Know About Your Car Number Plate

Number plate, it is that element of your car that differs your car from others. Also known as a registration number plate, it provides tons of information about your vehicle. Diving deep into it, what exactly does every number or alphabet on your car number plate represent? We are sharing this information with you.
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MH01AA1234

Any car number plate in India, usually reads like – eg. MH01AA1234. Here, the first two alphabets represent the state. Whereas the number next to that (01) represents the RTO wherein your car is registered. Next, the alphabet AA represents the series in which the car was registered. And finally, the (1234) represents the car’s registration number. So breaking down for you, the MH in this example says Maharashtra state and 01 says the RTO, which is Tardeo, Mumbai. Now for every state in India, the first two alphabets are different to create the differentiating factor. And do you know what the different colours of the number plate represent?

What Does Different Colour Represent?

Talking about different colour number plates in India, we currently have as many as 7 colours for number plates, each representing the purpose –

White Number Plate

The most common number plate we see on the cars is the white plate with black lettering on them. Such types of number plates represent that the car is used for private purposes and cannot be used for transporting goods. Then what if you want to use your vehicle for transportation of goods?

Yellow Number Plate

Well, for commercial use or transportation of goods, the RTO issues yellow number plates. You must have noticed that all the trucks, buses, autorickshaws, or even the cabs are equipped with yellow plates. Additionally, for cab service, the yellow plate is issued only if the owner has a ‘T’ permit or Tourist Vehicle Permit.

Green Number Plate

Green number plates were not so common a few years ago. However, you might have seen them frequently on many cars. So what does that represent? Well, the green colour on the number plate actually indicates ‘Green car’ – the car which does not emit pollution. That said, all the electric cars wear green colour number plates as the EVs do not emit pollution.

Black Number Plate

Next, we have the black colour number plates which we usually see in luxury hotels. The black number plates with yellow lettering represents that the car is used by businesses that provide vehicles for rent. Also, they do not require any specific permits to run these cars.

Red Number Plate

Now you must have seen many new cars which are equipped with Red colour number plates. So what exactly do they represent? Well, red number plates represent a temporary number for your vehicle. In fact you cannot even trace any details of a car which has a red number plate. These number plates are usually used when your vehicle is awaiting a permanent registration number from the RTO. Also do note that the temporary number has a validity of one month or less, depending on the state. In fact some states do not even allow you to drive a car with such number plates.

Blue Number Plate

It can be a very rare sight that you get to see a car with a blue number plate. The reason being, the blue plates are used for foreign diplomats. All the cars which are used to transport foreign diplomats within the country are equipped with blue colour number plates. These number plates primarily have either of the three codes – CC (Consular Corps), UN (United Nations), or CD (Corps Diplomatic).

Number Plate With An Upward Arrow

All the cars which are used by defence personnels and the Ministry of Defence, are equipped with number plates with an upward arrow. We also have red number plates with the Indian Emblem which are used for vehicles used by the President of India & the Governors of each state.

Bharat Series

Remember we spoke about the different code for every state? So let’s say you have relocated from Maharashtra to Gujarat, you will have to re-register your car registration number and pay the road tax for that particular state. This was a cumbersome process for those who have a job wherein he has to relocate in different states – every year. To make things simple, the Road Ministry of India introduced the Bharat Series. So suppose you have all the documents which say you are working for a company with offices in multiple states, RTO may issue a number plate with Bharat Series registration number. Now unlike the regular numbering system, Bharat Series number plates start with numbers like 21 or 22 – representing the year of registration. The series came into existence in 2021 and so it initially started with 21. Next to that we have alphabets BH – obviously, representing our country.