We look at six of the best deals on the market and explain how the plate system works.

Every new car registered after September 2008 will bear the number ‘58’ on its registration plates.

This is good news for car buyers, as some manufacturers offer great deals on cars with new plates. We’ve rounded up six of the best deals this September:

Vauxhall Corsa – £7,914

Save £1,971 off the price of a Vauxhall Corsa with this deal on the popular supermini.

The offer is only for 1.0-litre three-door models, but with a normal price tag of £9,885, the ‘58’ plate cuts the cost by almost £2,000.

Renault Megane – £9,995

Get a new Renault Megane Extreme and you’ll save £2,345 off the list price. This 1.4-litre model isn’t short on extras either – with eight airbags, air conditioning, ABS and a trip computer.

Fiat Bravo – £12,995

The Fiat Bravo Multijet features a 1.9-litre diesel engine which produces 150bhp and offers good fuel economy, with five doors and alloy wheels – for £3,340 less than usual.

Citroen C4 Grand Picasso – £15,482

You could save more than £3,000 on a Citroen C4 Grand Picasso if you use an online broker. This 1.6-litre 16v VTR model boasts numerous extras on top of a roomy drive.

Citroen also offer cash back and 0 per cent APR (Annual Percentage Rate).

Volkswagen Golf GT Sport – £16,995

Save up to £650 off the price of a Volkswagen Golf GT Sport – take advantage of this offer to get hot hatch driving for less. Standard Golfs are also available from £11,995.

Ford Galaxy – £19,750

Ford has a great range of ‘58’ plate deals currently on offer, but you’ll save the most with a new Ford Galaxy – a total of £5,795 off the retail price, which is usually £25,545.

You can also make savings of more than £4,000 on a Ford Focus CC.

How does the plate system work?

1. The first two letters represent the 'local memory tag' - where the vehicle was registered. For example LA to LY for London
2. The next two numbers make up the age identifier. These are changed every six months in March and September – for example ‘08’ in March 2008 and ‘58’ in September 2008, then ‘09’ in March 2009 and ‘59’ in September 2009, and so on. In 2010 the numbers will be 10 and 60 respectively
3. The last three letters are random. Bear in mind some personalised plates don't follow this system

What finance deals are there?

Most dealerships offer the following finance packages. Set yourself a budget before buying – and shop around.

• Hire Purchase Agreements – this is a monthly repayment plan, also known as HP. The car is owned by the dealer or manufacturer until the last payment has been made, and you won’t be able to sell the car until you legally own it.

• Personal Contract Purchases – a PCP, or Personal Contract Purchase, is a large deposit with small monthly repayments. At the end you can hand the car back or buy it outright.