The DVLA has just banned these shocking ‘76’ number plates

It’s that time of year again when senior Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) staff and a team of experts sift through number plate combinations, removing any they deem too rude, offensive or downright dodgy for UK roads.

With the new ‘76’ registration plates rolling out in September, the list has had a fresh update.

The process takes place twice a year, ahead of the March and September number plate changes. In March, the DVLA withheld 436 licence plate combinations from the ‘26’ series. Now, that figure has risen to a staggering 511 combinations for the ‘76’ series.

While the vast majority of UK number plates get the green light, some are blocked from being issued for obvious reasons. This time around, the ‘76’ combination has created a few particular problems, as it can act as a bridge between letters to create some rather unfortunate words.

For example, ‘AR76 RSE’ could be read as a rude word when the numbers are interpreted alongside the surrounding letters – hardly the sort of message you’d want displayed on your car.

Then there’s the ‘7’, which can be interpreted as a ‘T’ in certain combinations. That turns plates such as ‘EA76 DCK’ and ‘FA76 NOB’ into something far less innocent than they appear at first glance.

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The DVLA doesn’t just avoid crude jokes. It also screens for anything that could cause genuine offence, including references to war, religion, politics, racism, and crime.

Here are some examples from the updated list:

• AU76 WTZ
• GB76 AZA
• JE76 HAD
• RU76 UKR
• YE76 MEN

These combinations allude to conflicts in regions such as Gaza, Ukraine, and Yemen, along with references to terrorism and the Holocaust.

“The vast majority of registration numbers are made available, but DVLA withholds any combinations that may cause offence, embarrassment, or are in poor taste,” a DVLA spokesperson said.

Your car can fail its MOT if its number plates are non-compliant, and incorrect plates could also affect your insurance coverage. Plates must also be white at the front and yellow at the rear, use the Charles Wright 2001 font, and comply with strict requirements for character height, width, stroke thickness, spacing and margins.

You can find a full list of banned 76-plate combinations below. A few are more graphic than the examples above, so viewer discretion is advised.

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