In Sweden, a standard registration plate is white with black characters, but there are also plates with other color combinations.
For example, it could be a sign with a blue, yellow, orange or green background, or in more rare cases a sign with a red background and white characters.
Read more: We test drive the Citroën ë-C3 – the most important electric car of the year?
When is a red license plate used?
Red number plates are according The Swedish Transport Agency linked to a so-called temporary registration, which can be applied for when importing or exporting a vehicle.
You can also apply for a temporary registration for a foreign vehicle that is to be used temporarily in Sweden.
When a temporary registration is granted, a decision, a registration certificate and the red registration plates are sent out by the Swedish Transport Agency.
Read more: We test drive the new Ford Mustang: One of the last with a V8
What do the numbers on red license plates mean?
The registration number on a temporary red registration plate follows the same format as a regular Swedish registration number.
It means three letters followed by either three numbers or two numbers and one letter. However, the red license plates are also marked with a number of other numbers.
On the left side of the sign are two two-digit numbers, which signal a day and a month, and on the right side of the sign is a year. In the case above, the date is September 25, 2002, which is the date on which the temporary registration expires.
During the year, the registration plate may also be decorated with a “B”, which shows that the vehicle may only be used to a limited extent.
Read more: Going to the mountains with an electric car – we test the new Audi Q4 e-tron
Red license plate in other countries
If you cross the border into our neighboring country Norway, you also have the chance to come across a red registration plate. There, however, the red plates have a completely different meaning than in Sweden.
There, the red plates with white characters are instead intended for car dealers. The red plates can be moved from car to car, allowing dealers to test drive and move cars that are not registered or registered.
Even the Danish equivalent of these license plates are red and white, but with a white background and red characters.
In Sweden, the corresponding license plates are green with black characters.
Read more: We test the new electric Mini Cooper: Not an electric car for everyone