Further to the thread about districts of first registration last week, and in particular one point made that the government "missed a golden opportunity" to reform the UK's number plate format properly in 2001:
Why do number plates show a vehicle's age anyway? It's about as relevant as showing the area where its paperwork was first filled in IMO.
The police don't pull vehicles in for random checks based on age but on their condition and appearance. When buying or selling a car the age is given in the advert, and when listing a sale online the date of first registration is looked up by the likes of e bay, AT etc. Most manufacturers make subtle changes to their model ranges every year, so any car enthusiast (or dealer) can tell the difference between, say, a 2006 BMW and a 2008 BMW just by looking.
The only reason I can think of for age being shown on UK numberplates is so that snobbish owners can get one up on the neighbours come plate change time :)
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