The DVLA is set to shake up the world of number plates today (October 7) with a major update. It's been confirmed that new prefix registrations will be unveiled this week, with a variety of new plates up for grabs. It comes as drivers were urged to do a '20p test' ahead of the cold weather . Prefix plates, which were commonplace across the UK from 1983 to 2001 before being replaced by the current system 24 years ago, are making a comeback. The first letter denotes the vehicle's age in prefix