Vehicle Number Plate

White: If the vehicle number plate of a vehicle is white in colour with black font, the vehicle is private and cannot be utilized for commercial purposes.  Vehicles with white number plates can only be used for private purposes.

Yellow: If the vehicle number plate is yellow in colour with black font, the vehicle is a commercial taxi or a truck although the driver of the vehicle requires a permit from the registering authority to drive it. 

Blue: If the vehicle number plate is blue in colour with white text, it is a vehicle that is being used by a foreign delegate.  These number plates bear alphabets such as CC (Consular Corps), DC (Diplomatic Corps), UN (United Nations) etc. Also, the vehicle number plate will include the country code instead of the state code. 

Black: If the vehicle number plate is black with the font in yellow, it means that the vehicle is commercial with a private owner who has rented the vehicle to someone else to drive. The driver is not required to have a permit in this case.

Red with an Indian Emblem: Special number plates with the Indian emblem in green colour are assigned to vehicles of high-ranking officials like the President, Vice-president, Governors, and lieutenant Governors.

Upward Arrow: Military vehicles use a different system for vehicle number plates than any other type of vehicle. The system uses broad arrow as a prefix and the state code is replaced by the year in which the vehicle was manufactured. 

Red: Number plates that are red in colour are temporary ones, where the permanent registration process have not been completed yet. The validity of such a number plate is one month. 

Green: Electric vehicles come with a green number plate.

Components of a Vehicle Number Plate

1. Part 1: The first part of a vehicle number plate indicates the state or union territory in which the motor vehicle has been registered. For example, if the vehicle has been registered in the state of Tamil Nadu, the first two alphabets of the vehicle number plate will be 'TN'. This method of denoting the state in the number plate started in the 1980s.
2. Part 2: The next two digits after the first two letters refer to the district in which the vehicle was registered. Each district in a state is assigned its own sequential number. This is the reason as to why the government has set up Regional Transport Office (RTO) in every district in the country. The RTO in the applicant's district of residence is responsible for registering the motor vehicle.
3. Part 3: The third part of the vehicle number plate is a number that is different for each vehicle. It can be one or two letters followed by one to four digits. This component of the number plate makes it unique. If there are no unique numbers left to assign, alphabets are used by the registering authority to replace the last digit. Applicants pay considerable sums of money to get custom made vehicle number plates.
4. Part 4: The fourth part of a vehicle number plate is an oval symbol in which the letters 'IND' are written to signify that the vehicle has been registered in India. In High Security Registration Plates (HSRP) the oval symbol also includes a hologram made of chromium on the top of it which resembles a 'Chakra'. HSRP was introduced in 2005 to reduce the stealing of vehicles. Although the inclusion of chromium hologram has been made mandatory by the government for high security vehicles, it has still not been implemented in many states.

Types of Vehicle Number Plates Based on Validity 

Other than the classification of number plates based on colour, there is another classification based on their validity and security. They are as follows:

Temporary Vehicle Number Plate

1. When a customer buys a vehicle, he or she is issued a 'To Register' (TR) sticker. A TR sticker is nothing but a temporary registration number provided by the registering authority which is valid for a month. During this period, the owner must permanently register their vehicle at the RTO.
2. There is a proper procedure for the registration of the motor vehicle. The owner of the motor vehicle has to provide the required documents such as PUC, road worthiness certificate, driving licence, sales invoice of the vehicle etc. The engine and chassis number of the vehicle is also verified by the registering authority.
3. The license number issued by the registering authority is valid for a period of 20 years.

High Security Number Plates 

HSRP number plates are mandatory for vehicles that have been registered after 1 April 2019.  Aluminum is used to make the plate, and it features a unique laser-etched code below the International Registration Code of India and Ashoka Chakra Hologram.

Permanent Vehicle Number Plate 

These number plates are mandatory before the vehicle can be used. The number is unique for each vehicle.

Fancy Number Plates 

Fancy number plates are customised number plates that one can get for their vehicle. Vehicle owners can get any number they want at a price, depending on demand for that number. 

 Unique Number Plates

1. The Regional Transport Office (RTO) sells unique number plates to those motor vehicle owners who want their vehicle number plate to stand out.
2. RTOs hold auctions for vehicle number plates that are considered lucky or have huge demand.
3. The bidding price for these numbers can go as high as Rs.3 lakh.
4. The only numbers that are very difficult for the owners to get are the numbers below 100. These numbers are reserved for government owned vehicles.

Variation of Font in Vehicle Number Plate

1. Variation of font in vehicle number plate is generally not allowed. 
2. If the font in the vehicle number plate creates a problem while reading it, it could land the owner of the vehicle in trouble with traffic police.

In certain states, the first 0 of the district court is replaced from the vehicle number plate with an alphabet. These letters denote the category to which the vehicle belongs. The alphabets and the category of vehicles are:

1. C for cars & SUVs.
2. S for two-wheelers.
3. E for electric vehicles.
4. P for passenger vehicles, i.e. buses.
5. R for three-wheeler rickshaws.
6. T for tourist licensed vehicles.
7. V for vans and pickup trucks.
8. Y for vehicles for hire.

Rules for Vehicle Number Plates in India 

There are many rules regarding vehicle number plates in India. It is important to follow these rules to avoid hefty fines or other penalties. The major rules to keep in mind regarding vehicle number plates are as follows: 

1. The number plates must be illuminated so that they are visible in low light conditions, especially at night. 

1. The size and font of the letters must comply with the specified dimensions. 

1. There should be no fancy lettering or pictures. 

1. Damaged or lost number plates must be immediately replaced. 

1. The rear number plate should be on the right side, 1 meter from the ground. 

1. Transport vehicles must have the registration mark on both the left and right sides.