Maltese registration plates

Maltese registration plates, like those of most other countries, are used for the purpose of identifying vehicles and their owners. The countrys registration plates have followed the same alphanumerical format since 1995 which consists of a three-letter combination followed by a three number combination.

The plates are white with the characters printed in black FE-Schrift font. On the left hand side of the plates there is a blue box, which contains the European flag, with a white letter M underneath, to signify Malta.

There are many special series of number plates in Malta, depending on specific jobs or vehicle type. The three-letter combination on rental car registrations always ends with a K, whereas the third letter of taxis and buses is a Y. Any cars which qualify as tax free have a letter combination beginning with TF, while all vehicles owned by the Maltese government have registration numbers starting GV, this includes police vehicles, which display the three letter combination GVP. Military vehicles have the letters GVA and department of health vehicles have GVH. The letters CD indicate a vehicle owned or used by diplomats.

There are certain exceptions to the standard registration format, including chauffeur driven vehicles, which are used to transport members of parliament. These follow the format GM followed by two numbers. The countrys Bishop and President are both exempted from the registration requirements and only have to display their official logos on their vehicles.

For more information about Maltese registrations, CLICK HERE!



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DVLA Online Auction a Success

DVLA Personalised Registrations first Online Auction has been a resounding success, raising more than 587,000 pounds for the Treasury.

The total amount generated, including auctioneers' buyers premium, VAT and assignment fees, was more than 754,000 pounds. Of the 1,000 lots included in the sale, 803 were sold, the most expensive of which, RAT 1F, went for a total of 28,878 pounds.

Four private number plates broke the 10,000 pound barrier with SHU 41B, KBA 1G and RAF 11X fetching 13,956, 11,841 and 10,079 pounds respectively.

While those large sums have been celebrated, the online sale also ensured there were bargains to be had with hordes being sold for their reserve prices, some as little as 130 pounds.

DVLA Event Manager, Jody Davies, said: "We have been totally astounded at the level of interest in the sale, some of the sums recorded have been incredible."

The online sale, held between Wednesday, February 10 and Wednesday, March 3, is a development of the agency’s proven "Sealed Bid Sales", in which potential buyers simply registered their maximum bid in the hope of securing the number plate of their choice.

The Online Auction allowed bidders to submit maximum bids invisible to others as is the case with ebay. Bidding started at the reserve price and the current bid price for each registration was on display on its website. The DVLA's system increased bids on behalf of the registered bidder up to their maximum amount.

Those who were out bid received an email inviting them to increase their maximum amount until the close of the sale.



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Mothers Day Number Plates

MUM's the word when it comes to personalised car registrations.

The DVLA revealed it has sold around 1,500 prefix and current style registrations, including the word 'MUM', demonstrating just how popular this has become as a Mothers Day gift.

There are now a colossal 32,331,923 personalised registrations currently sitting in the dvlaregistrations.direct.gov.uk data base. The most popular on the topical list are the "MY MUMs", registrations comprising the letters MY followed by a suitable "year" and ending in the letters MUM.




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"Things I Want To Punch In The Face"

(Found his on the the internet. Just made me laugh).

Personalized license plates are NOTSOGR8 in my book. In fact, IH8EM. The vehicular equivalent of the tattoo, what sort of 6 or 8 letter phrase are you going to slap on your SUVs ass to define yourself? Seinfeld's ASSMAN is ASSIN9, in my humble opinion. A lot of the plates are pretentious and "blowhardian" (hahaha!) in nature (0 60IN4 or WISHURME), some, clearly owned by Stifler's peeps are downright grody (8 ER OUT? Really, Illinois? Really?). There's a ginormous motor home sporting "GLBL WMR" which should really say "I M PRBLM". Some unoriginal chuckleheads are using online acronyms, if you are ROTFL, who's driving the car? I'm not rolling on the floor, dude. I'm right behind you, willing myself not to rear-end you in hopes of denting your metal tramp stamp.

My friends in Delaware will pay upwards of five figures for one of the rare black low-numbered plates. They view them as investment number plates and a status symbol. This sort of boggles my mind, especially when they tell me how much the single digit number plates go for (the number "6" plate went for $675,000 in 2008). What kind of vehicle deserves to host that sort of marquee plate? Is there a place for it on Air Force 1's vertical stabilizer?

I suppose a vanity plate is a way to show off without shelling out buttloads of clams. There is one plate that I can get behind, both on and off the road. A hearse's plate that reads "U R NEXT." Yep, buddy, you are. Because I M GUNIN 4U.

If you were forced to get a vanity plate, what would it be?



(photo: coolpl8z.com)
Posted by Jennifer Worick

Thanks Jennifer


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Special Number Plates in Singapore

This photo was taken recently at the Singapore Airshow 2010.

You dont get to see number plates like this in Singapore very often. Its a prefix registration, created especially for the event.

If you would like to know more about how the Singapore Number plate system works or anything about its history, you can read about it HERE!.



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Perfect Plate for Newlyweds?

Newlyweds have the perfect opportunity to celebrate their special day with a memento they can keep forever.

The registration, H111 TCH, will go under the 'gavel' ; ) in the Spring in, what will be, the first DVLA auction to be held at Manchester Uniteds, Old Trafford football stadium.

The three-day auction, which starts on the 24 March, will comprise of over 1,500 personalised plates.

To view the full list of number plates being offered for sale, CLICK HERE to visit the DVLA website.



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New 10 registration starts today

Today is the first day of March and as such, will be a date motorists will instantly be aware of, thanks to the 10 indicator on new style registrations.

And with DVLA Personalised Registrations selling more than 9,000 since the 10-series were made available to buy on December 1, 10's should be seen on virtually every street corner!

Those sold by the DVLA will only be adding to those registrations automatically assigned to new cars and not purchased as private number plates.

DVLA Personalised Registrations' Marketing Manager, Damian Lawson said: "The simplicity of adapting 10 into the new style registrations in order to make up a personalised registration like a family or company name has clearly proved to be successful."

Starting in September 2001, the current style of registrations comprises two letters, a two figure age identifier, a space and three letters. 10 simply identifies new cars registered and released in 2010. The second releases of the year, on the road from September 1, will be identified by 60.




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