California license plate numbers running out faster than predicted — here’s what will happen
There’s only about 18 months’ worth of license plate numbers left in California under the decades-old numbering scheme, prompting the Department of Motor Vehicles to hit the gas on its transition plan for a new format.
The alphanumeric sequence that has been used on the state’s license plates for nearly 45 years is finally approaching its end, and the new sequence the agency decided on will simply turn the existing scheme backward.
In December, the agency decided the new sequence for license plates would be “Numeral Numeral Numeral Alpha Alpha Alpha Numeral,” such as 000AAA0, DMV officials told The Sacramento Bee this week.
The current sequence, which was implemented in 1980, is the opposite: “Numeral Alpha Alpha Alpha Numeral Numeral Numeral.” The series began with 1AAA000, followed by 1AAA001 and so on.
The license plates with this particular sequence are only issued to passenger vehicles — commercial vehicles, motorcycles, permanent trailers and other specialty vehicles have different alphanumeric sequences on their plates, according to the DMV’s website.
The state is currently in the 9EWZ000-9EWZ999 series, and the final plate in the current sequence — 9ZZZ999 — is expected to be issued in late 2025, DMV officials said.
This is two years earlier than previous reports stated — as recently as December, the sequence was reported to be ending in 2027. According to a DMV spokesperson, the department analyzed its license plate issuance and determined the state’s rate of issuing new numbers was increasing more rapidly than originally anticipated.
Data from the California New Car Dealers Association shows the rate of new vehicle registrations in the state is speeding up after a slump during the COVID-19 pandemic. The trade group says sales figures in the state are approaching pre-2020 numbers.
2023 was a strong year for new vehicle registrations in the state, posting an 11.9% increase over 2022. This year’s figures are projected to continue climbing but at a slower rate, just 2.8% more sales than last year.
Still, the dealers association expects the number of this year’s new vehicle registrations to exceed 1.8 million for the first time since 2019, according to a news release from April.
This story was originally published June 14, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
