Deciphering number plates: France

The current number plate system, in place since 2009, was inspired by Italy. It was introduced in an effort to simplify the entire system and make it more difficult to trade in stolen cars (in 2008, a year before the introduction of the new system, over 130,000 cars were stolen in France). Both the front and rear plates have black lettering on a white background (the rear plate had previously used black lettering on a yellow background).