |
BY74 UKR | GB74 DWN |
CH74 NKY | GB74 FKT |
CO74 ORD | GB74 HTR |
CR74 PLE | GB74 KLL |
CR74 PPL | GB74 KLR |
SP74 STC | GB74 KLS |
SP74 STK | GB74 RUS |
SP74 ZES | GB74 SHT |
SP74 ZZY | GB74 UKR |
SP74 ZZZ | GB74 WAR |
ST74 ABB | GG74 SED |
ST74 ABS | GG74 SSD |
ST74 BBB | GO74 RUS |
ST74 BBD | GO74 SHT |
ST74 BBN | GO74 UKR |
ST74 BBR | GO74 WAR |
ST74 BBS | GR74 OPE |
ST74 BBY | HA74 BLK |
ST74 BED | HA74 BOY |
ST74 BER | HA74 GAY |
ST74 BES | HA74 JUW |
ST74 BNG | HA74 LGB |
ST74 BRS | HA74 PAK |
ST74 BRZ | HA74 PKY |
ST74 BSS | HA74 UKR |
ST74 BZZ | HA74 USA |
SU74 CDE | HA74 WAR |
TA74 BAN | HH74 ATE |
TR74 DDS | HH74 LER |
TR74 DSS | HH74 NAZ |
TR74 NNY | HH74 TEU |
TT74 NNY | HH74 TEX |
TT74 WAT | HH74 TEZ |
TW74 WAT | HH74 TLR |
TY74 NNY | HH74 WAR |
UB74 STD | HH74TED |
UB74 TCH | HO74 CST |
UF74 GAT | JJ74 HAD |
UF74 GGT | JY74 HAD |
UF74 GGY | KN74 FED |
UF74 GTT | KN74 FER |
UF74 GTZ | KN74 FES |
UF74 GUT | KN74 FEU |
UH74 ATE | KN74 FEX |
UH74 TED | KN74 VED |
UH74 TER | KN74 VES |
UH74 TES | KN74 VEU |
UH74 TEU | LE74 ZAA |
UH74 TEX | LE74 ZAR |
UH74 TEZ | LE74 ZAS |
UK74 UKR | LE74 ZAY |
UK74 YKE | LE74 ZAZ |
UN74 RUS | LE74 ZBO |
UN74 UKR | LE74 ZER |
UP74 KEY | LE74 ZRR |
UP74 KKY | LE74 ZRS |
UP74 KYY | LE74 ZZA |
UP74 KYY | LE74 ZZR |
UP74 KYZ | MU74 DER |
UP74 RUS | NA74 TZE |
UP74 UKR | NA74 TZY |
UP74KYS | NO74 LEZ |
UR74 CST | NO74 RUS |
US74 WAR | NO74 UKR |
UT74 NNY | OF74 GAT |
WA74 RAB | OF74 GOT |
WA74 RUS | OF74 GTT |
WA74 UKR | OF74 GUT |
WH74 WAR | PE74 ADO |
WW74 NKZ | PE74 RVT |
XT74 NNY | PE74 VRT |
YB74 TCH | PP74 KEY |
YE74 RUS | PP74 KKY |
YE74 UKR | PP74 KYS |
YE74 WAR | PP74 KYY |
YS74 WAR | PP74 KYZ |
RR74 PE* | PR74 CCK |
RR74 PED | PR74 CKK |
RR74 PER | PR74 CKS |
RR74 PES | RA74 PER |
RR74 PEU | RE74 ARD |
RR74 PEX | RE74 RDD |
RR74 PEY | RE74 RDS |
RU74 UKR | RE74 RDU |
SH74 AGS | RE74 RDX |
SH74 AGZ | RE74 RDZ |
SH74 GED | RE74 RRD |
SH74 GER | RE74 TAD |
SH74 GGD | RE74 TRD |
SH74 GGS | SK74 NKZ |
SH74 GHM | SK74 NNK |
SH74 GHR | SL74 GGS |
SH74 GSS | SL74 GGY |
SH74 GUU | SL74 GGZ |
SH74 TDD | SL74 GSS |
SH74 TED | SL74 GYY |
SH74 TTS | SL74 GZZ |
SH74 TTT | SL74 PER |
SH74 TTY | SL74 SHH |
SH74 TTZ | SL74 SSH |
SH74 TZZ | SL74 UTS |
SK74 NKK | SL74 UTZ |
SK74 NKS | SP74 SSS |
SK74 NKY |
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