With the state running out of its current combination of license plate numbers and letters, California plans to launch a new license plate sequence for newly registered vehicles starting next year.
The threat of a trade war sparked by President Trump’s tariffs has played a role in the state’s license plate quandary.
California’s standard automobile license plates have a configuration of one number, followed by three letters, followed by three numbers, according to Ronald Ongtoaboc, spokesperson for the DMV.
The standard license plate, used to connect registered vehicles to their owners, is issued to all passenger vehicles, including commercial motor vehicles, motorcycles, permanent trailers, trailer coaches and park trailers.
The first edition of this sequence began in 1980 with “1AAA000.” Different sequences were used in prior years.
The latest sequence is project to end sometime in 2026 with the final license plate 9ZZZ999, “due to the dwindling number of available combinations,” Ongtoaboc said. More here
