I managed to get my hands on a leaked (well, publicly reported) list of the banned plates. Brace yourself. There’s “SH66 WAG” (I’ll let you work that one out), “CR69 PTT” (for the croquet enthusiasts?), and my personal head-scratcher: “BA69 RDS”. Is that a mis-spelling of “bards”? A tribute to a Scottish poet? The DVLA thinks it’s rude. I think it’s just weird.
DVLA 2026 Plate Bans: What You Need To Know
Then there’s the “BU69 GER” debacle. A perfectly harmless surname? Nope. The DVLA flagged it as “potential homophobic slur.” Honestly, I had to Google it. Turns out, “bugger” is still a big no-no in polite company. Fair enough.
But the irony? Plates like “F4R T4X” and “L3T T4X” are fine. Because nothing says “responsible driver” like a plate that sounds like a tax evasion joke. Priorities, DVLA.
What You Can Actually Get Away With
Here’s a little secret: you can still get “B4D A55” (yes, that’s real). The DVLA misses a few every year. They once let “PEN 15” slip through before someone at a car show noticed it looked like “penis” from a distance. Oops.
For 2026, the safe bet is to stick with your initials and a number. Unless your initials are “AK” and you want “AK47”—that’s apparently too violent. Sorry, gun enthusiasts.
If you’re feeling edgy, try “FUN 69”—it passed. But “69 FUN” didn’t. Because the order matters, apparently. The DVLA has a sense of humor—just a very, very literal one.
DVLA banning hundreds of 'offensive & rude' number plates from next
