As the switch to the new '74' registration plate is set for September 1, it opens up fresh opportunities for those seeking a personalised number plate for their vehicle. Number plates change twice a year, on March 1 and September 1.

This year, vehicles registered between March 1 and August 31 carry a '24', with those registered from September 1 to February 28, 2025, bearing a '74'. However, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) prohibits certain combinations as they could be considered offensive.

Online car marketplace Carwow revealed that the DVLA produces a list of banned plates twice a year - in March and September - which includes letter and number combinations referencing crime, racism, politics, certain religious aspects, or any term deemed too rude, insulting, inappropriate, or potentially offensive or embarrassing.

Carwow has compiled its own prediction of what will be banned. It highlighted that the '4' in '74' is causing many issues this time due to its resemblance to the letter 'A'.

This means plates with specific suffixes like 'FA74 NNY', 'SH74 TDD', and 'BL74 WJB' will never make it onto the roads, reports Wales Online.

The DVLA has banned a series of number plates that could potentially reference the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, including NO74 RUS, EU74 WAR and FK74 RUS. Those opposed to low-emission zones will also be unable to express their discontent through their plates, with NO74 LEZ also prohibited.

Other banned plates include more juvenile combinations such as '74 RTS' and 'AB74 STD'.

In addition to prohibiting certain combinations, the DVLA also carefully selects combinations that car buyers may be willing to pay extra for, such as nicknames or initials. The most desirable 'good' 74 registrations are then auctioned by the DVLA.

For the 74 plates, these will include 'EL74 LEN' (ELLEN), 'BA74 LDY' (BALDY), 'PA74 RTY' (PARTY) and 'DA74 DDY' (DADDY). These, among others, will be available in the DVLA's online auction, starting from £250.

Full list of banned number plates

The full list of banned 74-plate combinations from Carwow is below. In the registrations, the asterisk (*) is a "wildcard" character that stands for any character that may appear in that position.