Guide
Private plates with your initials
Initials are the reason most people buy a private plate. They are personal without being showy, they suit almost any car, and every style we sell has a place for them.
- Prefix, current style and Northern Irish
- Live examples to buy
On this page
Where your initials go in each style
Prefix
A single year letter, a number from 1 to 999, then three letters, such as A12 BCD. Your three initials take the last three letters, and the number can be anything from a prestigious 1 to an affordable three digits.
Current style
Two letters, two numbers that show the age of the registration, then three letters, such as AB12 CDE. Your initials go at the end, and the two letters at the front can repeat your first and last initials, or carry a partner’s.
Northern Irish
Three letters containing an I or a Z, then up to four numbers, such as ABZ 1234. They carry no year at all, so they fit a vehicle of any age and never give away how old it is. If your initials are not an Irish group themselves, your first and last initials with an I or a Z beside them often are.
The most popular initials
Our analysis of first and surname initials across UK adults puts J, M and S at the front of the most first names, and S, B and H at the front of the most surnames. That is why sets such as JJS and MJS are among the most searched, and why rarer initials often cost less. These are the ten sets shared by the most people:
- JJS private plates
- MJS private plates
- JMS private plates
- JSS private plates
- SJS private plates
- MMS private plates
- JAS private plates
- MSS private plates
- SMS private plates
- MAS private plates
See all of them on private plates by initials, or search your own.
Check it fits your car
A registration mark can never make a vehicle look newer than it is. Enter your current registration mark on any results page and we remove the registrations your vehicle is too old to carry. Our guide to age restrictions explains the rule, and cheap private plates shows how to keep the price down. For other ways to make a registration personal, see private plate ideas.
Questions
Can I get a private plate with my exact initials
Usually, yes. Three initials sit at the end of every prefix and current-style registration, so most sets of three are available in one style or another. Search them to see the private plates that match.
What if I only have two initials
Search the two letters. You will see current-style registrations that start with them, prefix registrations that end with them, and three-letter groups that contain them.
Can a private plate show two people’s initials
Yes. A current-style registration has two letters at the front and three at the end, so a couple sharing a surname can carry both sets of initials on one registration. Our search shows these for any three initials.
Which initials fit an older car
A Northern Irish private plate carries no year, so it fits a vehicle of any age. Prefix and current-style registrations can only go on a vehicle first registered on or after the date their year letter or age identifier was issued.
Does the I in a Northern Irish private plate spoil my initials
Every Northern Irish registration contains an I or a Z. Where it is an I, it is so narrow that the eye still reads your initials, and at the end it reads like a 1.