UK Legal Number Plates: What's Legal and What's Not?

Many of us car enthusiasts love to make the look of our cars stand out on the roads and new Number Plates are becoming an increasingly popular way to do so. But what makes UK Number Plates Road Legal?

In this guide we will go through what makes Number Plates Legal for the Road, and what to avoid when purchasing UK Number Plates.

Rules for UK Number Plates

For vehicles made after the 1st of January 1973, the front number plate must have a white background while the rear number plate must have a yellow background.

There are strict rules concerning the specification of the letters and numbers in the number plate as seen in the image.

These include:

  • Characters must be 79mm and 50mm wide (except the number 1 or letter I)
  • The thickness of the character stroke must be 14mm
  • The space between the age identifier and the random letters must be 33mm
  • The margins at the top, bottom and side must be 11mm
  • The vertical space between the age identifier and the random numbers must be 19mm
  • The font used in the number plate has been in use since 2001 and is called the Charles Wright Font

Here at UK Legal Number Plates we make sure to produce all of our plates to these specifications so they are 100% road legal and our customers don't have to worry.

Legal UK Number Plates must be made with a reflective material and all digits must be of a solid black font.

Therefore, 3D and 4D lettering styles ARE Legal as they are a black font and do not hinder the registration from showing up on cameras and other police equipment.

Here are some of the Illegal Styles to watch our for:

  • Any Number Plates with 3D or Carbon Printed Styles or Carbon Gel ARE illegal in the UK. This is because they contain areas of Grey on the digits and therefore don't show up as easily on cameras.
  • You may find some Suppliers selling Gel and 4D Lettering Styles that have a coloured perimeter. Even though these lettering styles have a solid black front, they are still illegal due to complications with cameras when at different angles.
  • Some Number Plate Suppliers sell Tinted Number Plates, these are also Illegal. This is because they hinder the reflectivity of the plates and again cause problems when showing up on cameras.

At UK Legal Number Plates we only sell Plates approved by the DVLA and therefore all of our Plates are 100% Road Legal and adhere to all Regulations.

Why do you need to Adhere to these Regulations?

If you are caught with an illegal Number Plate in the UK you can be fined up to £1,000. You could also face points on your license, your car failing its MOT test, or even having your registration number withdrawn.

Plates for Cars are here to supply you only the best Legal Number Plates in the UK so none of this becomes a problem for you. Our Number Plates are DVLA and BSAU 145e approved so you'll never have any issues when ordering from us.

Order your UK Legal Number Plates Today!