You can figure out how old a car is by its license plate number
Jul 31, 2018, 7:46 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 765
You can figure out how old a car is by its license plate number
if you want to figure out at a glance which car is newer, you can see which one has the higher license plate number. Most states have sequential license plates, so ones with higher letters/numbers are on newer cars. For example, a car with Pennsylvania plates KDJ1973 is older than a car with KLR2859
Aug 1, 2018, 8:14 am
#2
Moderator: National Car
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: SE MI
Programs: Delta PM, National EE, Hertz PC, Hilton DM
Posts: 2,168
This is not really a relevant metric with the rental fleets. As cars move around and get re-plated, oftentimes they change plates multiple times, even during the year or two they're in the fleet. I once rented a Fiat 500X that was on a Kansas plate, but in the glovebox were prior registrations from Utah and Florida. It seems as though as cars come off fleet and head to auction/sale, the station will remove the plates, and then recycle them to vehicles with expiring plates or new vehicles. For instance, I know the DTW station has a rotation of plates that all date back to the middle of the decade (2012/2013) but they just affixed those plates to brand new 2018 vehicles.
Aug 1, 2018, 12:58 pm
#4
Join Date: Oct 2017
Posts: 151
This also doesn't work in a state where you can transfer plates from one vehicle to another. My 2016 vehicle has the same license plate that my 2005 vehicle did before I traded up to the 2016.
It WILL tell you which license plate is newer, though.
It WILL tell you which license plate is newer, though.
Last edited by JMorgana; Aug 1, 2018 at 1:11 pm
Aug 2, 2018, 2:52 pm
#5
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Everett,WA
Programs: Hertz President Circle, National Executive Elite.
Posts: 85
For the most part in Washington you can. The only cars the defies the odds are the suburus. those all come used but are plated like new cars. ?Right now the newer cars would start with BKE-BLC.
Aug 6, 2018, 7:29 am
#6
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Minneapolis
Programs: AA EXP, Hyatt Diamond, SPG Gold, GlobalEntry, Admirals Club, United Club
Posts: 1,948
I haven't seen a car more than 3 years old in the aisle. And I haven't seen a 2016 model in the executive aisle in 2018. For the most part, you shouldn't see differences in license plate numbers for most states for just a 3 year period.
Aug 6, 2018, 9:36 am
#7
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Colorado
Programs: UA Gold (.85 MM), HH Diamond, SPG Platinum (LT Gold), Hertz PC, National EE
Posts: 5,655
From my experience, Fleet plates are often reused, how else can a brand new rental with less than 100 miles on it have plates that look beat up and worn? Back in the 80's, Colorado plates included the County, and it was pretty easy to tell the sequencing. The only Colorado plates that I'm aware of that give some sort of indication of registration date are the specialty plates such as the Colorado Ski Country USA plates. As luck would have it, 6 of us in the family switched to these within a 2 month span and have numbers very close to each other.
