New vehicles being registered in Gauteng are now subject to a new numbering system and only aluminium plates are allowed.

 

Angelo Haggiyannes, director of Auto & General Insurance, says the new plates will ‘aggressively assist in reducing vehicle theft’ and will ‘solve the alphanumeric combination issue’.

 

The new system consists of two letters followed by two numbers and then two more letters, followed by GP on the end. That’s the numbering part.

 

As the plates are supplied with a barcode and passive electronic chip they are not easily copied by potential thieves. The plates now also have to be riveted to the vehicle, making them harder to remove. Some vendors have already designed a bracket to make the plates a little more aesthetically pleasing as well as tamper-resistant.

 

The changes have upped the average cost of a number plate to between R150 and R170.