The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) has announced that, effective today, January 2, 2026, it has moved from the “25” to the “26” vehicle number plate suffix, following delays in the rollout of a new registration regime.
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Friday, the Director of Corporate Affairs at DVLA, Stephen Attuh, explained that the Authority was compelled to maintain the existing registration system because the necessary legal amendments could not be completed before Parliament went on recess.
“The specific regulations in the LI-2180, which we require to be able to amend before we can introduce the plate, that was not successfully done before Parliament went on recess. And so being a law guiding institution, that regime must actually be in place before we can roll out the new license plate. And the absence of that, we are compelled to go along with the current registration system or regime that we have,” he said.
The DVLA had planned to introduce a new number plate system that would remove the year-based suffixes. The new plates were also designed to be RFID-enabled, allowing authorities to digitally scan them for vehicle tracking, road tolling, speed monitoring, and law enforcement. However, these plans required amendments to the Road Traffic Regulations (L.I. 2180), which were not passed in time.
“So, we’ve moved from the suffix 25, which is for the year 2025, to the suffix 26, which is beginning today. So instead of the original plan of taking away the suffix, unfortunately, because we couldn’t go through, that would be allowed to happen until we get the amendment done, then we can roll on to the new system and the new platform and then issue out those plates,” Attuh added.
The DVLA assured the public that once Parliament passes the required amendments, the Authority will implement the new number plate system along with its accompanying digital platform. Until then, vehicle registrations nationwide will continue under the existing year-based suffix regime.
