With the state operating out of its present mixture of license plate numbers and letters, California plans to launch a brand new license plate sequence for newly registered automobiles beginning subsequent yr.
The specter of a commerce warfare sparked by President Trump’s tariffs has performed a job within the state’s license plate quandary.
California’s normal vehicle license plates have a configuration of 1 quantity, adopted by three letters, adopted by three numbers, in accordance with Ronald Ongtoaboc, spokesperson for the DMV.
The normal license plate, used to attach registered automobiles to their homeowners, is issued to all passenger automobiles, together with business motor automobiles, bikes, everlasting trailers, trailer coaches and park trailers.
The primary version of this sequence started in 1980 with “1AAA000.” Totally different sequences have been utilized in prior years.
The newest sequence is challenge to finish someday in 2026 with the ultimate license plate 9ZZZ999, “as a result of dwindling variety of accessible combos,” Ongtoaboc mentioned.
The company is presently processing license plates within the 9UBA000-9UBZ999 vary, in accordance with the DMV.
As soon as the state runs out of that license plate sequence, the subsequent sequence shall be three numerals, adopted by three letters and one numeral.
For instance, it is going to seem like “000AAA0.”
The state is operating out of the Nineteen Eighties-era sequence a couple of yr sooner than anticipated, the Sacramento Bee reported.
A part of the rationale the state expects to expire of the sequence so shortly is that California’s fee of issuing new plate numbers is growing extra quickly than initially anticipated, the DMV informed the Bee.
What’s getting newly registered automobiles on the highway so quick is the worry that the Trump administration’s commerce wars will starkly enhance automobile costs, prompting motorists to purchase new automobiles earlier than the anticipated worth hike.
A current report from the California New Automobile Sellers Assn. discovered that new car registrations elevated by 8.3% within the first quarter of 2025 in contrast with the identical time final yr.
“Preliminary reviews point out a surge in new car purchases within the months of March and April in anticipation of the implementation of those tariffs, nonetheless, it stays to be seen if they are going to end in larger car costs,” the report acknowledged.
Evaluation predict the variety of new car registrations will fall as a result of fluid nature of the present commerce coverage negotiations.
The report acknowledged that the full variety of registrations for the yr 2025 is predicted to drop by 2.3% and coming in at an estimated 1.71 million.
