A normal Swedish registration number starts with three letters, and out in traffic you can see a wide range of different letter combinations on cars every day.
Two cars with the same letter combination standing next to each other is not normal.
However, if you look at advertisements in newspapers, on the web or on TV, there is a combination of letters that pops up every now and then.
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The MLB combination is blocked
It’s about the letter combination MLB, which not only appears in advertising but also in movies and on TV.
The reason license plates containing the letters MLB are so common in advertising, film and TV is that the combination of letters is reserved for just this purpose.
When the license plates in Sweden got their current layout in 1973, they simply decided to block the letter combination MLB.
No vehicle can thus be registered with an MLB number, but these registration numbers are instead lent to production companies for advertising and film purposes.
The cars that you see with MLB plates in movies and commercials actually have a different registration number.
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MLB widely used by Volvo
One of the brands that is perhaps most associated with the MLB plates is Volvo.
In advertising, Volvo cars are often adorned with a registration number that begins with MLB, followed by a zero and two numbers that reflect the current car model.
The car in the picture above is, for example, a Volvo XC40 with registration number MLB040.
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Not the only blocked combination
MLB is not the only letter combination that is blocked by the Swedish Transport Agency.
In fact, a total of 98 different letter combinations are currently prohibited for various reasons.
This may be for practical reasons such as the combination of letters can easily be confused with a number, for example the combinations ONE, THREE, FIVE or SEVEN.
Combinations such as STUPID, UGLY COWARD and RAP are also prohibited as they may be considered offensive.
Read more: Prohibited registration numbers in Sweden – here is the full list