All the NZ licence plates banned in 2025 for being rude, confusing and marginal

Kiwis LOVE a personalised licence plate almost as much as we love a cheeky inside joke… but turns out not every idea flies (or drives) when it comes to chucking it on your bumper.

New info released under the Official Information Act shows a solid 39 personalised plate combos were rejected by NZTA in 2025 after being deemed “offensive”, inappropriate, or just confusing as heck to read.

Plates like PCOOK and 2JMDMA didn’t make the cut for pretty obvious drug-related reasons. Others were declined for leaning a little too heavily into the bedroom humour - including HORNI, 3SUMG, and RQQTER.

One driver tried their luck with LUVBJ, claiming it stood for Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, but NZTA staff still declined it for being potentially offensive. Good effort though.

Plates referencing violence also didn’t make the cut - BASHED, W4RRIG, and 308W1N (a reference to a Winchester rifle gun).

Then there were the ones that just looked like a headache to decipher. MVVVVV, WVVVVV, 666664, O33333, 00Q0, Q000, X1XXX, X1XXX1, 0A0008, ZIZ17, 77Z7, and 4I were all rejected for being too confusing to read.

Honestly, I have to triple check my rego every time I renew it - those ones sound like an absolute nightmare. “Was it M and five Vs… or was there a W in there somewhere?”

But not every borderline plate got a thumbs down. B4DC0P actually got approved after officials decided it didn’t cross the line - might as well shoot your shot, right?

NZTA staff told 1News that FTP had previously been allowed as a “general purpose sequence”, which could arguably be considered more offensive than “bad cop”.

NZTA add it’s responsible for issuing registration numbers through the Motor Vehicle Register, and under the Land Transport Act the Registrar has the power to decline certain combinations - including plates that could cause offence, breach legal standards, or simply confuse people trying to read them.

“Determining the offensiveness of each personalised plate can be difficult,” the transport agency said, explaining every plate is assessed case by case.

I’m now sitting here trying to think up a few good combos myself… reckon you could get one past the NZTA check?