French number plate interpretation?

[BobDee]

I now have my two UK cars transferred to French plaques. Clearly the last 2 digits are the Department of registration, but is there any coding in the other part of the registration? The normal format seems to be four figures followed by two letters and then the department number.

I was very pleased (not really sure why), that the new reg for my old (1988) Mercedes came back as two figs, two letters and the two figure departement number. It  looks great and different. No doubt it has doubled the value of the car!

Regs

BobD

[Missy]

You are lucky to have 2 digits, 2 letters and the department number because apart from the department number the rest of the plate is a serial number allocated by the registration office at the préfecture. It started in that format when they first registered cars way back in the fog of time. 2 digits from 10 to 99, 2 letters from AA to ZZ. Except for the letter I and O which could be mistaken for 1 or 0. Then they ran out of digits so added one to make it 3 digits from 100 to 999, 2 letters (as previous)  + dept number. Then to 4 digits, 2 letters + dept number etc...etc... In and around large conurbation, Paris is in mind, they are now to 3 (if not 4) digits, 3 letters + dept number....

[Val_2]

Don't forget too that a 20year old car can be transferred onto newer plates than a year old one, so thank god there is none of that UK number plate snobbery here because it means squat in terms of the age of the car in question.

[Chancer]

Funnily enough my french teacher today asked me to explain the significance of the digits, she was naturally confused by the snobbery of having the latest plate and thought I was joking when I said that the British motor industry now had two boom months per year thanks to the new reg system i.e. 01 then 51 in year 2001

[BobDee]

Thanks for the responses folks. The UK date coded plates is probably the reason why some people change their cars so frequently. Overall I guess it boosts the car industry.

BD

[Chancer]

No guessing about it.

It was first done deliberately in 1963 to boost sales of new cars in the traditionally slow month of August and once again in about 2001 when they found it could be applied early in the year also.

[Chancer]

No guessing about it.

It was first done deliberately in 1963 to boost sales of new cars in the traditionally slow month of August and once again in about 2001 when they found it could be applied in January also.

[Pierre ZFP]

Do the French do the naff  'Personalised' number plate thing or is it too difficult to made 'words' out of the number format here? I've never detected it probably because my French isn't good enough but there again I hardly ever recognise what Brit plates are supposed to be either.

[Sunday Driver]

The concept of the vanity plate does not really exist in France. 

Firstly, the plates are issued in sequential order by the prefectures and you have no choice in what you are given.  Secondly, unlike in the UK where the plate stays with the car, whenever you sell a French car or move house to another department, it has to be re-registered and a fresh number issued. 

So, if BobDee thought he'd doubled the value of his old car with a distinctive plate, then his joy will be short lived.....[:(]

 

[Val_2]

On the plus side, he won't have a lot to remember. We have five vehicles on the road and can never remember them all.

[Anton Redman]

Around Bordeaux there is a Porsche 928 with 928 as the first three digits on the plate and a 944 with 944. There is also a 'relooked' Peugeot 306  with a plate that starts 306. I think you need connections to get it done or possibly as in the UK the dealers may block register. Nothing like the UK as if you move department your number changes. The cars were either at the hypermarket or on the road so were not smply show plates.

[BobDee]

My "Joy" is unbounded. Clearly my remark about doubling the value of my wonderful Mercedes 300E was tongue in cheek, but the fact remains that I have quite distinctive number plate that presumably will stay with the car assuming the car stays in "47" possibly makes it more attractive to a local buyer. 

Weird things happen in France. We live in a small hamlet. Our house has no name or number, the road or rather lane leading to our house has no name. Yet everyone knows where we live. I lost a carte grisse within a few days of getting the first car on French plates, and in no time we had a call from the local Marie saying it was being posted back to us. All this resulted in various social interchanges with the local sous prefecture and possibly, just possibly, that got me a "nice" registration for the Mercedes. Who knows?

BobD

[f1steveuk]

As an aside, why are some French cars running around on red number plates with silver letters?

[Bob T]

I think that they are either diplomatic or export plates Steve.

[Clair]

Red plates / silver number: transit plates (transit temporaire) for French people who work abroad and stay in France for a few months.

Green plates / orange number: diplomatic cars

Green plates / red number: ambassador's car

[Pickles]

[quote user="f1steveuk"]As an aside, why are some French cars running around on red number plates with silver letters?

[/quote]

If you look closely, IIRC, these number plates contain a date of expiry (or possibly of issue? - can't remember) in the form month/year, and hence they are effectively export plates (or at least "VAT not paid") plates.

Regards

Pickles

[Val_2]

Yes these are temporary diplomatic plates of sorts. My brother had red/silver ones when he worked for the CWGC for four years in France on his english car so he would not have to go through the aggro of transferring the registration for a short stay here.

[f1steveuk]

Thank you all, I feel all informed!

[jc]

In the UK in the past,plates with a line round the outside of the plate designated"VAT not paid";now it just seems to be used as a decoration.