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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

Number plates

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. 

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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.

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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 ARDCU74 MUF
**74 NALCU74 NOB
**74 NUSEA74 DCK
**74 RSEEA74 DKS
**74 RTSEA74 DYK
**74 WATEA74 FWF
*H74 MASEA74 GAL
*J74 HADEA74 GRL
*S74 ABSEA74 HER
*S74 ABUEA74 MEE
*S74 ABZEA74 MME
*S74 BBBEA74 MOT
*S74 BBDEA74 MUF
*S74 BBNEA74 MUM
*S74 BBREA74 NAN
*S74 BBSEA74 NOB
*S74 BBYEA74 POO
*S74 BEDEA74 PWP
*S74 BEREA74 VAG
*S74 BSSEA74 VAJ
*S74 BZZEA74 YOU
*S74 MBOEU74 BAD
*W74 NKREU74 BOM
*W74 NKSEU74 FWC
AA74 LAHEU74 OFF
AA74 RYNEU74 RUS
AA74 YANEU74 SHT
AB74 ORTEU74 UKR
AB74 STDEU74 WAR
AB74 USDFA74 DCK
AB74 USRFA74 DYC
AD74 RKYFA74 DYK
AF74 GATFA74 GAT
AF74 GGTFA74 GTS
AF74 GGYFA74 GTT
AF74 GTSFA74 GUT
AF74 GTTFA74 LLY
AF74 GTZFA74 NNY
AF74 GUTFA74 NOB
AH74 OMOFA74 PRC
AJ74 HADFA74 PRK
AL74 WARFA74 TOS
AN74 BLKFA74 WAH
AN74 LEZFF74 GAT
AN74 LGBFF74 GGT
AN74 LZRFF74 GGY
AN74 PAKFF74 GTS
AN74 PKYFF74 GTT
AN74 USAFF74 GTZ
AN74 VAXFF74 GUT
AP74 KEYFF74 NGE
AP74 KKYFK74 RUS
AP74 KYSFK74 UKR
AP74 KYZFL74 NGE
AR74 YANFU74 BOR
AT74 CKUGA74 AAA
AT74 NNYGA74 AJU
AU74 STCGA74 ASH
AW74 NKYGA74 BOM
BA74 DYKGA74 BOY
BB74 STDGA74 CMP
BE74 ENDGA74 DAD
BJ74 STYGA74 DED
BL74 CKYGA74 GAS
BL74 WJBGA74 HAM
BO74 C**GA74 HEL
BO74 CCCGA74 JEU
BO74 CCKGA74 JUD
BO74 CCSGA74 KLL
BO74 CCZGA74 NAS
BO74 CKKGA74 NAZ
BO74 CKSGA74 OUT
BO74 CKSGA74 SED
BO74 CKZGA74 SSD
BO74 KKSGA74 WAR
BO74 KKZGA74 ZAA
BU74 SHTGB74 BAD
BW74 NKYGB74 BOM
BY74 RUSGB74 DED
BY74 UKRGB74 DWN
CH74 NKYGB74 FKT
CO74 ORDGB74 HTR
CR74 PLEGB74 KLL
CR74 PPLGB74 KLR
SP74 STCGB74 KLS
SP74 STKGB74 RUS
SP74 ZESGB74 SHT
SP74 ZZYGB74 UKR
SP74 ZZZGB74 WAR
ST74 ABBGG74 SED
ST74 ABSGG74 SSD
ST74 BBBGO74 RUS
ST74 BBDGO74 SHT
ST74 BBNGO74 UKR
ST74 BBRGO74 WAR
ST74 BBSGR74 OPE
ST74 BBYHA74 BLK
ST74 BEDHA74 BOY
ST74 BERHA74 GAY
ST74 BESHA74 JUW
ST74 BNGHA74 LGB
ST74 BRSHA74 PAK
ST74 BRZHA74 PKY
ST74 BSSHA74 UKR
ST74 BZZHA74 USA
SU74 CDEHA74 WAR
TA74 BANHH74 ATE
TR74 DDSHH74 LER
TR74 DSSHH74 NAZ
TR74 NNYHH74 TEU
TT74 NNYHH74 TEX
TT74 WATHH74 TEZ
TW74 WATHH74 TLR
TY74 NNYHH74 WAR
UB74 STDHH74TED
UB74 TCHHO74 CST
UF74 GATJJ74 HAD
UF74 GGTJY74 HAD
UF74 GGYKN74 FED
UF74 GTTKN74 FER
UF74 GTZKN74 FES
UF74 GUTKN74 FEU
UH74 ATEKN74 FEX
UH74 TEDKN74 VED
UH74 TERKN74 VES
UH74 TESKN74 VEU
UH74 TEULE74 ZAA
UH74 TEXLE74 ZAR
UH74 TEZLE74 ZAS
UK74 UKRLE74 ZAY
UK74 YKELE74 ZAZ
UN74 RUSLE74 ZBO
UN74 UKRLE74 ZER
UP74 KEYLE74 ZRR
UP74 KKYLE74 ZRS
UP74 KYYLE74 ZZA
UP74 KYYLE74 ZZR
UP74 KYZMU74 DER
UP74 RUSNA74 TZE
UP74 UKRNA74 TZY
UP74KYSNO74 LEZ
UR74 CSTNO74 RUS
US74 WARNO74 UKR
UT74 NNYOF74 GAT
WA74 RABOF74 GOT
WA74 RUSOF74 GTT
WA74 UKROF74 GUT
WH74 WARPE74 ADO
WW74 NKZPE74 RVT
XT74 NNYPE74 VRT
YB74 TCHPP74 KEY
YE74 RUSPP74 KKY
YE74 UKRPP74 KYS
YE74 WARPP74 KYY
YS74 WARPP74 KYZ
RR74 PE*PR74 CCK
RR74 PEDPR74 CKK
RR74 PERPR74 CKS
RR74 PESRA74 PER
RR74 PEURE74 ARD
RR74 PEXRE74 RDD
RR74 PEYRE74 RDS
RU74 UKRRE74 RDU
SH74 AGSRE74 RDX
SH74 AGZRE74 RDZ
SH74 GEDRE74 RRD
SH74 GERRE74 TAD
SH74 GGDRE74 TRD
SH74 GGSSK74 NKZ
SH74 GHMSK74 NNK
SH74 GHRSL74 GGS
SH74 GSSSL74 GGY
SH74 GUUSL74 GGZ
SH74 TDDSL74 GSS
SH74 TEDSL74 GYY
SH74 TTSSL74 GZZ
SH74 TTTSL74 PER
SH74 TTYSL74 SHH
SH74 TTZSL74 SSH
SH74 TZZSL74 UTS
SK74 NKKSL74 UTZ
SK74 NKSSP74 SSS
SK74 NKY 

More on car number plates...

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Consumer reporter

Tom is Auto Express' Consumer reporter, meaning he spends his time investigating the stories that matter to all motorists - enthusiasts or otherwise. An ex-BBC journalist and Multimedia Journalism graduate, Tom previously wrote for partner sites Carbuyer and DrivingElectric and you may also spot him throwing away his dignity by filming videos for the Auto Express social media channels.

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