The best-known numberplate game is probably Consecutive Number Plate Spotting, or CNPS, in which you have to spot all the numbers from 1 to 999 in order. First you spot a 1, then a 2, all the way up to 999. It just takes a very long time to complete. I played it once and it took nearly four years, eventually finishing the sequence with an F-reg Landrover on the A14 near Ipswich, but that was 25 years ago before the numberplate format changed. The big problem is that UK car registrations are no longer issued with three digit numbers except on vanity plates - haven't been since 2001 - so the game would now take hugely longer. Even waiting to spot a 427 could take months, let alone how long it'd take to get that far, so completing CNPS is now a virtually impossible task.
We need some better numberplate games for the modern era, so here are some.
AB 12 CDE
Game 1: Spot all the two-digit numbers in order.
Every two-digit registration number gets six months in the spotlight so there are a lot of each around. Each year we get two different numbers, 50 apart. The sequence started in September 2001 with 51, continued with 02 in March 2002 and has currently reached 24 (March-August 2024). Note that 01 was never used, which means the sequence you're currently looking for is 02 03 04.... 22 23 24 51 52 53... 71 72 73. Verdict: A bit artificial but very playable.
Variant 1a: Spot all the two-digit numbers in chronological order. Variant 1b: Spot all the two-digit numbers in reverse chronological order.
I prefer variant 1b because the game starts off fast with easy-to-spot numbers, then gets sequentially slower. The sequence you're currently looking for is 24 73 23 72 22 71 21 70... 04 53 03 52 02 51. This is rather harder to remember than the non-variant ordering but I think it makes for a better game. I can generally finish this in 2-4 days. Verdict: Quite a good game for a long journey. Blogged:here
A 123 BCD
Game 2: Spot all the registration letters in order.
n.b. To be clear, this is letters at the start of a plate, not the older format with the letter at the end.
This is the A to Z of registration letters, or rather A to Y because I, O, U and Z are not used. Also Q is only used for imported vehicles and they're so rare on our roads that you must absolutely ignore Q when you play this game. That means the sequence you're looking for is A B C D E F G H J K L M N P R S T V W X Y, i.e. 21 letters in total. Generally you're only going to see these letters on vanity plates and on vehicles that are more than 23 years old. The game moves fastest in neighbourhoods with disposable income (i.e. many personalised plates). I can generally finish this in about a week (and frequently do). Verdict: Absolutely the best medium-term numberplate spotting game. Blogged:here
ABC 123 D
Game 3: Spot all the registration letters in order.
Very much the same as Game 2 but for older vehicles with the registration letter at the end, i.e. those registered between 1963 and 1983. These are quite rare, hence the game can take months. During lockdown I managed it in five months, but only by making a note of where certain awkward letters were parked and making a special effort to go back and see them. Verdict: Much too slow.
AB 12 CDE
Game 4: Spot all the regional identifiers in order.
Back to the current style of numberplate. Vehicles in the Anglia region are issued a plate that starts A-something, Birmingham B-something, Wales C-something, etc. The game is to spot an Anglia plate followed by a Birmingham plate followed by a Welsh plate, etc. The letters I, Q and Z are not* used. The letters J, T, U and X are not used as regional identifiers but do appear on personalised plates. That means the sequence you're looking for is A B C D E F G H J K L M N O P R S T U V W X Y, i.e. 23 letters in total. The game's relatively quick - I have finished it in a day. U usually takes the longest.
* TN07 was used in Scotland in 2007 to avoid the issue of SN07 plates looking like 'snot'. This has no material bearing on the game whatsoever, but if I don't mention it someone will chirp up excitedly in the comments, indeed this has happened six times in the last four years. Verdict: A good game for a long car journey. Blogged:here
AB 12 CDE
Game 5: Spot all the opening letter pairs in order.
This means looking for AA, then AB, then AC all the way up to YX and YY. There are 529 pairs altogether which is a ridiculously high number. Also several of the pairs (like DJ and EH) only appear on personalised plates so are much rarer). Also some pairs (like FU and NF) are never issued so you have to know to skip those. I've been playing a version of this where the order doesn't matter, I just have to see them and cross them off my list, but I've been playing for eight months and still have six left. Verdict: Never play this game, you will never finish. Blogged:here and here
Variant 5a: Spot all the double letter pairs in order.
This is much more manageable, it just involves spotting AA BB CC DD... WW XX YY. The three that don't exist are II, QQ and ZZ. I've seen all the rest so it's very doable, although UU is especially rare and might be an insurmountable hurdle. Verdict: Works better if you don't look for them in order.
ABC 12
Game 6: Spot the first 99 numbers in order.
This game solely involves pre-1963 plates, many of which have been transferred onto much newer vehicles by drivers with money to burn. You're looking for a 1 on any GB plate without a registration letter, then a 2, all the way up to 99. But be warned, I played the "see them in any order" version and it still took eight months, finally ending with an 86 on a Mini Cooper on Richmond Hill. Verdict: Do not touch with a bargepole.
A 12 BCD
Game 7: Spot all the personalised letter/number pairs.
This is a game for 1983-1999 vehicles and personalised plates with a registration letter at the front. You're looking for every alphanumeric pair from A1 to Y20, including B3, F9, L11, P16 and X18. There are 420 combinations altogether and you'll need a list to cross them off as you see them. I've played this more than once, and generally it takes about a week to see half of them, a month to get to 90% and then an indeterminate time to mop up the stragglers. Requires a certain level of geeky diligence but is unexpectedly rewarding. Verdict: For dedicated platespotters only.
Variant 7a: Spot one set of personalised letter/number pairs.
Because I live in East London I like to look for E1 E2 E3 E4... E20 because these are local postcodes so they tend to be quite common on personalised plates. E19 isn't a postcode so that's usually the one I see last. You can pick any letter you like, obviously. Verdict: A bit more manageable, but still slow.
AB 08 CDE
Game 8: Count the symmetrical letters/numbers.
First you have to spot a numberplate where none of the letters/digits have a line of symmetry (e.g. GP 57 JNR), then a plate with just one, then two, all the way up to a plate where all seven are symmetrical (e.g. AB 08 CDE). This is quite a quick game, but you have be spatially adept to cope with the speed of it all. And yes, I admit the games are getting a bit desperate now. Verdict: Good if you need a quickie.
AB 12 CDE
Game 9: Spot the alphabet in order.
This is about the last letter on a modern numberplate. First you're looking for an A, then a B, all the way up to Z. This time Z does appear, but I and Q don't so you have to skip those. I've never played this but how difficult can it be? Verdict: A simple game to shut the kids up.
AB 12 CDE
Game 10: Spot a numberplate.
Does the vehicle have a numberplate? If yes then hurrah you've won and can stop playing these ridiculous contrived numberplate games, you big nerd. Verdict: Enough already.
