British car number plates are a fairly simple method of describing a car's age and its place of origin, as well as providing a way by which it can be uniquely identified by the DVLA.¹

More than this, though, they also provide a great game that you can play when driving in your own car, when being driven in someone else's car, when out walking, or indeed in any scenario in which you are likely to see cars.

The rules

It couldn't be more simple. Normally a British car number plate is in the form of Xnnn ABC, or ABC nnnX². The number contained herein can be anything between 1 and 999³. So you start with "1". You spot a car number plate whose number is simply "1". For example, T1 GAU. And then you move on to "2", and so on up to "999".⁴

Rule variants

The backwards variant

As simple as the straightforward version described above, except that here you start with "999" and count down to "1".

The specific numbers variant

This involves waiting until you spot a car bearing a specific number (for example the same number as your own car) in its numberplate.

The Bingo variant

To introduce a competitive edge to the game⁵, this variant on the above variant involves multiple occupants in a car all choosing their own number, and then shouting "Bingo!" when they spot that number.

The Combinations variant

Rather than spotting numbers sequentially, one variant involves awarding points for various combinations of letters and numbers; known examples of this are 5 points for a double number/letter, 10 points for a triple, 15 points for two consecutive letters/numbers, 20 points for three consecutive letters/numbers.

Famous names variant

An oddity, as this uses letters rather than numbers. Use the first and last letters of the ABC section of the number plate as the initials of a famous person. For example, in the registration plate G258 TAB, the famous person could be "Tony Blair". The car whose numberplate you use for this must (according to the rules) be driving in front of you and in the same lane. Fictional characters are permitted under these rules.

The French variant

French numberplates have a number on them signifying the "department" (administrative area) from which they come. The challenge here then is to spot a number plate for each department. There are around 90 to collect. The one from Corsica is rare in mainland France.

Complicating factors

Personalised number plates

These can confuse matters slightly - not least because some of them don't include numbers at all, but it has to be said that in most cases where they do include numbers, they fall between 1 and 999, and therefore count as valid for the game. Those which fall outside this range are not valid, and are indeed rather pointless within the parameters of the game⁶.

Non-British number plates

These can also complicate matters. Some include numbers that go over 999. Of those that do fall within the 1 - 999 limit, the question has to be, do they count? There is no hard-and-fast ruling on this issue, but it would be the opinion of this author that they do (particularly if they contain the number you're looking for at any given time).

Recent number plates (part 1)

These have broken away from the old format; instead of the Xnnn ABC or ABC nnnX patterns described above, the new plates read XXnn ABC⁷. The numbers in the new number plates are at present 01 and 51, 02 and 52, and 03 and 53. It can be seen that as newer cars are introduced, and older ones are correspondingly phased out, this will skew things in favour of these numbers. At present, it isn't a major problem. But a few years from now, the game may become impossible to play. So the advice would have to be: strike while the iron is hot.

Recent number plates (part 2)

Another complicating factor arising from the new number plates is, does "01" count as "1", etc.? It all depends on whether you're being literally pedantic or not. Numerically, they're the same thing, and in the opinion of this author, that is what counts.

Non-real cars

Do cars seen in films, on television, and in photographs count? According to the standard rules, they wouldn't, but some variants allow for their inclusion.

Non-cars

Although so far this discussion has been limited to cars, DVLA registration plates are in fact affixed to a wide variety of vehicles, such as motorbikes, mopeds, buses, lorries, and vans. In the standard rules, and most variants⁸, these vehicles all count. It's the number plate that matters, not the vehicle.

Let play commence.

So now you know the rules, you are fully equipped to play one of the simplest, most straightforward travelling games that exists. No pens, paper or dice are needed, no silly "magnetic" pieces that end up falling down the back seat of the car - just an observant eye. Have fun.

And please bear in mind that in order to make the game easier, a trip to the long stay car park of Heathrow Airport⁹ is recommended. However, a word of caution: if the police and/or security forces see you taking an undue interest in lots and lots of cars, they are liable to take measures to prevent you from being near those cars for much longer.¹⁰