The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has published its 2026 list of banned number plates, meaning hundreds of combinations will no longer be issued to motorists in the UK. The annual review aims to prevent offensive, misleading or inappropriate registrations from appearing on British roads — and with new 26 and 76 plates arriving next year, drivers are being urged to double-check their plans before applying.
📅 What’s changing in 2026?
- New registration numbers: The ‘26’ series will launch in March 2026, followed by the ‘76’ series in September 2026.
- Updated ban list: The DVLA has removed hundreds of combinations from issue that it deems offensive, misleading, discriminatory, or easily confused with emergency services identifiers.
❌ Why are number plates banned?
The DVLA reviews every potential registration and blocks those that:
- Could be read as offensive slang or rude words.
- Contain language that might be discriminatory or insensitive.
- Could be mistaken for police, ambulance or fire service codes.
This process helps keep UK roads respectful and avoids unwanted controversy from personalised plates.
📋 Examples of banned plates (partial list)
While the full list runs into hundreds of entries, the DVLA has confirmed many combinations beginning with:
- AA26, AS26, BJ26, GO26 and others are withheld due to inappropriate or problematic letter combinations.
These can spell out unintended words or abbreviations that may offend once displayed. Other examples
Examples of DVLA Banned Number Plates (2026)
The DVLA has published its official banned list for the new March 2026 ‘26’ registration release — withholding hundreds of combinations because they could be offensive, misleading, discriminatory, or easily misread. Regtransfers
Here are 20 banned 2026 number plate combinations you should watch out for:
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TE26 ROR (looks like a rude phrase)
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JE26 HAD (possible reference interpreted as offensive)
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RU26 UKR (references ongoing conflict)
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RU26 RUS (political/war-related)
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GA26 BOM (resembles “bomb”)
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GO26 HEL (could imply inappropriate word) Auto Express
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AS26 FKU (reads like offensive term)
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BY26 RUS (war-linked)
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BY26 UKR (war-linked) GB News
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AS26 BOY (potentially offensive in context)
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HH26 WAR (war reference)
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BJ26 STD (reads as “STD”
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NA26 ASA (could be misread)
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EU26 UKR (war reference)
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EU26 RUS (war reference)
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FK26 ODD (might be offensive)
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FU26 GAY (could offend)
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GA26 SHT (resembles offensive word)
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GO26 WAR (war reference)
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NO26 COP (could be mis-interpreted)
🚨 What it means for drivers
If you’re planning to buy a personalised or cherished plate for your car in 2026:
- Check the banned list first – many registrations won’t be available.
- Avoid plates that inadvertently spell offensive words.
- Failure to comply can lead to rejection of the plate application.
📌 Quick tip
Even if a registration looks harmless to you, think about how it might be interpreted by others — the DVLA’s filters are strict and based on offence as well as public sensitivity.
Official DVLA / Government Reference
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The official DVLA personalised number plate search tool where motorists can check available registrations straight from the DVLA database:
🔗 DVLA current number plates search – https://dvlaregistrations.dvla.gov.uk/search/current-number-plates.html?action=current DVLA Personalised Registrations
📌 Context about how the DVLA handles number plates
While the DVLA does not publish a single public web page listing all banned plates, official documentation and vehicle registration rules confirm that:
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The DVLA maintains block lists of letter/number combinations that are not issued if they could be offensive, misleading or inappropriate. Wikipedia
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This process is part of how UK vehicle registrations are managed and reviewed before release.
Where to Find the Full Official DVLA 2026 Banned Number Plate List
The DVLA’s suppression list for the upcoming 2026 ‘26’ registration plates has now been published in full by multiple sources after a Freedom of Information release. This list shows every combination that the DVLA has decided will not be issued because it might be offensive, misleading or inappropriate. Regtransfers+1
🔎 Key official and reliable sources you can link to or refer your readers to:
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📌 Regtransfers’ Published Full Banned List – includes all 403+ suppressed registrations for the 2026 series with explanations on why plates are withheld:
👉 https://www.regtransfers.co.uk/content/banned-26-plates — Full list of DVLA banned number plates for 2026 Regtransfers -
📰 GB News’ Compiled List of Banned 26 Plates — includes a detailed table of over 400 banned combinations:
👉 https://www.gbnews.com/lifestyle/cars/dvla-banned-number-plates-2026 — DVLA unveils hundreds of banned number plates for 2026 GB News -
🔍 EasyNumberPlates’ Example List — shows real banned plates (e.g., TE26 ROR, JE26 HAD) that you can republish or link to as examples:
👉 https://www.easynumberplates.com/banned-26-number-plates-list-2026-revealed — Banned 26 number plates list 2026 revealed Easy Number Plates
