ICBC is introducing changes to licence plates
Over the next few weeks, drivers around B.C. might notice some subtle changes to ICBC-issued licence plates.
Earlier this month, ICBC posted a bulletin announcing it would gradually be introducing new licence plate character configurations on some B.C. plates.
“Within several weeks, you may begin to see these legitimate new licence plate patterns on vehicles in traffic,” stated ICBC.
The changes will begin with the Porteau Cove licence plates within the next few weeks, and the regular plates as early as August 2025.
B.C. Park’s Licence plates with the Porteau Cove plate in the centre. (B.C. Parks)
As for what tweaks drivers may notice, ICBC clarified that the new licence plate patterns may include the letters ‘U’, ‘Y’ and ‘Z’, which haven’t been used before.
“The letters ‘I’, ‘O’ and ‘Q’ remain excluded from use because they present identification issues,” stated ICBC.
ICBC
The provincial Crown corporation added that the changes will pose no issues for law enforcement scanners because the machines don’t rely on a fixed character sequence.
All regular licence plates will still contain six characters, and design, reflectivity, and materials used to make the plates will go unchanged.
It noted that these changes are needed “to ensure every license plate has a unique alpha-numeric number, because the existing patterns are nearly used up.”
The insurance provider added that character pattern updates are planned for 16 licence plate types to ensure there’s enough inventory of unique licence plate numbers over the next 20 years.
“ICBC maintains approximately 40 licence plate types,” it stated in the bulletin.
“New licence plate configurations will roll out as old inventories get exhausted from licence plates being issued with new vehicle licences and from routine licence plate replacements.”
- You might also like:
- 2026 FIFA World Cup costs in Vancouver projected to reach up to $624 million
- Lime sees very strong e-scooter share ridership in downtown Vancouver
- Next week's TransLink fare hike is the highest since pre-pandemic times
Want to stay on top of all things Vancouver? Follow us on X