The most confusing part currently is where the 6ty something plate moves into the new year for Jan/Feb so 68plate moves from 2018 to 2019 so what's is on the V5 is the only way to tell the year. Private plates are a lot more interesting!

There's a lot to be said for the simple system used in Spain since 2001, with 4 numerals and three consonants, with the first letter the last element to change in rotation and all 7 spaces used. No one seems to be in a rush to get the "latest" registration letter - funny, that!
With the old system, drivers of cars with registrations from other regions - particularly the "BI", "SS" and "VI" from the Basque Country - used to suffer vandalism and extremely frequent police stops whilst travelling in holiday seasons.
Registrations are issued centrally with no personalisation or reserved sequences allowed, so most of the 10,000 vehicles with registrations ending in "BMW" are not actually BMWs. Banning vowels helped to eliminated "naughty" words - mostly (I have seen a couple of plates with F followed by guess which two letters!)
Cloning and faking of registration plates doesn't seem to be a problem here, with only one government supplier and extremely stiff penalties for abuse - even a blackened-out "0" is an MoT fail or on-the-spot fine.

<< I think it would be tough going getting a car transporter ship up the severn as far as Shrewsbury. :-) >>

Depends what you mean by 'from Liverpool'. Dealers get cars from various sources, quite often after they have been registered. Many Peugeot rental cars carry K registrations (for Coventry) without having taken to the road there.

And there's no need to 'go figure' about 60 following 59 - if a car is registered between September and March, 50 is added to the last two digits of the year, otherwise not. Not difficult.

if a car is registered between September and February, 50 is added to the last two digits of the year, .......................................

That would depend on how you interpret 'between', I suggest .... :-)

Surely the last laugh goes to Viz, and their classic "Letterbocks" advice:
Save money on expensive personalised car number plates by simply changing your name to match your existing plate.
Mr KVL 74IY, Lincoln

I always think the American system is quite simple. You buy or are issued with a number plate which stays with you. When you change cars you simply swop the plates over.

I think it may also be the same in Begium

In some cantons of Switzerland, number plates are fixed to the car with a locking mechanism and can be switched between the owner's cars since, logically, the insured owner can only drive one car at a time.
Conversely, in Greece the police actually remove number plates of cars parked illegally or with unpaid fines accrued and the owner has to get to the police station and pay up. Obviously, driving without number plates is instant jail time!