California License Plate Generator
Preview / mockup only — not a real or registrable plate. California passenger numbers moved in March 2026 from 1ABC123 to 123ABC1.
ONLY
1ABC123 (1980-2026), 123ABC1 (from March 2026). Input limit: 7.
Documented styles: White with red script 'California' (current), 1960s Legacy black with yellow lettering, blue/yellow legacy variants
Colour choices are preview concepts; registration rules and availability remain with the issuing authority. Preview / mockup only — not a real or registrable plate.
Plate formats by region
12 formats. Examples are previews only.
| Region | Pattern and example | Characters | Styles | Authority and sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | Region kanji + class code + hiragana + 4 digits (e.g. 足立 500 き 21-41)足立 500 き 21-41 | Kanji office name, hiragana, digits 0-9. Limit: 4 digits plus prefix. | White/green (private car), green/white (commercial), yellow/black (kei private), black/yellow (kei commercial), 字光式 illuminated | MLIT Land Transportation Offices 2 sources. Checked 2026-11-09. |
| Saudi Arabia | 3 Arabic letters + up to 4 Arabic-Indic digits, with Latin/numeral transliterationا ب د 1234 | 17 Arabic letters only; digits 0-9. Limit: 3 letters + 4 digits. | White base; coloured strip (coat of arms, KSA, seal) on the right at 335x155 mm or centred at 550x110 mm | Government Printing Press, Riyadh (issued via MOI / Absher) 1 source. Checked 2026-11-09. |
| United Kingdom | 2 letters (memory tag) + 2 digits (age identifier) + 3 random letters, e.g. AB12 CDEAB12 CDE | A-Z excluding I and Q in the random block; area codes exclude I, Q, Z. Limit: 7. | White front, yellow rear, black characters; optional blue band (pre-2021 GB/EU) or UK identifier with flag | DVLA 2 sources. Checked 2026-11-09. |
| Germany | 1-3 letter area code + 1-2 letters + 1-4 digits, e.g. B-AB 1234B AB 1234 | A-Z including umlauts Ä, Ö, Ü in area codes; digits 0-9. Limit: 8 total including the area code. | White with black FE-Schrift; blue EU band with D; red expiry bar on export (Ausfuhrkennzeichen) plates | German district registration authorities; register held by KBA (ZFZR) 3 sources. Checked 2026-11-09. |
| Europe (EU common format) | Varies by member state; the common element is the blue band with 12 stars and the country codeD · B AB 1234 | Varies by member state. Limit: Varies by member state. | White or yellow base; blue band on the left with EU stars above the country code | National registration authorities under Council Regulation (EC) No 2411/98 2 sources. Checked 2026-11-09. |
| Czech Republic | Digit + region letter + digit + 4 digits (1x0 0001 series), later 1xa 0000 two-letter series1A0 1234 | A-Z excluding G, CH, O, Q, W on personalised plates; digits 0-9. Limit: 7 (standard), 8 (personalised XXX-XXXXX). | White with black characters; blue EU band with CZ since 2004; motorcycle plates two-line | Ministry of Transport / regional registration offices 2 sources. Checked 2026-11-09. |
| California | 1ABC123 (1980-2026), 123ABC1 (from March 2026)123ABC1 | A-Z and 0-9; I, O, Q only allowed as the second letter. Limit: 7. | White with red script 'California' (current), 1960s Legacy black with yellow lettering, blue/yellow legacy variants | California Department of Motor Vehicles 2 sources. Checked 2026-11-09. |
| Michigan | ABC1234 (three letters, four digits); Mackinac Bridge plates use ABC123ABC1234 | A-Z and 0-9. Limit: 7 standard; personalised up to 6 or 7 depending on plate type. | Pure Michigan base; special-cause and university plates use the same base with an emblem | Michigan Secretary of State 2 sources. Checked 2026-11-09. |
| New Jersey | A12-BCD (letter, two digits, three letters)A12 BCD | A-Z and 0-9. Limit: 7. | White with blue/yellow gradient band; front and rear plates required for most classes | New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission 2 sources. Checked 2026-11-09. |
| Ontario | ABCD-123 (four letters, three digits)ABCD 123 | A-Z and 0-9. Limit: 7 standard; personalised 2-8 characters. | White with blue lettering; over 60 graphic options (loon, trillium, sports teams) | ServiceOntario 2 sources. Checked 2026-11-09. |
| Montana | County code + 6 characters: 1-12345A or 10-1234A1-12345A | A-Z and 0-9. Limit: 6 after the county code. | White with blue lettering; optional plates use ABC123 since 2003 | Montana Department of Justice, Motor Vehicle Division 2 sources. Checked 2026-11-09. |
| Russia | Letter + 3 digits + 2 letters + 2-3 digit region code, e.g. А777АА 77А777АА 77 | 12 Cyrillic letters that resemble Latin: А, В, Е, К, М, Н, О, Р, С, Т, У, Х. Limit: 6 characters plus region code. | White with black characters and the RUS flag/code on the right; trailers use 2 letters + 4 digits | GIBDD / traffic police registration units 2 sources. Checked 2026-11-09. |
Preview / mockup only — not a real or registrable plate. The full format list remains readable without JavaScript.
The series flipped in March 2026
Most plate toys on the web still shuffle 1ABC123, the order California passenger plates used from 1980 until early 2026. Wikipedia reports the new passenger order 123ABC1 first appearing in March 2026 (1 source for that date). Its cited specialist page, Matriculas del Mundo, describes the same transition at the end of March. Because Wikipedia cites that page, these are not two independent confirmations. The DMV hub explains official plate services but does not establish this transition date. That reversal is the reason this essay exists. The button follows the new order: three digits, three letters, one digit. Seven characters either way. I, O, and Q are allowed only as the second letter in the rules I stored, so the random draw simply avoids them.
Style is a separate choice from the serial. The current passenger plate is white with “California” in red script. The 1960s Legacy plate is black with yellow lettering, and the DMV lets an owner exchange onto that look for a fee. A blue-and-yellow legacy variant also shows up in the article. I could not open one legacy subpage (it returned 404), so I name the styles the plate article describes and I skip a fee I did not see. The physical size is the US 12×6 inch plate, 305×152 mm.
There is no county code on a modern California passenger plate. People who want a county prefix are thinking of Montana, which has its own page. Personalised text is ordered through the DMV, not typed into a PNG. Vehicle Code section 5004.3 is the statutory pointer in the research notes. I link the DMV plate hub rather than a section I could not render.
Neighbours with their own number stories are Michigan (three letters and four digits, no county code since 1970) and New Jersey (a letter, two digits, three letters). Use those pages if the search was really about a Great Lakes or a mid-Atlantic plate.
Related plate previews
Compare Michigan passenger formats, New Jersey previews. Open all formats, random mockups or the custom plate maker.
RUS
Questions
Is 1ABC123 still the current series?
It was the passenger series until March 2026. The order now documented is 123ABC1. Older plates already on cars were not recalled by any sentence I read.
Can I preview the black legacy plate?
The canvas is one sketch with a watermark. The legacy black-and-yellow plate is a DMV exchange, described here, not a second download.
Sources
- Wikipedia — California plates — checked 2026-11-09
- Matriculas del Mundo — California (cited by Wikipedia) — checked 2026-11-09
- California DMV — plates and decals — checked 2026-11-09
Checked 2026-11-09. How these pages are checked.