Only the digits, because the letters are shared
An Indian plate is built in four parts: the state code, the RTO code, a letter series and the number itself. MH is every vehicle in Maharashtra and 02 is one office inside it, so those characters say where a vehicle was registered rather than anything about the vehicle.
The letter series works the same way. AB is issued to a whole block of registrations in sequence, so it is shared with every vehicle around yours in the queue. That is the reasoning behind the usual practice: read the part that is yours, which is the digits.
How a plate totals
Take MH 02 AB 1234. The digits are 0, 2, 1, 2, 3 and 4. They add to 12, and 1 plus 2 gives 3, which is Jupiter. Note that the RTO digits count as well as the four digit number, so 02 contributes its 2 and a plate registered at a different office reads differently.
The Vehicle Number tool on this site follows that convention. Type the plate however you like, with spaces or without, and it strips everything that is not a digit before it totals and reduces. The working is shown underneath so you can check it against your own arithmetic.
What the totals are said to bring
5 is Mercury and is made for movement: frequent travel, quick trips, delivery and business vehicles. 6 is Venus, read as comfort and style, a favourite for family cars and luxury vehicles. 3 is Jupiter and is considered protective for travel, especially trips taken for work and study. 1 is the Sun and reads as authority, a good number for an owner's own car.
9 is Mars: power and speed, which tradition attaches to bikes and SUVs, with a warning about aggressive driving. 2 is the Moon, gentle and family minded, with the traditional advice to take extra care on long night drives. 7 is Ketu, said to suit pilgrimages and solo journeys and called unsteady for a daily commute.
4 is Rahu and 8 is Saturn, and they are the two most buyers ask to avoid. 4 is traditionally linked to sudden breakdowns and fines, and 8 to delays, repairs and paperwork. None of this is a statement about a vehicle's condition, and none of it replaces a service record.
Practitioners differ on the letters
The digits only method is the common one in India, but it is not the only one. Some practitioners total the letters as well using their Chaldean values, which changes the answer, because MH alone adds 4 plus 5. Others read only the four digit number and drop the RTO digits.
If two readings of the same plate disagree, this is usually why. There is no authority that settles it, so the practical move is to know which method you are looking at and stay with one. This site totals the digits, which is the convention most Indian practitioners use.
What you can actually choose
Most of a plate is assigned. The state and RTO codes come with where you register, and the series runs in sequence. What can be chosen is the number itself, through the RTO's fancy number process, where sought after numbers go to auction and carry a fee that can be substantial.
If you are going to choose, check the total against your own birth numbers rather than against a general list, the same way a name is checked. And keep it in proportion: numerology is a traditional belief system, not a science, and a number on a plate is not a safety measure.
Try it on your own name
Common questions
- Do the letters on a number plate count?
- In the most common Indian practice they do not, because the state code, the RTO code and the letter series are shared by thousands of vehicles. Some practitioners do total the letters, so readings can differ.
- Does the RTO number count as digits?
- In the convention this site follows, yes. MH 02 AB 1234 is read from 0, 2, 1, 2, 3 and 4, which totals 12 and reduces to 3.
- Which vehicle number is considered lucky?
- Tradition favours 5 for vehicles that travel constantly, 6 for family and luxury cars, 3 for work travel and 1 for an owner driven car, while 4 and 8 are the ones most buyers avoid. Check the total against your own numbers before treating it as settled.