Licence plates in United Kingdom
White at the front, yellow at the back
The United Kingdom uses a white plate at the front and a yellow plate at the back, with black letters.
- White front, yellow rear plates.
- Format AB12 CDE: two letters, two digits, a space, three letters.
- No EU band on newer plates; some show UK and a Union flag.
13 photos, grouped by the clue they show.
Key clue Yellow rear plate 5
Key clue White front plate 7
Key clue UK band 1
United Kingdom: what its plates look like
In the United Kingdom cars carry a white plate at the front and a yellow plate at the back, both with black letters. The format is AB12 CDE: a two-letter area code, two digits for the age, and three letters.
Since the UK left the EU, new plates no longer have the EU band. Some show a UK band with a Union flag instead.
Northern Ireland uses a different format, like ABZ 1234, but the same white and yellow colours.
Look-alikes: how to tell them apart
United Kingdom vs 
Netherlands
Ireland
The Netherlands has yellow plates front and back. Ireland uses white plates at both ends, with the county name in Irish.
Questions about plates in United Kingdom
Why are British rear plates yellow?
Rear plates are yellow so you can tell the back of a car from the front, and yellow reflects headlights well at night.
What do the numbers on UK plates mean?
The two digits show when the car was registered, changing every six months.