The DVLA has banned hundreds of “offensive or provocative” number plates, including those that make reference to Brexit, drugs and war.
More than 400 number plate combinations have been barred by the DVLA ahead of the new ‘75’ registrations hitting UK roads from September 1, according to a Freedom of Information request made by private plate supplier Regtransfers. The latest blacklist brings the total number of censored combinations for the 2025 batch to 646, with banned plates including references to Nazi atrocities, criminal behaviour and political flashpoints. Among the most shocking examples are AU75 WTS and AU75 WTZ, which appear to echo “Auschwitz” – the Nazi death camp where over a million Jews were murdered during WWII.
Others, like LE75 KLL (“Let’s kill”) and LE75 LSD (“Let’s LSD”), were barred for promoting violence or drug use. Political messages haven’t escaped scrutiny either. Plates like EU75 OUT, EU75 WAR and EU75 YES have been pulled due to their links to heated debates over Brexit and EU membership.
There are also plates containing “wildcard” characters – which could be anything. For example, combinations like **75 HAG block all plates ending in “75 HAG” – no matter the first two characters – significantly increasing the number of withheld plates beyond the 436 listed. Regtransfers previously reported that 210 combinations had already been flagged in September 2024. This latest update shows the DVLA’s effort to stay ahead of offensive or controversial content as new plates roll out.
On the latest list of banned plates, Mark Trimbee, CEO of Regtransfers, comments: “These bans ensure that number plates on the road aren’t those that could be translated into something offensive, inflammatory, insulting, obscene or otherwise problematic. As always, some inclusions – such as BA75 SHT or KN75 VES – jump off the page, and it’s quite obvious why the DVLA would want to avoid them being on the roads. There are almost always some, however, that might take a bit of deciphering, but the DVLA has to err on the side of caution with matters like this.”
The full list of banned plates is as follows:
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