California Is Running Out of License Plate Numbers

California is expected to run out of license plate numbers by the end of 2025. The current system for non-commercial vehicles, which consists of one number, three letters, and three numbers, was rolled out in 1980, and the DMV expects this sequence to run its course before the year is out. But, running out of license plate numbers isn’t as alarming as it might sound: California officials has already announced the next sequence.

It’s relatively difficult to predict precisely when California will issue its last current-style plate, but in June 2024, The Sacramento Bee wrote that the California DMV was sitting on about 18 months’ worth of license plate numbers, pegging the final current-style plate for the end of the year. The system, which started with 1AAA000, will be replaced with its reverse. The new system will consist of three numbers, three letters, and one number, so the first one could be something like 000AAA1 or 001AAA1 or 100AAA1 depending on whether or how they exactly implement the existing “no leading zeroes” rule.

Eventually, someone will drive around with a car wearing registration number 9ZZZ999, and we suspect these plates will become relatively valuable in the cosmos of plate collectors. Regardless of when the current system ends, an unsuspecting motorist will also get assigned the first registration number in the new system. These plates will surely be sought-after, too.

California’s current registration system has appeared on several types of plates. In 1980, the state issued blue plates with gold letters. The emblematic “Golden State” plates became available in 1982, and the current style has been the norm since 1993, though it has gone through several small evolutions since. Will a new look accompany the new registration system? We won’t have to wait long to find out.

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