If you’re planning on purchasing a brand new motor this year and hoping it will come with a creative number plate, think again.

This year, drivers will be hitting the road with ’25’ registrations – but the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) won’t allow them to any display vulgar or offensive wordplay, which is probably for the best really, as I’m sure you can imagine the spike in road rage incidents that would cause.

Brits aren’t allowed to whizz around the roads with a reg which sports a combination of letters and numbers which spell out anything indecent.

So, the DVLA produces a list of banned registration plates twice a year – in March and September – for newly manufactured vehicles.

The DVLA shared a list of banned registrations for 25′ plate motors (Getty Stock Photo)

Each one has to have it’s own combination of digits and letter, but none of them can allude to subjects such as crime, racism, politics or religion. But they can also be vetoed by the DVLA for being too rude, insulting, inappropriate, or referencing something that could cause offence or embarrassment, too.

And as the number ‘5’ is widely used to replace the letter ‘S’ on number plates, I’m sure you can appreciate how the three letters which will come after ’25’ could end up spelling out something eyebrow-raising.

So although you might have been looking forward to cars with variations such as AS25 HOL and PU25 SYY being stuck in front of you in traffic, it won’t be happening as they’ve made the banned list.

Other combinations which are banned in 2025 include BA25 TRD, PE25 RVT and VA25 GNA – and I’m sure you don’t need us to explain why.

Speaking of this year’s banned list, Mark Trimbee, CEO of Regtransfers, said that 25′ plates opened up a whole new world of possibilities for shocking combinations.

Certain combinations which allude to taboo subjects are prohibited (Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images)

“It’s always entertaining to see some of the plates deemed inappropriate by the DVLA, but there are also those that remind us why this is a necessary process,” he said. “Personalised number plates are an excellent form of self-expression, but they shouldn’t be used to display genuinely harmful messages or views.

“As well as the usual sex and violence references, there are those subtle combinations that don’t seem to convey a clear meaning at first sight.

“With a little thought, however, we see how numbers such GB25 BAD, GB25 BOM, and GB25 SHT could seem to convey anti-British sentiments that might offend some.

“To ban or not to ban is obviously a bit of a balancing act.”

So, here’s the full list of all the banned reg plates for 2025, which are sure to start your New Year off with a good laugh.

25′ car registration number plates banned by the DVLA

The full list can be found below, with hundreds making the banned list.

In the registrations, the asterisk (*) is a wildcard character that stands for any character that may appear in that position, with the other characters in the potential reg being the offensive part:

• **25 HAG
• **25 HAT
• **25 LAG
• **25 LUT
• **25 PAS
• **25 PAZ
• **25 RUS
• **25 TAB
• **25 UKR
• *A25 YAN
• *J25 EWW
• *J25 EWZ
• AA25 HLE
• AA25 HOL
• AA25 OLE
• AA25 RSE
• AA25 RYN
• AA25 SOL
• AB25 ORT
• AD25 UGY
• AD25 UNK
• AH25 OMO
• AR25 BOY
• AR25 EEE
• AR25 EES
• AR25 EEX
• AR25 EEY
• AR25 EOL
• AR25 EXX
• AR25 EYY
• AR25 FUL
• AR25 FUN
• AR25 FWC
• AR25 GAY
• AR25 HLE
• AR25 HOL
• AR25 LAD
• AR25 OL*
• AR25 SE*
• AR25 WAR
• AR25 YAN
• AS25 BOY
• AS25 FUL
• AS25 FWC
• AS25 GAY
• AS25 HLE
• AS25 HOL
• AS25 LAD
• AS25 OL*
• AS25 STD
• AU25 WTS
• AU25 WTZ
• AW25 NKR
• AW25 NKS
• BA25 TAD
• BA25 TRD
• BA25 TUD
• BJ25 EXX
• BJ25 EXY
• BO25 LOX
• CO25 CKZ
• CR25 PLE
• CR25 PPL
• DD25 UGD
• DD25 UGG
• DD25 UGS
• DD25 UGY
• DD25 UGZ
• DD25 UNK
• EU25 BAD
• EU25 BOM
• EU25 FWC
• EU25 HTR
• EU25 OFF
• EU25 SHT
• EU25 WAR
• FA25 GAT
• FA25 GTS
• FA25 GTT
• FA25 NNY
• FF25 KED
• FF25 KER
• FK25 EXX
• FK25 EXY
• FK25 VAJ
• GA25 AJU
• GA25 BOM
• GA25 CMP
• GA25 GAY
• GA25 HER
• GA25 JEU
• GA25 JUD
• GA25 KLL
• GA25 NAS
• GA25 NAZ
• GA25 OVN
• GA25 YOU
• GA25 ZAA
• GA25 ZAX
• GB25 BAD
• GB25 BOM
• GB25 DED
• GB25 DWN
• GB25 FKT
• GB25 GNG
• GB25 GUN
• GB25 HTR
• GB25 KLL
• GB25 KLR
• GB25 KLS
• GB25 MOB
• GB25 SHT
• GB25 WAR
• GO25 HEL
• GO25 HLL
• GO25 SHT
• GO25 WAR
• HE25 HEX
• JE25 US*
• JU25 CMP
• JU25 NAS
• JU25 NAZ
• JU25 OVN
• KR25 PLE
• LE25 BOO
• LE25 BOS
• LE25 BOX
• LE25 BOZ
• LE25 DYK
• LE25 ZAA
• LE25 ZAR
• LE25 ZAS
• LE25 ZAX
• LE25 ZAZ
• LE25 ZBO
• LE25 ZER
• LE25 ZRR
• LE25 ZRS
• LE25 ZZA
• LE25 ZZR
• MA25 WAR
• MG25 WAR
• MU25 DER
• NA25 TZE
• NF25 NAZ
• NF25 WAR
• NF25 XRW
• NG25 NOG
• NO25 LEZ
• OD25 UGY
• OD25 UNK
• OR25 ASM
• PE25 ADO
• PE25 RVT
• PE25 VRT
• PS25 CHO
• PU25 MAD
• PU25 SAY
• PU25 SEY
• PU25 SYS
• PU25 SYY
• RE25 ARD
• RE25 TAD
• RE25 TRD
• SC25 OTE
• SC25 OTM
• SC25 TUM
• ST25 ABB
• ST25 ABS
• TE25 ROR
• TO25 ERR
• TO25 ERS
• TO25 ERZ
• TO25 OFF
• TO25 POT
• TO25 RAH
• TW25 WAT
• UA25 HLE
• UA25 HOL
• UA25 OLE
• UA25 RSE
• UA25 SOL
• UD25 UGY
• UD25 UNK
• US25 WAR
• UW25 NKR
• UW25 NKS
• VA25 GNA
• WA25 TED
• WW25 NKR
• WW25 NKS
• XA25 HLE
• XA25 HOL
• XA25 OLE
• XA25 RSE
• XA25 SOL
• XD25 UGD
• XD25 UGG
• XD25 UGS
• XD25 UGY
• XD25 UGZ
• XD25 UNK
• YA25 DEE
• YA25 DYS
• YA25 DYY
• YE25 DTH
• YE25 MEN
• YE25 WAR
• YS25 DTH
• YS25 WAR

Ah, the dreaded driving test. After weeks (or months, or even years) of those nightmarish driving lessons, it all comes down to that one day with a usually grumpy-seeming examiner.

But the wait to get to that one day isn’t always particularly short in the UK.

Some learner drivers are raring and ready to go for months before they even get chance to get onto the car seat for their test.

However, the whole test process could hopefully be improving to an extent as the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has a whole list of changes coming for learner drivers in 2025.

Why the DVSA are making these changes

The DVSA revealed its plans earlier this week to try and cut down the mega amount of learner drivers waiting months for their driving test.

This includes a ‘seven-point plan’, which recognises that the government needs ‘to take action to fix the driving test booking system and get new drivers on the road’.

Minister for the Future of Roads, Lilian Greenwood, said: “Passing your driving test is a life changing opportunity for millions – but sky-high waiting times for tests in recent years have denied that opportunity to too many people.”

She explained the scale of the backlog that’s been inherited is ‘huge’, but these new measures are a ‘crucial step’ to: “Tackle the long driving test wait times, protect learner drivers from being exploited, and support more people to hit the road.”

The aim is that the following changes will reduce the waiting time to seven weeks by December 2025.

People are waiting months for their test. (Getty Stock)

Recruit and train 450 driving examiners

DVSA will recruit and train 450 new driving examiners across Great Britain.

These were advertised on the Civil Service jobs site back in June and July, and in a second phase in September and October this year.

Review and improve the rules for booking driving tests

Taking ‘time to complete’, the DVSA are going to make sure learners can book their test ‘easily and efficiently’.

To do so, the DVSA will:

1. Launch a call for evidence about the current rules and processes, which DVSA did on Wednesday (18 December).
2. Analyse the evidence and develop proposals to improve the rules and booking system.
3. Run a consultation on the proposed improved rules.
4. Introduce the improved rules – changing the law if necessary.

Introduce tougher terms and conditions

These new terms and conditions will come into force on 6 January and set out that only driving instructors or businesses that employ driving instructors can use the service to book car driving tests.

If anyone breaks the terms and conditions, DVSA can:

• Issue them with a warning notice
• Suspend their account
• Close their account

The aim is to get the wait down to a matter of weeks. (Getty Stock)

Consult on new proposals to increase the amount of time people have to wait to book another test

Learners currently have to wait 10 working days before being able to book a new test and the consultation will set out the full details of the potential options to change this.

Increase the amount of notice you need to give to change or cancel a car driving test without losing the fee

It’s currently set at three working days but DVSA are going to increase this to 10 clear working days from spring 2025.

This change will:

• Encourage people to change or cancel their test sooner if they’re not ready
• Give more chance for appointments to be used by someone else

Explore changing the current 24-week limit on how far ahead car driving tests can be booked

Currently set at 24 weeks, the DVSA are going to explore how it can change the limit on how far ahead you can book your test.

This could help make it better understood how many people want to take a test at each centre.

Encourage learner drivers to be better prepared for their driving test through the ‘Ready to Pass?’ campaign

Rated as useful by 95 percent of users, the campaign encourages those not ready to pass to move their test back.