Number plate Rules and Regulations
The Law regarding displaying number plates
Most motor vehicles that are used on public roads are required by law to display a vehicle registration plate.
Number plates have existed in the UK since 1904. On 1 January 1904, the Motor Car Act 1903 came into force. The act required all motor vehicles to be entered on an official vehicle register. It was passed in order that vehicles could easily be traced in the event of an accident or violation of the law.
The letters used on a number plate
Number plates have a code which indicates the age of the vehicle. The letter or number denotes the year that the vehicle was first registered. Some letters on a number plate can be mistaken for other letters/digits, and so in order to avoid any confusion, the letters I, O, U and Z have never been issued as a year identifier (I is similar to the number 1, O is almost identical to 0, U can be mistaken for V, and Z is similar to the number 2).
Number plates styles, colours and layouts
All current vehicle registration plates must be displayed in accordance with The Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001. Characters on number plates purchased from 1 September 2001 must conform to set specifications as to height, width, spacing, stroke and margins. The standard size of the front number plate is 520mm x 111mm and the rear number plate is either the same size, or 285mm x 203mm or 533mm x 152 mm, however, there is no specified legal size for a number plate, for example, the rear plate on a Rover 75 is 635mm x 175mm.
The physical characteristics of these number plates are visibility, reflectivity and strength, which meets the specifications set out in the British Standard BS AU 145d. All number plates must conform to British Standard BS AU 145d, which should always be marked on the plate, along with the name and postcode of the manufacturer, and the supplier of the plates.
UK DVLA Registrations can be square or oblong but must be black lettering on a white back ground for the front number plate and black lettering on yellow for the rear plate. The font used for UK number plates is called the Charles Wright font. You may see personalised number plates with other fonts but they are not legal for UK road use.
National Flags & Identifiers
You will also see many plates on vehicles showing the EU band or GB/ENG/ SCO/CYMRU Flag down the left side of the numberplate. Although legal this is not compulsory within the UK. Motorists without the EU logo may use their National Emblem – England using the English St George’s flag, Scottish with Scottish Saltire flag and Wales with the flag of Welsh Dragon Flag. The GB-Euro flag ceased when the UK left the European Union, and there is now a UK Union Jack flag which is suitable for driving in Europe without having to display an oval sticker.
All Flags must be positioned to the left and be no wider than 50mm.
Green Flash for Electric Vehicles
With the emergence of more and more fully electric vehicles driving on UK roads, DVLA introduced a green flash/stripe exclusively for zero emission cars. The colour is a bold green colour , Pantone 7481c or similar, again no more than 50mm wide.
Historic Classic Cars
Silver letters on a black background were permitted to be used on vehicles first registered before 1968. However, this style was then phased out in 1972 and so only vehicles that were first constructed before 1 January 1973 are legally allowed to display this style of number plate. All vehicles manufactured after this date, must display plates made of reflex-reflecting material for 24 hour visibility.
Fixing Number Plates
Number plates can be attached to your vehicle in various ways as long as they are deemed to be secure and can survive the Britain’s inclement weather! CarReg supply strong bonding sticky pads with each pair of plates as standard which are adequate for attaching plates and eliminates the need to drill/screw them which if done incorrectly can cause damage.
Please contact us if you would like to buy Anti-theft fixings.
Making physical number plates
Traditionally, the actual plates were made up by the original supplier of the motor vehicle, and anyone with the correct equipment could make up replacements. However, under the new law, in England and Wales number plates can only be supplied by a registered supplier. That supplier is required to verify the consumers identity, confirming they are the registered keeper of that mark or other authorised person. CarReg are a registered number plate supplier. The RNPS register can be found on the .Gov website. CarReg outsource the manufacturing of our customers plates to a professional company who are used by some cherished number dealers and motor traders. This way we can ensure the consistency of the quality and delivery better than doing so in-house. Buy actual number plates
Motorcycle number plates and registrations
Motorcycles formerly displayed a double-sided number plate on top of the front mudguard, which curved to follow the contour of the wheel and was visible from the sides. However, due to the danger this presented to pedestrians in the event of a collision, this requirement was dropped in 1975. Motorcycles were then required to display a rear number plate, but a front number plate only if desired. However, any motorcycle registered after 1 September 2001 only need to display a number plate on the rear of the vehicle. The standard legal size for a Rear motorcycle plate is 9” (228mm) x 7” (178mm)
Number plates and registrations for the Armed Forces
The UK Specialist HM Forces use a completely different system of numbering and their vehicles use non-reflective black plates with white lettering as in combat situations, a reflective plate can be used for targeting by laser guided weapons. British Military vehicle number plates have been mostly either in a form of 2 digits, 2 letters, 2 digits since 1949, for example; ‘07 CE 08’, or 2 letters, 2 digits, 2 letters from 1995 onwards, an example ‘JW 57 AB’. Before the mid-1980s, the two central letters signified the armed services or the branch or class of vehicle.
