How are Jiangsu license plates arranged by letters?

[VonCorey]

Jiangsu license plates are arranged by letters as follows: Su A represents Nanjing, Su B represents Wuxi, Su C represents Xuzhou, Su D represents Changzhou, Su E represents Suzhou, Su F represents Nantong, Su G represents Lianyungang, Su H represents Huaiyin, Su J represents Yancheng, Su K represents Yangzhou, Su L represents Zhenjiang, Su M represents Taizhou, Su N represents Suqian. The license plate number consists of the motor vehicle registration authority code and the license plate number, which are hung on the front and rear of the vehicle respectively. Its main function is to identify the region to which the vehicle belongs through the license plate, and to find the owner of the vehicle and the registration information of the vehicle based on the license plate.

[SanTravis]

I recently researched the license plate rules in Jiangsu when helping a friend choose a plate. Jiangsu plates assign letters based on the order of vehicle management offices established in each city, with the oldest Nanjing starting with Su A. Suzhou, being the most economically developed with the most vehicles, uses Su E, and later added Su U when they ran out. Yancheng is special using Su J because I was skipped to avoid confusion with 1. New energy green plates are now popular, and Jiangsu's green plates follow the same letter arrangement. Each city's letter is fixed: Nanjing A, Wuxi B, Xuzhou C, Changzhou D, Suzhou E, Nantong F, Lianyungang G, Huaian H, Yancheng J, Yangzhou K, Zhenjiang L, Taizhou M, Suqian N. Remember this, and you can tell which city a car is from just by looking at the plate.

[GenesisMarie]

During a chat with staff at our local vehicle management office, we learned that the letter allocation for Jiangsu license plates follows an old tradition. Nanjing, as the provincial capital, was assigned Su A, followed by Wuxi with Su B, then clockwise to the north: Xuzhou C, Changzhou D, Suzhou E. Among the northern Jiangsu cities, Yancheng uses J because the letter I is easily mistaken and was skipped. A couple of years ago, Suzhou had so many vehicles that the regular E plates were insufficient, leading to the introduction of the supplementary Su U series. Now, new energy vehicles also follow this rule for green license plates, with an additional distinguishing letter D or F. If you observe while driving, Changzhou's D plates and Zhenjiang's L plates are quite common. Although Suqian is Jiangsu's youngest prefecture-level city, its assigned Su N is also quite reasonable.

[McEllie]

During my last road trip across Jiangsu, I made a point to observe the local license plates. Su A is definitely from Nanjing, and I've seen the most Su B plates in Wuxi. Su E plates are particularly dense, indicating the sheer number of vehicles in Suzhou. Northern Jiangsu areas like Huai'an's H plates and Yancheng's J plates are also common. Interestingly, the Su J numbering was explained by a friend at the DMV—they skipped I because handwritten I looks like 1. Now, new energy green plates follow the same rules, just with different colors. The license plate assignments are: Nanjing A, Wuxi B, Xuzhou C, Changzhou D, Suzhou E, Nantong F, Lianyungang G, Huai'an H, Yancheng J, Yangzhou K, Zhenjiang L, Taizhou M, Suqian N. Memorizing these letter correspondences is quite practical.