China: Government issues special Level 3 autonomous vehicle plates
China recently issued its first permits for Level 3 autonomous driving on the country's roads.
Chinese car manufacturer BYD has been working in partnership with Shenzhen city to test its Level 3 technology. BYD has now 150,000 kilometers of Level 3 test driving in Shenzhen, and the Chinese government has decided to allow limited use of the new self-driving technology on public roads.
Other manufacturers have also begun testing in preparation for mass production. XPENG has started tests in Guangzhou, Li Auto is testing in Beijing and Huawei, like BYD, has begun L3 autonomous testing in Shenzhen.
The cars for which permits have been issued will be allowed to self-drive at certain speeds, on specific types of roads in geo-fenced areas, and under a limited range of traffic and weather conditions. Autonomous driving must be activated by the driver, and the driver must take back control if the system requests that they do so. China's Level 3 vehicles will still need a steering wheel and pedals for accelerator and brakes.
To identify Level 3 self-driving cars, Chongqing and Beijing have issued the country's first Level 3 number plates for display on the vehicles.
The use of Level 3 is still in its very earliest days in China, and the rollout is being done cautiously. At the time of writing, only four sets of the green-coloured number plates had been delivered, and those were to automotive companies.
USA: Oklahoma reveals the vanity plates it has banned from its roads
The American state of Oklahoma has released details of the vehicle license plates it declined to issue in 2025. As in the UK, many US states prevent the release of number plates bearing character combinations considered inappropriate. The specific reasons include the inclusion of curse words and sexual terms, insults, political messages and messages expressing discriminatory sentiments towards minority groups.
Oklahoma rejected 273 plates total during 2024, but in 2025 the number fell to just 42.
Oklahoma's license plate rules specify the following:
- A 4-letter minimum with up to 3 numbers (i.e., ABCD123 or 13-ABCE)
- Mixed letters and numbers (i.e., AB12C or 1A7)
- A combination of 1 to 7 letters
- 7 numbers
Amongst the political plates banned were 'MAGA' and 'MAGA 24' which were both declined due to their expression of support of President Donald Trump. Equally, however, the combination 'FCKTRMP' was disallowed for its implied criticism of the president.
Also banned were 11 variations of the onomatopeic phrase "Hawk Tuah". This came from an internet meme depicting online personality Haliey Welch, who achieved a degree of viral fame when she used the term to describe a certain intimate activity.
Obscenity was the most frequently cited reason for the rejection of applications.
Amongst Oklahoma's other rejected vanity plate requests were:
- 1O1ST
- BIGBUCK
- IHATEEV
- KILO
- MORONI7
- MURKD
- OO0OO
- STROKIN
- TNASNOW
- YSMK297
Ghana: Rollout of TF tagged licence plates halted by Ghana's DVLA
Ghana's Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority has stopped the planned rollout of the country's new Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) enabled vehicle licence plates.
The new plates contain a chip allowing authorities to scan the plate and immediately get the registered details of the vehicle bearing the plate. The deputy director of vehicle licensing registration claimed that the plates would reduce human error and fraud in the registration process. Officials also said that the plates would help to improve road safety and reduce crime.
However, the Ghanaian Parliament was unable to complete the necessary amendments to road traffic regulations before it went on recess on Friday, December 19, 2025. Consequently, there is no full legal framework ready for the introduction of the new licence plates.
The DVLA said that the rollout of the new licence plates will resume when the outstanding legal requirements are addressed.
Spain: Foreign drivers escape Malaga's Low Emission Zone fines
Málaga’s Low Emission Zone (ZBE), which launched at the end of November 2025, has received criticism for its inability to fine foreign-registered vehicles that don't meet the zone's environmental requirements.
Spanish cars without the required environmental sticker receive a 200 euro fine, foreign vehicles do not incur penalties, which has the driving public claiming that drivers are not receiving equal treatment.
The ZBE is intended to reduce pollution in the city centre. It is monitored by over 90 cameras that track vehicles entering the restricted area, but the system the cameras are linked to is not equipped to process cars that are not registered in Spain.
A transport department spokesperson said, "Once the number plate has been captured, the system automatically consults the records of the DGT, which is the body in charge of the environmental classification of vehicles. In the case of foreign registrations, the DGT does not provide the necessary environmental information to continue the process, which is why the system cannot do anything about these vehicles,"
Data suggests that between 3,000 and 6,000 vehicles displaying foreign number plates drive in the province every day, with even greater numbers during tourist seasons.
The situation is not helped by a dispute over which body bears responsibility for the situation. Malaga's councillor for transport stated that responsibility rests with the central government's traffic authorities (DGT). DGT sources, however, rejected the claim as "false".
Pakistan: Tribal number plates to be introduced
Pakistani drivers will soon have the option to buy special number plates that reflect names, tribes and regions.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Excise Department announced that it will auction the "special, unique number plates" at an auction to be held in Peshawar on January 27 2025.
The department said that the exclusive number plates will include famous surnames, as well as the names of tribes and regions. The personal names will include Wazir, Mehsud, Khattak One, Mohmand, Khan, Gandapur, Durrani, Kundi, Swati, Arbab, Khalil, Afridi, and Yousafzai. Regional names will include Malakand, Abbottabad, Kohat, and Bannu, giving drivers a chance to own plates linked to their hometowns or heritage.
The base bid price has been set at PKR 1 million rupees (£2,650), while a security deposit of PKR 100,000 rupees (£265) will be required to participate in the auction.
