Cheap Private Number Plates Under £200

A personalised or private number plate is a fantastic way to add a touch of your personality to your car, as well as provide an outlet to show your pride and appreciation for your vehicle. Typically those with private number plates identify themselves as ‘petrol heads’ and usually drive a flash car, but bargain number plates are still accessible to all.

Private number plates have been growing in popularity as birthday, Christmas, and graduation gifts as more people are realising that you don’t need to pay a fortune for a personalised plate - if you are looking for a cheap car reg, we provide great private number plates under £200. In some cases, you can obtain private number plates for even less, which makes a fantastic congratulation gift to a newly passed driver.

Can I get anything on my personalised licence plate?

Yes, you can get anything on a personal licence plate, as long as the text and spacing follow the DVLA guidelines, however, if you’re looking to buy a cheap car registration, you may have to reign in your enthusiasm slightly. If you want to secure a personalised licence plate for less, you would get the cheapest private plates to the typical current style and be creative within the number and letter limits to get your message across.

Where can I find a private number plate for under £200?

If you’re looking to get your hands on cheap private number plates under £200, the current or new style of licence plates is your best bet. These were issued after September 2001 and are some of the cheapest private plates available. Their format follows the structure of 2 letters that indicate the vehicle’s initial registration location, 2 numbers that indicate the date of the vehicle, and then a random sequence of 3 letters. 

The structure of newer licence plates can be a little constrictive but with some ingenious creative thinking, you can entwine the numbers into a word that will still express your identity without having to break the bank. If you get lucky, you may even find some cheap number plates under £200!

Example of current style number plates

What other options are there for private number plates?

If you have your heart set on a cheap number plate but can’t fit your chosen word into the new licence plate style, you may have to stretch your budget a little further. With more expensive styles of number plates, you can include prefix, suffix, and dateless number plates.

Prefix Style

Prefix number plates are an older style of licence plate that is no longer in production. They were issued on vehicles manufactured between 1983 and 2001. These plates are made up of a single letter that indicates the year of manufacture followed by up to 3 numbers and then 3 letters. 

The main difference between new style and prefix style licence plates is that you can have a shorter sequence - ideal if your name or chosen word is less than 7 characters. Bear in mind that these are now in limited supply so can be more in demand by like-minded people on the hunt for cheap personalised licence plates. If you’re using a common phrase or name, you may struggle to find plates for less cost in the prefix style.

Example of prefix style number plates

Suffix style

Suffix style plates were issued between 1963 and 1983 and are not always the cheapest private plates to buy but can offer some bargains. Their layout is the reverse of the prefix style plates - 3 letters, up to 3 numbers, and a letter at the end. 

Suffix-style plates would be a good option for those who can swap out letters for numbers at the end of their word as opposed to the beginning. Fewer suffix-style plates were released than prefix plates so you may struggle to find private number plates under £200 in this style.

Example of suffix style number plates

Dateless number plates

Dateless number plates have a varied price range, meaning you can find some plates for less money and some that can be very expensive. Dateless licence plates were issued between 1903 and 1963 and are quite rare - meaning they will be quite pricey - but you can find some cheap number plates that are lower cost such as VIG 2945, which is under £200. 

As the name suggests, these number plates don’t have an indicator of the car’s year of manufacture so have fewer numbers in the sequence. Furthermore, because there were fewer cars on the road during their production, the sequence didn’t need to be so complex to provide unique number plates. These plates can be very simple, great for those of you with short names or chosen phrases. Usually shorter phrases can be in higher demand, so testing different variations of your personalised reg could get you cheaper private plates in the long run.

Example of dateless style number plates

Where to buy cheap personalised number plates?

If you’re looking to find a personalised licence plate for less than £200, SwiftReg can help. We have a database of over 50 million licence plates so no matter what you’re searching for, we can help you find private plates for less and cheaper personalised registrations to fit your budget.