Have you ever seen this? You’re driving along and notice an oncoming car’s front plate is missing. As you drive past, you realise it isn’t missing at all – it’s inside the car on the dashboard. It may have been difficult to read or partially obscured by the outer parts of the window.

Your vehicle’s number plates display your unique vehicle registration number (VRN) and must conform to very strict rules. Regulations don’t just control the technical specifications of your plates; they also control where and how they should be fixed to the vehicle.

Can you put your plates inside your vehicle?

The most likely answer is “no” – you cannot legally put your front plate inside your vehicle on the dashboard. The Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001 tell us that a front number plate must be positioned at the front of the vehicle in a vertical position.

1. This regulation applies to vehicles, other than works trucks, road rollers and agricultural machines, first registered on or after the relevant date.
2. Except as provided in paragraph (5), a registration plate must be fixed on the front of the vehicle in the manner required by paragraph (3).
3. This paragraph requires the plate to be fixed—
   • vertically or, where that is not reasonably practicable, in a position as close to the vertical as is reasonably practicable,
   • in such a position that in normal daylight the characters of the registration mark are easily distinguishable from every part of a relevant area having the diagonal length specified in paragraph (4).

Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2001/561/regulation/6

The “relevant date” in this case refers to 1st October 1938 for Great Britain, and 1st January 1948 for Northern Ireland.

According to the above rules, your vehicle’s front plate must be positioned on the front of the vehicle. There are 2 things to note here:

• “On” the vehicle would likely be interpreted by any reasonable person to mean on the outside, rather than inside.
• “Front of the vehicle” is difficult to misinterpret – for most vehicles, the dashboard & windscreen aren’t at the front of the vehicle.

Furthermore, the rules make it clear that a front plate must be positioned vertically where possible. If your vehicle has a front plate mount, that is the most appropriate position for the plate. You should not choose a less appropriate position, for example, inside the vehicle.

Your plates must be easily readable

In addition to the rules above, there are other rules for number plates that control the readability of your registration marks. Even if it were not a requirement to place the plate vertically at the front of the vehicle, regulation 11 (2) says the following:

A registration plate must not be treated in any other way which renders the characters of the registration mark less easily distinguishable to the eye or which would prevent or impair the making of a true photographic image of the plate through the medium of camera and film or any other device.

Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2001/561/regulation/11

Regulation 11 makes it clear that you cannot make it more difficult to read the registration mark by eye, camera, or any other device. Placing the plate behind the windscreen can obscure the marks in the following ways:

• Glare from the sun (or night-time lighting) can block visibility.
• At night the characters may be very difficult to see by eye.
• The outer parts of a windscreen are often blacked out or have painted frits (black dots), which can partially block the characters.

Summary

It is unlikely that you can legally place your front plate on your dashboard. Your front plate must be displayed at the front of the vehicle, in as vertical a position as possible. If a plate mounting position is available, it is not appropriate for that mounting point to be ignored in favour of a less appropriate position.

If no mounting point is available, then drilling the plates and screwing them into the bumper is more appropriate than putting the plate behind the windscreen where it can be blocked by glare or the outer parts of the windscreen.

Regulations do specify the plate should be fixed on the vehicle, rather than inside the vehicle.

Additionally, the regulations tell us that making the registration marks less easily readable by eye, camera, or other device, is not allowed.

With the rate at which drivers in the UK are buying gel number plates today, the question of whether gel plates are road legal comes up often. The most significant changes to regulations came in September 2021 when the British standard was updated to its current version: BS AU 145e:2018.  

Some police forces are issuing fines for people displaying these number plates, giving people the mistaken impression that all gel number plates are illegal. This certainly isn’t the case, but if they’re road legal, why are people receiving orders from the police to remove them?

So are gel plates road legal? Here’s what the law says

Number plates are regulated by The Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001.

This statutory instrument isn’t very long, and the regulations for the characters aren’t very detailed either. The rules simply say the characters must be black.

Where the registration mark is displayed on the front of the vehicle, it must have black characters on a white background.

Where the registration mark is displayed on the back of the vehicle, it must have black characters on a yellow background.

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2001/561/schedule/2/made

In the above regulations, compliance with the current British standard is required. The British standard is a specification for the technical requirements of a number plate. Things like how reflective they should be, luminance levels for characters, resistance to bending/heat/cold, etc. Mostly boring stuff.

However, the wording of the standard is equally simple when it comes to characters. Section 5.2 Characters says:

The complete surface of each registration character shall be one shade of black

BS AU 145e:2018 5.2 Characters, 5.2.2

There are some other requirements for characters. These include the following:

• Width & height of digits of 79 mm x 50 mm
• Space between digits of 11 mm
• Gap of 33 mm between character groups
• Margin around the outside of the whole registration number of 11 mm

Provided a typical set of gel plates complies with these other rules, the answer seems straight forward.

gel plates meet the regulations, and are therefore road legal.

What changed for number plates in September 2021?

The major revisions of the British standard in 2021 include the following:

Black font only

All plates manufactured after September 2021 must display black characters. This is to make it easier for automatic number plate recognition systems to recognise a vehicle.

Plate markings

Number plates can no longer display logos, website address, or telephone numbers where the supplier details are printed. The plate markings may only display the supplier’s name & postcode and the British standard.

Other revisions

There were quite a few other changes to the latest British standard, but most focussed on technical specifications such as thermal resistance, weathering, bending/cracking, etc.

What about regulation 11 and Surrey police?

Regulation 11 has been used by various police forces, including Surrey police force, to argue that gel plates are not road legal. Surrey police have even sent out threatening letters ordering people to remove their gel plates.

Broadly speaking, regulation 11 says you cannot make a number plate more difficult to read by treating it in certain ways. For example, you cannot apply any material or chemical to the characters to make them reflective.

You also cannot make the characters less easily distinguishable to the eye, a camera device, or “any other device”.

Furthermore, you can’t place a screw or bolt on a plate in a way that changes the appearance of the characters. For example, putting a screw between ’11’ to make it look like an ‘H’.

Some police forces have argued that gel characters are unreadable by their ANPR cameras. In those specific instances, they say those specific plates were illegal. They are not arguing that all gel number plates are illegal.

This is important to recognise, as any number plate can potentially fail to read given the right conditions, and would therefore be illegal. There’s no reason to pick on gel plates unless a pattern of non-readability emerges.

Can ANPR cameras read gel plates?

Most cameras used in public ANPR systems (such as speed cameras or bus lane cameras) have both daytime and night time (infrared) modes for 24/7 monitoring.

Companies & organisations are free to implement their own ANPR systems or use readily available ones, so it’s difficult to get a clear understanding of why some may not be reading gel digits.

Car park cameras are sometimes mounted at severe angles, which could in theory make it more difficult to read a number if the software is calibrated for printed digits.

We have conducted our own extensive testing using off-the-shelf ANPR software with standard, basic cameras and found gel number plates to be as readable as standard printed plates. We’re going to publish these results soon.

DVLA tacitly agrees that gel plates are road legal

DVLA have reversed their opinion on gel plates several times over the last few years, but they now agree that gel plates comply with the rules. In a newsletter to registered number plate suppliers, DVLA tacitly confirms suppliers may supply gel and 3D number plates.

The organisation unfortunately will not explicitly state that gel plates are road legal, despite all the evidence that they are. They instead simply say that gel and 3D number plates must be able to comply with the British standard and the law. They say:

On number plates with raised characters, including 4D and 3D number plates, the entire number plate must be able to fully comply with both the standard and legal requirements. This also includes the characters of the registration number.

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKDVLA/bulletins/2e3e7b6

It is important to note that this newsletter is not the law. We assume DVLA has a legal department checking public newsletters for accuracy before they are published.

Parliament shares their opinion on the matter

On 19 January 2021, a petition was created on petition.parliament.uk. The premise of the petition was actually wrong, but the answer was good for number plate makers like us. The petition was titled “Stop the ban of 4D and 3D registration plates”. As they were never banned to begin with, the petition wasn’t really needed.

The government responded directly because the petition received over 10,000 signatures. In the response, the government stated the following:

The new British Standard for retroreflective number plates does not state that number plates with raised characters, including 3D gel and 4D number plates, will not be permitted

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/569318

They go on to echo the sentiments of DVLA by explaining that number plates must comply with the British standard and the law.

GOV.UK tells us number plates can have raised digits

At the time of writing (27-August-2022), GOV.UK’s page on displaying number plates confirms that number plates can have 3D (raised) characters:

Conclusion

All the evidence available tells us that gel number plates are road legal. They are in compliance with the regulations and the British standard.

They are readable by ANPR systems. DVLA and the government tacitly agree that gel plates may be supplied as long as they meet the legislation and the British standard.

When buying your gelplates, make sure you use a reputable supplier who has registered with DVLA. You can check the register of number plate suppliers here.

Personalised registration numbers, often referred to as private plates or cherished plates, are an easy way to add a little flair to your vehicle. A “private” registration can be bought from DVLA or from companies registered with DVLA to buy & sell registration numbers. They often sell for as little as £70, and many valuable registrations can sell for millions.

The terms “personalised”, “cherished”, and “private” seem to have different origins, but they all mean the same thing. A personalised number is a number that you buy yourself and assign to the vehicle, as opposed to the standard one that came with the vehicle.

Sometimes these terms can cause confusion over how vehicle registration in the UK works, so for the avoidance of doubt: no, you cannot create your own number and register it.

Brief history of vehicle registration in the UK

Every vehicle must have a registration number assigned to it. When a new vehicle is built, an application to DVLA is made to have a registration number given to the vehicle.

Normally the dealer will do this, but you can do it yourself if needed (for example if you build a kit car). The cost is £55.

In 1903 the Motor Car Act was established to regulate vehicles on the roads. In the early days of automobile history, local authorities were responsible for registering new vehicles. The act required all vehicles to display a registration number and its purpose was to keep track of vehicles and impose road taxes.

In 1932 a new numbering system was introduced that required numbers to follow a specific format of 2 letters followed by a space, followed by up to 4 numbers.

By the 1960s, local authorities started running out of available combinations and yet another numbering system was created in 1963.

Later in 1965, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Centre (DVLC) was established in Swansea to take over responsibility for vehicle registration. It was renamed Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in 1990. DVLA is an executive branch of the Department for Transport.

All vehicles are kept on a database of motor vehicles maintained by DVLA. Anyone can access the vehicle register if they have “reasonable cause”, such as tracing the owner of an abandoned vehicle parked on your property.

What is a personalised registration number?

When you buy a new number for your vehicle, you are buying a “personalised” or “private” number. This contrasts with the standard number issued to the vehicle when it was registered. Any person or company who owns a private number can sell it or give it away.

Each year the DVLA generates new registrations based on the current format (2 letters, 2 numbers, 3 random letters). Any numbers that don’t get assigned to a vehicle are kept in the database. The unissued stock is made available to businesses who can sell them on the private market and make a profit. Registered businesses can sell them for whatever they like. When a sale is made, DVLA charges an £80 transfer fee. DVLA also sells its own registration numbers and holds auctions on valuable numbers.

The industry is very lucrative with DVLA themselves having sold over 6 million registrations worth £2 billion across 30 years. The agency has approx. 60 million registrations for sale on its website. In 2018 DVLA brought in £116m in sales, most of which was sales of cheap registrations priced at £250.

Current-format registrations are generally cheap as there are tens of millions of unissued numbers in the database, while older numbers are more expensive. The oldest numbers are short and rare, often making them extremely expensive.

Further Reading

You may also be interested in: Breaking Barriers – The Speed Records that Shook the World

Types of personalised registrations

Registration numbers are categorised into 4 main groups:

Dateless numbers. These are the original numbers issued by local authorities between 1903 and 1962. They are the oldest numbers available and are generally expensive. They conceal the age of the vehicle and are sought after because they can be placed on a vehicle of any age.

Suffix series. The suffix series of numbers was issued between 1963 and 1983 consisting of 3 letters, a space, followed by up to 3 numbers and a final letter (the suffix) that indicates the vehicle age. The suffix A indicates 1963, B is 1964, C is 1965, etc. The letters I, O, Q, U, and Z are not used for suffixes. Z and I were reserved for Northern Ireland. O and U weren’t used because they were easily confused for Q and V. Q is reserved for vehicles where the age or identity is unknown.

Prefix series. Prefix numbers were issued between 1983 and 2001. They consist of a single letter (the prefix) followed by up to 3 numbers, a space, and 3 more letters. The prefix A indicates 1983, B is 1984, C is 1985, etc. Again, the letters I, O, Q, U, and Z are not used for prefixes.

Current series. The current series started in 2001 and is made up of 2 letters, 2 numbers, a space, followed by 3 random letters. The first 2 letters are an area code identifier and tell you where the vehicle was registered. The 2 numbers identify the year the vehicle was registered. The final 3 characters are random.

Because the suffix, prefix, and current series numbers have age identifiers, you cannot assign those numbers to a vehicle that is older than the number. This would make the vehicle look newer than it is, which is illegal.

How to get a personalised registration number

All registration numbers are controlled and administered by DVLA, so ultimately no matter where you buy your number from, DVLA will be involved in the pipeline.

There are several ways to obtain a private number, including:

Buy direct from DVLA website and live auctions

Several times per year DVLA will hold an auction where they sell the more valuable registration numbers. The average price of these numbers is in the thousands as the numbers are limited with around 2500 numbers per auction.

Auctions are held both online and in physical locations around the country.

If auctions aren’t your thing and you just want to browse the available registrations, the database of numbers is searchable. There are almost 60 million numbers in the database, most of which are cheap current series numbers.

Buy from a cherished number dealer

DVLA operates a Cherished Number Dealer program where private businesses can gain access to the DVLA database and sell their registrations. You may be able to buy the same number cheaper from a private business than from DVLA. You may also be able to acquire the same number cheaper from one business than another, as they all ultimately come from the same source.

Businesses can sell the numbers for whatever price they want to and profit from the sale. DVLA charges an £80 transfer fee whether you buy direct from DVLA or buy from a CND, so this will always be added to the total sale price.

Companies who deal in registrations will often have their own private stock of numbers that they have acquired. Those will mostly be higher value numbers, and as they’re exclusive they won’t be available anywhere else.

Other ways to get a cherished number

If you can’t find what you’re looking for in DVLA auctions or in their database, or from a CND, you may still be able to get a number that suits you. Here’s a few methods that may work:

• Reach out to the owner personally. It may be a longshot, but if you see a registration you like you may be able to contact the owner directly with an offer. You may be able to get their contact details by making a request for information to DVLA (https://www.gov.uk/request-information-from-dvla).
• Create ads in relevant groups, forums, and communities where people trading registrations are active. It’s another longshot but you may make some worthwhile contacts along the way.
• Contact DVLA directly about a specific number. Sometimes a valid number may not be available for sale and may not appear in the database because it’s owned by someone. It may not be available from CNDs either, but you may be able to contact DVLA directly and ask for any information on the number and as above, possibly get the owners contact details to make them an offer.

Benefits of having a personalised number

People buy private numbers for many reasons, and while some numbers can be extremely expensive, others are available at reasonable prices. Current format reg numbers may be available for as little as £70. Here are some of the main benefits of a cherished number.

Personalising your vehicle

It’s a small thing, but having your initials or a number that closely resembles your name can make a big difference to your vehicle’s aesthetics. Adding a little flair with a plate that has your initials on can also help others like friends and family find your car more easily.

Concealing the age of the vehicle

If you can get your hands on a dateless number (those numbers were issued between 1903 and 1962) you can hide the age of your vehicle. Of course, anyone who knows the model of your vehicle will know the approximate age but for most onlookers, they won’t know how old your car is.

Profit

Some numbers are particularly valuable and if you can find a unique registration, its value may go up in time. Some numbers may closely resemble your name, or the name of your vehicle which gives them value to others as well. Holding on to it for a few years could be profitable.

FAQs on Personalised Registration Numbers and Vehicle Registration in the UK

Q: Can you create your own reg number?

A: No, you cannot. You can only buy DVLA registrations (whether through DVLA directly or a Cherished Number Dealer).

Q: How much are private numbers?

A: This varies widely. Current series numbers with no particular value can be bought for as little as £70, while others can fetch hundreds of thousands of pounds. Some numbers have sold for as much as £1 million.

Q: Why is there a DVLA transfer fee if I buy from a private business?

A: When a private business sells a number (even if they own it privately), the number has to be transferred to the new vehicle. The transfer is handled by DVLA and the fee is £80. DVLA is always ultimately involved with the sale of registration numbers.

Summary

Cherished plates are an easy way to personalise your vehicle and add some flair. You can buy cheap private numbers from DVLA or Cherished Number Dealers, and may find one that looks similar to your name or contains your initials.

The vehicle registration system has gone through lots of changes over the years. For over half a century local authorities were responsible for controlling and issuing new numbers. DVLA (formerly known as DVLC) was established to centralise the management of vehicle registration and registration numbers.

There are 4 main groups of numbers available: dateless, prefix, suffix, and current series. Dateless plates can go on a car of any age, but the others may not. You cannot make a car look newer than it is by placing a newer registration on it.

Don’t forget to shop around. Some CNDs may have the same registration available for a better price.

Digital number plates, also known as electronic license plates, have been trialled in the United States. In 2017, California’s Electronic License Plate Pilot Program tested the issue of electronic plates to a limited number of volunteers. The project was funded by US taxpayers and cost $20m USD.

The tests proved positive and after a successful deployment in California, both Michigan and Arizona legalised electronic registration plates. However, other states such as Florida rejected the idea.

There is currently only one supplier of digital plates (https://reviver.com/) in the USA.

What is a digital number plate?

Unlike a traditional number plate with printed characters, a digital plate is a plate with a fully electronic digital display much like a tablet. A digital plate is connected to the vehicle’s electronics.

A digital plate shows your registration number on a backlit screen with other relevant information on display as well.

These types of plates need a power supply to work, which can be in the form of a battery or a direct connection to your vehicle’s power supply.

How do digital plates compare to traditional number plates?

By their design, digital plates are very different in construction to a standard number plate. Regular number plates are printed and laminated with a plastic or metal material, or stamped in a press. Digital plates are more of a tablet-like device that require an operating system, display, power supply, and some kind of connection to data.

The following table shows the main differences:

	Standard plate	Digital plate
Plate construction	Acrylic, ABS plastic, or metal	Digital tablet-like construction
Font	Printed, gel, or 3D	Digital font only
Can be reflective?	Yes	No
Sizes available	Any size, can be cut to order	Limited to manufacturer production capability, not customisable

Clearly a very different technology with some glaring differences. Digital plates are approved in 3 states in the USA but have not yet made an appearance in the United Kingdom.

Advantages & benefits of digital plates

There are some definite advantages to using a digital plate on your vehicle, including security and fraud prevention. In no particular order, some of the possible advantages include:

Security & access

In theory, a digital plate could be equipped with authentication systems that are connected directly to the vehicle and could be pre-programmed with the vehicle registration number. If removed from the vehicle, the plate could shut itself off or display “STOLEN”, deterring would-be thieves. It should be noted that digital plates are still very expensive so could be stolen and dismantled for parts. Would you leave a tablet stuck on the outside of your car?

In theory, a digital plate could interface directly with security systems such as car park barriers or other properties, allowing access and instant payment.

Convenience

A digital plate could allow the registration number to be updated instantly without needing to renew the whole plate. People who purchase personalised registration numbers would benefit the most from this.

This would need additional security and possibly a connection to DVLA, otherwise owners could simply change their registration number at their leisure.

Recyclable

Unlike a regular number plate, a digital plate can be recycled and placed on another vehicle when discarded or unwanted. The components can also be recovered and recycled, which cannot be done with standard plates in the UK.

Disadvantages of digital registration plates

Unfortunately, there are quite a few disadvantages of a digital plate which make them less convenient. These include:

Cost

The digital plates currently on the market in the USA are very expensive, costing hundreds of US dollars. Compared to the UK where replacement number plates cost around £20 for a pair.

Vulnerability

Digital plates are electronic devices like your phone or tablet, but much simpler. As such, they are vulnerable to hacking and bugs in the hardware & software.

Power needed

A plate that requires a power supply is by design less reliable than a traditional plate. What if the power cables or connections get damaged and the display turns off? You’ll have no plates!

If the plate is ‘on’ all the time, it drains the battery. Some people don’t drive all that often so it is not inconceivable that a large, bright LED display on the front & back of your car could drain the battery.

Furthermore, if the plate is ‘off’ when you switch off the engine, your car won’t be displaying any registration marks which is illegal. Your vehicle must be permanently affixed with registration plates while on public roads.

A pair of very bright displays stuck on your car may also decrease your fuel efficiency slightly.

Maintenance

Unfortunately, being an electronic device, they will need some maintenance. This will include making sure there are no cracks or damage to the screen, keeping the software up to date, and cleaning the digital display.

They may also be more vulnerable to pressure washers, car washes, ice, stone chips, screens cracking, and generally getting dirty.

Additionally, wrong-doers could easily crack the display, making the plate unreadable and in need of an expensive replacement.

Legibility

Digital plates may be harder to read and more difficult for cameras to detect. Bright sunlight makes digital displays harder to see even when they’re in the palm of your hand, so the display would need to be very bright and of a high enough resolution to show crisp and clear registration marks.

Installation

Regular plates just need to be drilled and screwed in. Digital plates on the other hand need to be connected to your car’s battery, with wires being routed and concealed under the carpets and body work.

Unless a digital plate is self-contained and pre-programmed with your data, it may also need to connect to the vehicle’s computer (ECU) or some other system.

Are digital plates legal in the UK?

As they don’t exist in the UK, the question of the legality of digital plates is somewhat irrelevant. Digital plates as they exist in the USA would not be road legal in the UK as they are not built to comply with our regulations.

The main reason digital plates are not possible in the UK is because our number plates must be retroreflective – they must meet very specific reflectivity and luminance requirements. Reflectivity is not possible with a digital LED display, so any plate made this way would not be compliant with the regulations.

Regulations can certainly change to incorporate a digital plate, but there would need to be some major benefits and quite a bit of pressure on DVLA and parliament to get those changes made. Unfortunately, the benefits of digital plates aren’t very compelling at this stage and some of the benefits such as the possible security features could be incorporated into other parts of your car for a much lower cost.

Summary

Digital plates are available in some states in the USA but have been rejected in others. They are expensive and offer some possible benefits over traditional plates, but there are quite a few disadvantages.

A digital plate could never outlast a traditional acrylic or aluminium plate. Stone chips, cracks, ice damage and general wear and tear will break a digital device fairly quickly. How long would an iPad last if you stuck it to the front of your car? That is, if it wasn’t stolen first.

The regulations for number plates in the United Kingdom prevent the use of a digital display altogether since they have to be retroreflective – a feature not possible with digital LED displays.

While interesting, the disadvantages seem to outweigh the benefits of a digital plate and it is unlikely we are going to see them on our roads any time soon.

Short plates and ‘shaped’ plates are an uncommon but often overlooked style of number plate design that compliment your car. While over 90% of the vehicles on UK roads display the standard oblong (measuring 520 mm x 111 mm), there are many other sizes and shapes available.

If you’re considering short or custom-sized 4D plates for your vehicle, it’s important to know the regulations surrounding them. While they can add a unique look to your car, not all custom plates are road legal in the UK.

Sports cars and supercars often display plates that are laser cut to the exact size, shape, and dimensions of the vehicles mounting points and plate recesses.

What are short plates?

The majority of vehicles in the world can display a standard UK oblong, but some may have mountings that only allow certain sizes and shapes to fit. This is especially true for more exotic cars or high-end vehicles.

Short plates are exactly as the name suggests – number plates that are shorter than usual. While there is no standardised size that defines a ‘short’ plate, it typically refers to a plate that has a reduced width that is only just wide enough to fit the registration marks. Common sizes include 18”, 16”, and 14” plates. The height is usually the same as a standard UK oblong: 111 mm.

Custom sizes and ‘shaped’ plates

Like short plates, number plates can also be shaped to the vehicle. Many cars have recessed or shaped mounting points on the tailgate. By measuring the curves and dimensions of these mounting points, we can create number plates that fit into them perfectly – thus creating a ‘shaped’ plate.

Vehicles that commonly display shaped plates include the Range Rover, Jaguar, and older Rover models.

Other variants of shaped plates exist, such as hex plates or six sided plates. These are more commonly found on sports cars and high-performance vehicles.

What do the rules say about short plates?

Number plates are regulated by the provisions in The Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001. The rules require certain margins, colours, and physical properties to be present for all number plates. Broadly speaking, the following rules must be met by all number plates:

• Be made of a reflective material.
• Display a yellow plate on the back of the vehicle.
• Display a white plate on the front of the vehicle.
• Display characters that are a single shade of black – no effects or patterns, and
• Each character must be 79 mm (H) x 50 mm (W) in size, and
• Each character must have a gap of 11 mm between them, and a gap of 33 mm between character groups.
• Have a margin of 11 mm around the outside of the registration marks.

Provided the above rules are met, there is nothing in any of the provisions of The Road Vehicles Regulations that stops you displaying a short or shaped plate.

Further Reading

You may also be interested in: Showing Documents When Buying Number Plates

Why would I want to buy short plates?

Whether you’re driving an old van or a brand-new sports car, you can add a touch of style to your vehicle by adding a number plate with a unique size or shape. What you choose is up to you, but as a guide here are some suggestions:

• Regular vehicles may benefit from shaped plates that are crafted to fit the recesses and dimensions of the mounting points on your vehicle.
• Higher-end vehicles such as Jaguars and Range Rovers may prefer the oversized oblongs or curved oblongs to fit the larger mounts.
• Vans and trucks may be complimented with large or oversized oblongs or plates cut to the exact dimensions of the mounts.
• Sports cars and supercars often display custom-sized plates such as hex plates, or plates laser cut to the exact size, shape, and dimensions of the mounting points.

Can I customise anything else?

While the regulations are quite strict, there is still room for personalisation of your plates. The rules mentioned above cannot be broken, but there are other ways to add some flair to your plates. For example, borders of any colour are permitted. Borders can be 1 to 5 mm in thickness and can be displayed in any colour (as long as that colour is not reflective) around the outside of the plate.

Furthermore, a range of flags is available which can also be partially customised. Any flag of the United Kingdom may be displayed on your number plates – and we have a range of flags that have been artistically created just for the purpose of added style. Flags can display a country code as well, including:

• UK or United Kingdom
• GB or Great Britain
• Cym, Cymru, or Wales
• Sco or Scotland

The character style can also per customised with a variety of types, including any of the following road legal variations:

• 4D laser in 3 mm thickness
• 4D laser in 5 mm thickness
• Gel
• Printed

4D plates in custom sizes and shapes can be extremely appealing.

Further Reading

You may also be interested in: Ultimate Guide To 4D Number Plates Infographic

Summary

Both of these plate variants are road legal and compliant to the regulations and rules and can safely be affixed to your car without worry. While the majority of vehicles in the UK display the standard oblong measuring 520 mm x 111 mm, the same majority of vehicles can actually accommodate a custom plate.

The rules for displaying number plates allow for quite a bit of customisation and flair and are not contravened by displaying these types of plates.

Short plates and ‘shaped’ plates are an easy and affordable way to add a touch of style to your vehicle. They be crafted to fit the exact shape, size, and dimensions of your vehicle and are installed exactly as a regular plate would be.

Have a look at your own vehicles and you’ll probably notice the tailgate has a recess or shaped contours that can be filled with a custom size plate.

You see them all over the place – cameras watching the roads or scanning the entrances to car parks. These systems are deployed in a wide variety of places and can be used for lots of different types of monitoring. ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) is a technology used across the world, and it was invented here in the UK.

How do ANPR systems work for number plates?

ANPR systems, broadly speaking, all work the same way.

1. A camera will take a photograph of the vehicle’s plates.
2. Some software detects the registration number.
3. Another software system does something with the information – i.e., performs a database lookup or generates a speeding ticket.

Some other names for the technology include ALPR (Automatic License Plate Recognition), AVI (Automatic Vehicle Identification), or LPR (License Plate Recognition), depending on where you are.

What technology is used in ANPR systems?

Camera

The camera is the first part of the system. ANPR systems typically use infrared cameras due to their versatility. Infrared cameras can be used during both day and night, while visible light cameras can only be used in daylight unless the area being monitored is brightly lit.

High shutter speeds are needed for most ANPR cameras because they need to be able to capture an image of a vehicle moving at high speeds. Shutter speeds of up to 1/1000 of a second are typical. For reference, shutter speeds of 1/500 of a second can capture vehicles moving at 40 mph (~ 65 kph).

Optical Character Recognition

Once the camera has taken a photograph of the vehicle, a piece of software will attempt to read the registration marks. This is where an optical character recognition (OCR) system comes in to play. OCR systems broadly follow these steps:

1. Find and isolate the plate within the photo.
2. Adjust the brightness and contrast of the image to make the characters highly contrasting to the background.
3. Segment the characters into a grid.
4. “read” each character using an algorithm.

Additional software

Once the OCR algorithm has read your plate, it needs to do something with the data. This could be something as simple as performing a database lookup to check if the vehicle is taxed, or keeping count of vehicles on a particular road.

Whatever purpose the camera operator has, software behind the scenes will be controlling connections to databases and other systems to do something useful with the information.

History of number plate recognition

You may think the implementation of ANPR systems is a recent innovation because of the proliferation of CCTV and internet connectivity, but you’d be wrong. ANPR was created by the Police Scientific Development Branch (PSDB) in 1976 and was first used in 1979.

Camera systems were first used on the A1 and the Dartford Tunnel crossing (M25). The first arrest that can be directly attributed to an ANPR camera was in 1981 when a stolen car was detected.

In 1993 the City of London had deployed the “Ring of Steel”, now known as The Traffic and Environmental Zone. It was implemented by the London Metropolitan Police.

By 1997 further extensions to ANPR systems were made. The Police National ANPR Data Centre was created to supplement the Police National Computer Service. Before this, ANPR data was only available on local ANPR systems controlled by the local police. The National ANPR Data Centre made it possible for data to be shared by police forces nationwide.

In 2003, a congestion charge scheme was deployed in London to reduce traffic volumes in the city. Transport for London operates a system of 700 cameras and covers every road within the 20 square kilometre congestion zone.

In the years following, many systems were deployed in several arenas including car park and traffic monitoring.

Types of ANPR systems – number plates, speeding, and more

Automatic detection of your vehicle’s registration marks isn’t just used for generating speeding fines, but can actually be very useful. Here are just a few ways ANPR systems can be used:

Traffic monitoring and motorway management

Highways England operates over 1,100 cameras in more than 500 locations across the UK to manage traffic on the roads. Some applications include:

• Speed cameras and average speed cameras.
• Checking for stolen, uninsured, or untaxed vehicles, and vehicles without an MOT.
• Monitoring traffic flow and volume.
• Monitoring bus lanes.
• Toll roads.
• Calculating traffic journey times.

Security access and car parks

Many private companies deploy ANPR systems to control who can access their property. Many car parks are barrier-controlled with cameras that read your plates on the way in. The exit barrier will only open once the parking fee has been paid and your plates cleared for exit.

Fast food chains will often issue fines to customers who stay too long in their car parks.

Can you block ANPR cameras from reading your plates?

It is possible to modify your number plates so they can defeat certain technologies from automatically reading your registration number. Such plates are known as “stealth plates” and are illegal. Depending on the camera system, there are a variety of methods capable of blocking ANPR technology.

Block infrared light

It is possible to block infrared light by applying infrared-blocking coatings to your number plates. Blocking infrared light prevents a high-contrast photograph from being taken and disrupts the system’s ability to detect the characters. Such coatings do not block visible light cameras.

Over-expose the camera with LEDs

Some people install very bright LED strips above or below their plates to try to overexpose the camera sensor. This can be prevented by the camera operator by adjusting the camera’s white balance and other settings.

Reflective characters

Another possible way to defeat infrared cameras is to use a number plate with reflective characters. A reflective character would reduce the contrast between the plate and the character making it difficult for the OCR system to read anything. How to make them reflective is another matter, which we shall not divulge.

Radar jamming

Some speed cameras can be defeated by using radar and laser jammers.

The methods above can be overcome by determined camera operators. Any system that uses a dual camera set up (both visible light and infrared cameras) are harder to defeat.

Using radar and laser jammers is illegal in most parts of the world. In the UK, it is illegal to make your number plate more difficult for a camera “or any other device” to read, which includes coatings, reflective characters, or lights.

What are the penalties for non-compliant registration plates?

Illegal number plates are also an MOT failure, and repeated offences can lead to DVLA revoking the number and issuing a new, random plate. Having the registration number revoked is a very rare penalty.

Drivers who display number plates that do not comply with the rules can be fined up to £1,000 by the police.

The use of laser and radar jammers can lead to even bigger fines and possibly custodial sentences. One man was sentenced to 8 months in jail for jamming a speed camera and swearing at the camera operator. He was also banned from driving for 1-year.

Summary

ANPR systems rely on several technologies to work effectively. We firstly need the camera, then some software running on that camera to read your plates, and finally a database or connection to another system to do something with the data.

They have been around since the late 1970s and implementation of the technology started growing rapidly in the 1990s. They can be successfully deployed in a wide range of applications from controlling car park access, monitoring speed, monitoring traffic flow, managing the highways, checking bus lanes, and checking if your vehicle is taxed and on the motor insurance database.

Blocking ANPR cameras is generally illegal and tampering with your number plates can lead to hefty fines and penalties.

With the rate at which drivers in the UK are buying 3D number plates today, the question of whether 3D plates are road legal comes up often. The most significant changes to regulations came in September 2021 when the British standard was updated to its current version: BS AU 145e:2018.  

Some police forces are issuing fines for people displaying these number plates, giving people the mistaken impression that all 3D number plates are illegal. This certainly isn’t the case, but if they’re road legal, why are people receiving orders from the police to remove them?

So are 3D plates road legal? Here’s what the law says

Number plates are regulated by The Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001.

This statutory instrument isn’t very long, and the regulations for the characters aren’t very detailed either. The rules simply say the characters must be black.

Where the registration mark is displayed on the front of the vehicle, it must have black characters on a white background.

Where the registration mark is displayed on the back of the vehicle, it must have black characters on a yellow background.

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2001/561/schedule/2/made

In the above regulations, compliance with the current British standard is required. The British standard is a specification for the technical requirements of a number plate. Things like how reflective they should be, luminance levels for characters, resistance to bending/heat/cold, etc. Mostly boring stuff.

However, the wording of the standard is equally simple when it comes to characters. Section 5.2 Characters says:

The complete surface of each registration character shall be one shade of black

BS AU 145e:2018 5.2 Characters, 5.2.2

There are some other requirements for characters. These include the following:

• Width & height of digits of 79 mm x 50 mm
• Space between digits of 11 mm
• Gap of 33 mm between character groups
• Margin around the outside of the whole registration number of 11 mm

Provided a typical set of 3D plates complies with these other rules, the answer seems straight forward.

3D plates meet the regulations, and are therefore road legal.

What changed for number plates in September 2021?

The major revisions of the British standard in 2021 include the following:

Black font only

All plates manufactured after September 2021 must display black characters. This is to make it easier for automatic number plate recognition systems to recognise a vehicle.

Plate markings

Number plates can no longer display logos, website address, or telephone numbers where the supplier details are printed. The plate markings may only display the supplier’s name & postcode and the British standard.

Other revisions

There were quite a few other changes to the latest British standard, but most focussed on technical specifications such as thermal resistance, weathering, bending/cracking, etc.

What about regulation 11 and Surrey police?

Regulation 11 has been used by various police forces, including Surrey police force, to argue that 3D plates are not road legal. Surrey police have even sent out threatening letters ordering people to remove their 3D plates.

Broadly speaking, regulation 11 says you cannot make a number plate more difficult to read by treating it in certain ways. For example, you cannot apply any material or chemical to the characters to make them reflective.

You also cannot make the characters less easily distinguishable to the eye, a camera device, or “any other device”.

Furthermore, you can’t place a screw or bolt on a plate in a way that changes the appearance of the characters. For example, putting a screw between ’11’ to make it look like an ‘H’.

Some police forces have argued that 3D characters are unreadable by their ANPR cameras. In those specific instances, they say those specific plates were illegal. They are not arguing that all 3D number plates are illegal.

This is important to recognise, as any number plate can potentially fail to read given the right conditions, and would therefore be illegal. There’s no reason to pick on 3D plates unless a pattern of non-readability emerges.

Can ANPR cameras read 3D plates?

Most cameras used in public ANPR systems (such as speed cameras or bus lane cameras) have both daytime and night time (infrared) modes for 24/7 monitoring.

Companies & organisations are free to implement their own ANPR systems or use readily available ones, so it’s difficult to get a clear understanding of why some may not be reading 3D digits.

Car park cameras are sometimes mounted at severe angles, which could in theory make it more difficult to read a number if the software is calibrated for printed digits.

We have conducted our own extensive testing using off-the-shelf ANPR software with standard, basic cameras and found 3D number plates to be as readable as standard printed plates. We’re going to publish these results soon.

DVLA tacitly agrees that 3D plates are road legal

DVLA have reversed their opinion on 3D plates several times over the last few years, but they now agree that 3D plates comply with the rules. In a newsletter to registered number plate suppliers, DVLA tacitly confirms suppliers may supply 3D gel and 3D number plates.

The organisation unfortunately will not explicitly state that 3D plates are road legal, despite all the evidence that they are. They instead simply say that 3D gel and 3D number plates must be able to comply with the British standard and the law. They say:

On number plates with raised characters, including 3D gel and 3D number plates, the entire number plate must be able to fully comply with both the standard and legal requirements. This also includes the characters of the registration number.

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKDVLA/bulletins/2e3e7b6

It is important to note that this newsletter is not the law. We assume DVLA has a legal department checking public newsletters for accuracy before they are published.

Parliament shares their opinion on the matter

On 19 January 2021, a petition was created on petition.parliament.uk. The premise of the petition was actually wrong, but the answer was good for number plate makers like us. The petition was titled “Stop the ban of 4D and 3D registration plates”. As they were never banned to begin with, the petition wasn’t really needed.

The government responded directly because the petition received over 10,000 signatures. In the response, the government stated the following:

The new British Standard for retroreflective number plates does not state that number plates with raised characters, including 3D gel and 4D number plates, will not be permitted

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/569318

They go on to echo the sentiments of DVLA by explaining that number plates must comply with the British standard and the law.

GOV.UK tells us number plates can have raised digits

At the time of writing (27-August-2022), GOV.UK’s page on displaying number plates confirms that number plates can have 3D (raised) characters:

Conclusion

All the evidence available tells us that 3D number plates are road legal. They are in compliance with the regulations and the British standard.

They are readable by ANPR systems. DVLA and the government tacitly agree that 3D plates may be supplied as long as they meet the legislation and the British standard.

When buying your 3D plates, make sure you use a reputable supplier who has registered with DVLA. You can check the register of number plate suppliers here.

Number plates are a regulated product, and as such there are some rules that must be followed when buying and selling them.

The Vehicles Crime (Registration of Registration Plate Suppliers) Regulations 2008 requires registration plate suppliers like SurePlates to carry out an ID check on the buyer, and see a document proving they are entitled to display the registration mark. When buying new number plates, (including 4D plates) the buyer must provide:

1. A form of identification such as a driver’s license, passport, national identity card, etc.
2. A document proving entitlement to display the registration mark such as a V750 Certificate of Entitlement or V778 Certificate of Retention, etc.

We must record the serial numbers of your documents, your name & address, and your registration mark. These records must be kept for at least 3-years and made available to the appropriate authorities on request.

What documents are required?

The above regulations recognise any one of the following documents as valid identification:

• A driving licence, with or without a photo (whether or not it was issued in the United Kingdom)
• A bill from an electricity, gas or water supplier, a landline phone bill, a council tax bill or rates bill in Northern Ireland (issued within the last six months)
• A bank or building society statement (issued within the last six months)
• A passport (whether or not it was issued in the United Kingdom)
• A national identity card issued by the government of a state or of a territory (other than the United Kingdom)
• A debit card or credit card (issued by a bank or building society)
• A police warrant card
• An armed forces identity card

Any one of the following documents are valid for proving entitlement to display the registration mark:

• Registration certificate (V5C)
• The New keeper slip (green slip)
• A certificate of entitlement (V750)
• A retention document (V778)
• Reminder to get vehicle tax or make a SORN (V11)
• A temporary registration certificate (V379)
• A ‘number plate authorisation certificate’ (V948 or eV948) or a ‘trailer number plate authorisation certificate’ (eV948/2) with a DVLA stamp
• A letter of authorisation from a lease or hire company, including a fleet operator. The letter must quote the document reference number from the V5C
• Record of the insurer’s name, reference and policy numbers (for repairs approved by an insurance company)
• A PDF of the vehicle details from the View Vehicle Record (VVR) service from a lease or hire company, including fleet operators, which must quote the V5C document reference number when the original V5C has been suppressed
• A trailer registration certificate (VTRC)

Can I buy number plates for someone else?

Yes you can. There are no regulations that require the person making the purchase to also own the registration mark.

When buying number plates for someone else, you must have access to one of the above proof of entitlement documents. You should acquire this from the keeper of the vehicle / owner of the registration mark prior to making your purchase.

The identity document should belong to you the buyer. You should not try to acquire the identity document of the registered keeper / owner of the registration mark.

How do I provide my documentation?

You can send them to us via post (snail mail) to our registered office address, or you can send them to us by e-mail. You will receive instructions in your order e-mail confirmation on how to do this and where to send them.

If sending via post, we strongly recommend using a fully tracked and signed for service to protect against potential losses. When sending documents by post, your number plates will not be manufactured and dispatched until those documents have been checked and recorded. This can delay your order significantly. We advise against using this method of document checking.

How long after I send my documents does it take to get my plates?

Provided you send your documents immediately, there should be no delay to your order. Our usual manufacturing time of approx. ½ a day applies. Orders are always dispatched the same day when they are placed before 3pm.

Your estimated delivery time is displayed on the basket and checkout pages. We normally offer 3 shipping methods: Tracked 48, Tracked 24, and Special Delivery guaranteed by 1pm the next working day.

Further information

You can read more information about number plates and registration plate suppliers by following the links below.

GOV UK Displaying number plates

https://www.gov.uk/displaying-number-plates

INF136

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/785477/inf136-register-of-number-plate-suppliers-customer-documents.pdf

INF104

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1068365/inf104-vehicle-registration-numbers-and-number-plates.pdf

INF291

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/780825/trailer-registration-numbers-and-number-plates-inf291.pdf

INF195/2

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/784676/inf1952-information-to-be-kept-by-registered-number-plate-suppliers.pdf

4D Number Plates

https://sureplates.co.uk/number-plates/why-choose-4d-number-plates/

Short Plates & Custom Sized Plates

https://sureplates.co.uk/number-plates/are-short-plates-and-custom-sizes-road-legal-in-the-uk/

Summary

The requirement to show documentation was introduced in 2008 as a means to prevent and reduce vehicle cloning. Prior to 2008, registration plate suppliers did not need to check ID or see proof of entitlement, making it easy for criminals to acquire plates illegally.

You can send us your documents online via e-mail safely and securely, with no delay to your order. Full instructions will be included in your order confirmation e-mail and a copy of the above lists of documents will be provided.

Remember you do not need to own the vehicle or registration mark to buy number plates. As long as you have access to the document proving entitlement, you can use it to purchase number plates.

We (SurePlates) are required by law to keep a record of the sale. This record includes your document serial numbers, your registration mark, and your name & address. These records are maintained securely for 3-years and are accessible only on request by the police, DVLA, DVSA, and trading standards.

3D number plates have been around for a few years now. They started showing up in the late 2010s, but it wasn’t until 2020 and 2021, with sales boosted heavily by the ecommerce boom during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, that they started showing up en masse. But what are 3D number plates? You’ve probably seen loads of them by now:

3D plates are considered a premium variation on a number plate and are normally more expensive. The digits are laser cut from acrylic or aluminium. They are sharper, more visible, and they tend to make your vehicle “pop”. They can go on any vehicle of any age. There are no special requirements.

What’s the difference between normal plates and 3D plates?

The only difference between 3D and printed plates are the characters. All the other features of a number plate are identical. Contrast the above to a standard printed plate, and the difference is apparent:

Any Registered Number Plate Supplier (RNPS) can make and sell 3D plates.

Further Reading

You may also be interested in: Are 3D Number Plates Road Legal?

How are 3D plates made?

The standard method is to use a laser cutter to cut the 3D digits from sheets of black acrylic. The acrylic is laminated on one side with an adhesive (and a protective release liner covering it) prior to being cut.

Aluminium can also be used, but laser cutting metal is more expensive, as is casting aluminium digits. The standard material for 3D digits is acrylic.

A special jig needs to be used to position the characters correctly on the plates. The jig ensures the characters are not only aligned correctly, but that the spacing of the letters and space between character groups is also correct. 3D plates cannot be made without a jig, as positioning each digit manually is very time consuming and error-prone.

Once a character is placed down on a plate, it cannot be removed or repositioned due to the very high strength adhesive used.

Are 3D plates the same as 4D plates?

Nope, but they’re becoming the same thing.

Years ago (long before 3D/4D plates were a thing), you could buy printed number plates that had a 2-tone print effect. Each character had a highlight on one side giving a 3D effect. They weren’t really three-dimensional, but the effect was quite cool looking and they became quite popular. They were known as 3D number plates.

This is what they looked like:

These printed effects (along with the carbon effect and the hi-line effect) are no longer road legal due to a change in the regulations on 1st September 2021. The new number plate regulations now say that all number plates must display characters using a single shade of solid black, so “3D” number plates aren’t a thing anymore.

Can 3D plates be used on any vehicle?

There are no restrictions on what vehicles can display 3D plates. They’re just the same as any other plate in terms of the rules and regulations, and they can be used on cars, buses, lorries, vans, trucks, trailers, caravans, or even scooters.

The only exception to this would be trade plates. Those can only be obtained directly from DVLA and are only available with red printed characters.

Only certain people and companies can have trade plates, so this restriction does not impact the majority of people.

Can I customise my 3D plates?

To the extent that any number plate can be customised, the simple answer is yes. Our powerful and intuitive number plate builder can create thousands of unique (and fully road legal) permutations of a number plate.

We can offer such a large number of possible unique plate styles and configurations because our plate builder offers so many options. Take a look for yourself:

Pick from various plate sizes, lots of character types, multiple flag options (including no flag), an EV strip. You can customise the border (including thickness and radius) and change the position of the legal markings.

What other options are there?

If 3D plates aren’t quite your thing but you still want something a little different, there are several other options available.

The next premium offer is our gel number plates. They’ve been around longer than 3D plates, making their appearance in the early 2000s. These plates use gel digits made from polyurethane resin which are bonded to the surface of the plates the same as 3D number plates.

Gel number plates:

Another more premium offer is our 4D gel number plates. They are thick and shiny digits and are our most premium offer. These characters are made by combining 4D digits and gel.

4D Gel Number Plates:

Or if you’re just in need of a new set of number plates for your vehicle, we can also provide a set of standard printed registration plates. They can be modified with borders & flags of many colours and variations.

If you have an electric vehicle, consider getting some ‘electric’ plates with the green EV strip.

Printed Number Plates:

If you’ve ever been to a foreign country, you may have noticed that the number plates on the cars are different in colour from what we have here in the UK. In some countries, they are all white, in others they are all yellow, while others still offer a variety of colours. 

So why are different colour number plates used in the UK? What is the significance of the colours? 

What is the reasoning behind the difference in UK number plate colours?

The short answer is quite simple – the law says so. The Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001 tells us where a front number plate is displayed, it shall be white with black characters. Where a rear number plate is displayed, it shall be yellow with black characters.

Number plates colours in the UK

In the past, UK license plates were black with silver, white, or grey characters that displayed the registration marks.

On 1 January 1973, the regulations on colour were changed to require number plates to be constructed in reflective white and yellow. The exact reason legislators decided to do this is not well documented so the history is a little vague. But, this is how today’s white and yellow number plates were created. Except for military vehicles, all regular vehicles are now required to have white front and yellow back license plates.

Further Reading

You may also be interested in: A Brief History of Cars and Number Plates

Are there any practical benefits to different coloured plates?

There are some benefits to driver’s having white and yellow coloured number plates.

• It aids drivers in determining the direction in which other vehicles are moving at a glance. It is simple to tell whether a vehicle is coming towards you or moving away from you since it has a white number plate on the front and a yellow one at the back.
• Black characters on a white background were determined to have the best contrast, with black on yellow having the next best. This aids in camera readability which in-turn aids in crime detection & prevention.
• Due to the reflective nature of the plates, higher visibility means you stand a better chance of avoiding accidents when there’s low visibility.

Why were the colours white and yellow chosen and not others?

DVLA says that number plates are coloured differently on the front & back so it is easier to tell which direction a vehicle is travelling at a glance. In situations where visibility is poor, it is beneficial for a driver to be able to tell at a glance which direction another road user is travelling in.

White number plates with black characters were determined to have the highest contrast ratio, and were selected for the front of the vehicle. Yellow plates were determined to have the next best contrast ratio, so were the natural choice for the rear plate.

Summary

The exact reason we have two colours for front & rear plates in the UK isn’t well documented. It likely came about as a result of the government trying to improve road safety and create better regulations for vehicles on UK roads.

White & yellow with black characters are the highest contrasting colour combinations, so were an obvious choice for colours. Having a high contrast ratio is important for ANPR camera systems, so has the added benefit of improving crime detection via ANPR cameras.

Having different colours on the front & back makes it easy to tell at a glance what direction a vehicle is travelling in, which improves road safety.

 

In any case, it’s hard to tell whether a new trend will stick around for the foreseeable future or if it will inevitably fizzle out in place of something better.

That way, we can curb the effects of harmful gases being released through traditional vehicles in exchange for zero-emission cars, which get the job done just as efficiently.

But are electric cars really the future? There have been some doubts about just how environmentally friendly they are, which have plenty of people questioning whether they will take over as the main vehicles of the future.

Here is a breakdown of electric cars, so you can know what to expect in the coming years for the automotive industry.

Electric car statistics

In 2012, the world saw 120,000 electric cars get sold to consumers. In 2022, that amount gets sold in a week.

There’s no hiding the fact that electric cars are selling at an exponential rate each year, and this may be an indication that they are here to stay. In fact, the sales of electric vehicles in 2021 were double what they were in 2020, and that trajectory is only predicted to continue.

In 2021 almost ten per cent of all car sales were electric, so it’s safe to say that more and more consumers are opting for zero-emission solutions for their vehicles.

With a greater demand for electric vehicles, we are also seeing an improvement in the infrastructure for electric cars. For years when electric cars were first introduced, the number one complaint regarding them was charging.

With petrol and diesel stations already in full force around the world, finding a charging hub for your electric vehicle was quite difficult if you weren’t in a highly populated urban area. However, since more people are purchasing electric cars, there has been a significant increase in the amount of charging stations available.

In the UK alone, the availability of electric charging stations increased by 10% in 2021, which is in line with the number of cars sold.

This means that there should be more than enough charging stations to go around, and with ever-improving home charging stations, this has become much less of a hot-button topic for electric car owners.

So, if the statistics alone are anything to go off, then yes, electric cars really are the future! However, that doesn’t mean electric cars are fated for success just yet, as there are still some hurdles they have to overcome to fulfil their promise of being an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional gas vehicles.

Further Reading

You may also be interested in: A Brief History of Cars and Number Plates

Are they really zero emissions?

Despite zero emissions, there are plenty of factors regarding electric vehicles that may make them less adequate than widely thought in curbing the effects of climate change.

The first of these factors is how electric cars are made.

Electric cars take around 16 tonnes of CO2 emission to produce. Compared to traditional fossil fuel cars, that’s about 6 tonnes more! This is because the battery production for electric vehicles produces plenty of CO2 in the process – for every kilowatt hour of battery capacity, around 150kg of CO2 is emitted.

What about the range of your EV?

An electric car with a decent range will have at least a 60Kwh capacity. You don’t need to be crunching the numbers to recognise that there is a devastating amount of CO2 which goes into producing zero-emission vehicles.

On top of this, electric vehicles are only as good as the power source that’s used to charge them. For example, if you charge an electric car is using electricity sourced from a coal power station, then you’re looking at around 800 grams of CO2 production per kWh of charge!

That means that “zero-emissions” is technically untrue for people charging their vehicle through a traditional electric set-up.

The push for cleaner energy

We can fix this in the long-run by using clean energy sources to power electric vehicles. For example, wind turbines and solar panels will only emit around 30-40g of CO2 kWh per hour – while that’s still some CO2, it’s a whole lot less than a traditional fossil fuel vehicle.

Another potential drawback of a future for electric cars is their price point. If you’ve ever considered buying an electric vehicle, you might have noticed that they are considerably more expensive than their fossil fuel counterparts.

However, people don’t realise with this price point just how cheap it is to recharge them. Compared to the skyrocketing fuel and diesel prices, an overnight charge with an electric car can cost you around £2 and give you 100 miles.

So, with all things considered, the price point of electric vehicles isn’t something that is going to stop consumers from purchasing since they will end up saving in the long run.

The potential drawbacks of electric cars

With the significant drawbacks in mind for electric vehicles, is it still feasible to consider them the future of the automotive industry? We would argue that it is: the downsides of electric cars, such as their costs and power sources, are issues that can easily be accounted for.

However, the more expensive electric vehicles will ultimately save consumers money in the long run, and as the process for producing electric cars is improved upon, they will begin to match regular cars in price.

In addition, renewable energy sources are becoming more and more commonplace, and the trends in home energy indicate that many houses will make the switch to renewable energy in the coming years.

This means that electric cars can uphold their zero-emission promise, and consumers will be more likely to buy them.

What’s stopping EVs from taking over?

The one thing stopping electric cars from completely taking over the automotive industry is their non-environmentally friendly production process. This is certainly not a drawback to take lightly and will be sure to turn a lot of consumers off the idea of an electric car.

Some climate scientists have attributed these CO2 emissions to the production processes in China, in which the power mix is still not as clean as its Western counterparts.

However, studies have highlighted that China and other popular manufacturing spots for electric cars are working towards cleaner energy. This means there is hope for electric vehicles to curb the large amounts of CO2 emissions involved in their production.

Summary

With renewable energy sources being used to produce batteries, they will be free of ‘built-in’ emissions that come with a purchase of an electric vehicle. Moreover, you can reuse electric vehicle batteries in power systems to help the phasing of wind and sun power, meaning that they can be put to good use when they fail.

When the growing popularity of electric cars is weighed against their potential drawbacks, it seems like the future of electric vehicles is a no-brainer. The current downsides of electric vehicles are already in the process of being remedied, making electric cars a top contender for the new normal within the automotive industry.

Why buy reg plates number plates from SurePlates?

• Quality is our number 1 priority. We have spared no expense when it comes to making sure we produce only the highest quality products. So if you are not happy with your plates, you can return them for a full refund. We don’t quibble. We accept returns within 14 days of receipt — guaranteed.
• Speed is paramount. We dispatch orders the same day if they’re in before 3PM.
• Simplicity is a key focus in our business. We’ve made it easy for our customers to get what they need. Our number plate builder is so simple even a toddler could use it. You can build your plates in less than a minute. In just a few minutes more you can buy them and get back on with your day.
• Peace of mind is something we all want when buying online. Our systems are mostly automatic, and production is both accurate and fast. We’ll also send you an email at each step of your order, from receipt to production to dispatch.

More reasons to buy from SurePlates

• Guarantees are vital. We cover your plates for 2 years. If they fail, just get in touch and we’ll replace them free of charge.
• Options matter, even in something as simple as a number plate. Our plate builder is more versatile than any other on the market. Everything is customisable. We have even more options coming soon!
• Expertise is the name of our game. As well as high quality production methods, our team has expertise in the law, the user experience, software development, and website usability, among other things.
• Customer service that is second to none. We have friendly, helpful, and efficient staff on hand to assist with any issues you have. We resolve most queries within minutes.
• We’re giving away fixings with all orders. From 2022, your fixing kit comes with 9 sticky pads, 4 screws, and screw caps to match (2 x black, 2 x white, and 2 x yellow).

Build Your Registration Plates Now

What else is available?

Looking for something more than just a set of replacement car plates? We also have other plate types to choose from, including:

• 4D number plates
• Gel number plates
• 4D gel number plates

Also available are a range of flags and borders (each with their own set of options) for a truly unique plate design. Not only do you get to customise your plates fully, you also get to see a true 3D, live and to-scale interactive preview of your plates before you buy.

On top of this, we also have a range of frames available including a premium chromed frame, a carbon effect frame, and a basic black frame. Rather than drilling holes in your vehicle, why not use a frame instead?

Fast dispatch

We dispatch orders the same day if they’re in before 3PM. Delivery is then in 1 to 3 working days, depending on which shipping method you use. You can pick a faster shipping service if you need your plates quickly. Available shipping methods are:

• Economy Signed For — Untracked with a signature on delivery. 2 – 3 days.
• Tracked 24 — Fully tracked with proof of delivery. 1 – 2 days.
• Special Delivery Guaranteed By 1 — Fully tracked 1 day service with proof of delivery. 1 day.

We’ll send your tracking number (and a tracking link) by email once we’ve posted your plates. The courier used depends on which service you choose, but includes The Royal Mail, DPD, Hermes, and sometimes Parcelforce.

Shipping times are based on past data, as well as time of year. Delays are uncommon, usually only happening at busy times of year such as Easter or Christmas.

Only rarely does an order go missing, but we’re happy to cover you with a replacement or a refund if it does. If your plates don’t arrive within the stated time, then head over to our contact page and get in touch. One of our friendly support staff will take it from there.

High tech production

Production quality is essential to our operation, but so is speed. Because we have a need for swift output, we’ve made sure our production workshop is able to handle large amounts of printing — up to 1,200 plates per day.

Some of our equipment includes:

• A UV flatbed printer
• Several laser graphics printers
• Thermal transfer printers
• Several laser cutters
• A vinyl cutter
• Laminators

Our workshop also features several roll to roll laminators for making 4D digits. Two doming stations for 3D gel digits also feature in our workshop.

Because we believe in a premium service, we use only the highest quality acrylic, no blended plastics or ABS. Our plates are also certified by Accelerated Weathering Laboratory as compliant to the British standard.

By the same token, we source the highest quality outdoor adhesives by 3M, and these are the only adhesives we use for our 3D digits (both gel and 4D) to ensure long lasting bonding (approx. 7 years).

Your questions — answered

Do you sell show plates?

Show plates are not number plates, so we don’t sell them. Some suppliers sell illegal plates claiming they are show plates, but DVLA says the term “show plates” has no legal basis. We sell cheap registration plates as well as premium plates.

Neon / krystal plates are illegal because they have a coloured backing. They do not comply with either the current British standard BS AU 145e, or the previous standard BS AU 145d.

The police weigh in on the 4D number plate debate. Are they legal?

We’ve already discussed this, and the answer is a firm yes: 4D number plates are road legal. GOV UK also has an advice page settling the matter here: displaying number plates.

Here’s yet another take on the subject by Sergeant Owen Messenger, who shared his thoughts on the topic.

How long does it take to make and dispatch my plates?

Normal processing times are a couple of hours. Our weekend period starts at 3PM Friday. If you order on a weekend, we’ll dispatch your order on Monday. Orders are always assembled in less than half a working day.

Where can you dispatch?

We only make British number plates, so we service the UK and Northern Ireland. Shipping to NI may add a couple of days to your shipping time. We do not service Jersey or Guernsey due to different laws.

How do I know you’re an approved reg plate maker?

SurePlates is on the Register of Number Plate Suppliers (RNPS). Number plate makers must register with DVLA before they can make number plates.

Conclusion

For such a simple product, there’s plenty of room for personalising your plates. Our plate builder provides more ways to customise your plates than any other on the market. Since only road legal plates are available, we guarantee you’ll be getting a standards compliant product.

Our processing times are fast. A quick processing time of less than half a working day is available because our operation doesn’t stop. Our business operates 7 days a week (but customer services are only available from Monday to Friday).

Because we’ve invested heavily in modernising our equipment with UV printers, laser graphics printers, and automated production methods, our operations are smooth and reliable. This allows us to offer a high quality service to each and every customer. When you’re ready to order your car registration plates, click below to build your plates.

Build Your Car Registration Plates Now

Why buy new number plates from SurePlates?

• Quality is our number 1 priority. We have spared no expense when it comes to making sure we produce only the highest quality products. So if you are not happy with your plates, you can return them for a full refund. We don’t quibble. We accept returns within 14 days of receipt — guaranteed.
• Speed is paramount. We dispatch orders the same day if they’re in before 3PM.
• Simplicity is a key focus in our business. We’ve made it easy for our customers to get what they need. Our number plate builder is so simple even a toddler could use it. You can build your plates in less than a minute. In just a few minutes more you can buy them and get back on with your day.
• Peace of mind is something we all want when buying online. Our systems are mostly automatic, and production is both accurate and fast. We’ll also send you an email at each step of your order, from receipt to production to dispatch.

More reasons to buy from SurePlates

• Guarantees are vital. We cover your plates for 2 years. If they fail, just get in touch and we’ll replace them free of charge.
• Options matter, even in something as simple as a number plate. Our plate builder is more versatile than any other on the market. Everything is customisable. We have even more options coming soon!
• Expertise is the name of our game. As well as high quality production methods, our team has expertise in the law, the user experience, software development, and website usability, among other things.
• Customer service that is second to none. We have friendly, helpful, and efficient staff on hand to assist with any issues you have. We resolve most queries within minutes.
• We’re giving away fixings with all orders. From 2022, your fixing kit comes with 9 sticky pads, 4 screws, and screw caps to match (2 x black, 2 x white, and 2 x yellow).

Build Your New Plates Now

What else is available?

Looking for something more than just a set of basic new number plates? We also have other plate types to choose from, including:

• 4D number plates
• Gel number plates
• 4D gel number plates

Also available are a range of flags and borders (each with their own set of options) for a truly unique plate design. Not only do you get to customise your plates fully, you also get to see a true 3D, live and to-scale interactive preview of your plates before you buy.

On top of this, we also have a range of frames available including a premium chromed frame, a carbon effect frame, and a basic black frame. Rather than drilling holes in your vehicle, why not use a frame instead?

Fast dispatch

We dispatch orders the same day if they’re in before 3PM. Delivery is then in 1 to 3 working days, depending on which shipping method you use. You can pick a faster shipping service if you need your plates quickly. Available shipping methods are:

• Economy Signed For — Untracked with a signature on delivery. 2 – 3 days.
• Tracked 24 — Fully tracked with proof of delivery. 1 – 2 days.
• Special Delivery Guaranteed By 1 — Fully tracked 1 day service with proof of delivery. 1 day.

We’ll send your tracking number (and a tracking link) by email once we’ve posted your plates. The courier used depends on which service you choose, but includes The Royal Mail, DPD, Hermes, and sometimes Parcelforce.

Shipping times are based on past data, as well as time of year. Delays are uncommon, usually only happening at busy times of year such as Easter or Christmas.

Only rarely does an order go missing, but we’re happy to cover you with a replacement or a refund if it does. If your plates don’t arrive within the stated time, then head over to our contact page and get in touch. One of our friendly support staff will take it from there.

Customise New Number Plates with SurePlates

Production quality is essential to our operation, but so is speed. Because we have a need for swift output, we’ve made sure our production workshop is able to handle large amounts of printing — up to 1,200 plates per day.

Some of our equipment includes:

• A UV flatbed printer
• Several laser graphics printers
• Thermal transfer printers
• Several laser cutters
• A vinyl cutter
• Laminators

Our workshop also features several roll to roll laminators for making 4D digits. Two doming stations for 3D gel digits also feature in our workshop.

Because we believe in a premium service, we use only the highest quality acrylic, no blended plastics or ABS. Our plates are also certified by Accelerated Weathering Laboratory as compliant to the British standard.

By the same token, we source the highest quality outdoor adhesives by 3M, and these are the only adhesives we use for our 3D digits (both gel and 4D) to ensure long lasting bonding (approx. 7 years).

Your questions — answered

Do you sell show plates?

Show plates are not number plates, so we don’t sell them. Some suppliers sell illegal plates claiming they are show plates, but DVLA says the term “show plates” has no legal basis. We sell cheap new UK number plates as well as premium plates.

Neon / krystal plates are illegal because they have a coloured backing. They do not comply with either the current British standard BS AU 145e, or the previous standard BS AU 145d.

The police weigh in on the 4D number plate debate. Are they legal?

We’ve already discussed this, and the answer is a firm yes: 4D number plates are road legal. GOV UK also has an advice page settling the matter here: displaying number plates.

Here’s yet another take on the subject by Sergeant Owen Messenger, who shared his thoughts on the topic.

How long does it take to make and dispatch my plates?

Normal processing times are a couple of hours. Our weekend period starts at 3PM Friday. If you order on a weekend, we’ll dispatch your order on Monday. Orders are always assembled in less than half a working day.

Where can you dispatch?

We only make British number plates, so we service the UK and Northern Ireland. Shipping to NI may add a couple of days to your shipping time. We do not service Jersey or Guernsey due to different laws.

How do I know you’re an approved new number plate maker?

SurePlates is on the Register of Number Plate Suppliers (RNPS). Number plate makers must register with DVLA before they can make number plates.

Conclusion

For such a simple product, there’s plenty of room for personalising your plates. Our plate builder provides more ways to customise your plates than any other on the market. Since only road legal plates are available, we guarantee you’ll be getting a standards compliant product.

Our processing times are fast. A quick processing time of less than half a working day is available because our operation doesn’t stop. Our business operates 7 days a week (but customer services are only available from Monday to Friday).

Because we’ve invested heavily in modernising our equipment with UV printers, laser graphics printers, and automated production methods, our operations are smooth and reliable. This allows us to offer a high quality service to each and every customer. When you’re ready to order your new reg plate, click below to build your plates.

Build Your New Number Plates Now

Why buy 3D number plates from SurePlates?

• Quality is our number 1 priority. We have spared no expense when it comes to making sure we produce only the highest quality products. So if you are not happy with your plates, you can return them for a full refund. We don’t quibble. We accept returns within 14 days of receipt — guaranteed.
• Speed is paramount. We dispatch orders the same day if they’re in before 3PM.
• Simplicity is a key focus in our business. We’ve made it easy for our customers to get what they need. Our number plate builder is so simple even a toddler could use it. You can build your plates in less than a minute. In just a few minutes more you can buy them and get back on with your day.
• Peace of mind is something we all want when buying online. Our systems are mostly automatic, and production is both accurate and fast. We’ll also send you an email at each step of your order, from receipt to production to dispatch.

More reasons to buy from SurePlates

• Guarantees are vital. We cover your plates for 2 years. If they fail, just get in touch and we’ll replace them free of charge.
• Options matter, even in something as simple as a number plate. Our plate builder is more versatile than any other on the market. Everything is customisable. We have even more options coming soon!
• Expertise is the name of our game. As well as high quality production methods, our team has expertise in the law, the user experience, software development, and website usability, among other things.
• Customer service that is second to none. We have friendly, helpful, and efficient staff on hand to assist with any issues you have. We resolve most queries within minutes.
• We’re giving away fixings with all orders. From 2022, your fixing kit comes with 9 sticky pads, 4 screws, and screw caps to match (2 x black, 2 x white, and 2 x yellow).

Build Your 3D Plates Now

What else is available?

Looking for something more than a set of 3D reg plates? We also have other plate types to choose from, including:

• Printed number plates
• Gel number plates
• 4D gel plates

Also available are a range of flags and borders (each with their own set of options) for a truly unique plate design. Not only do you get to customise your plates fully, you also get to see a true 3D, live and to-scale interactive preview of your plates before you buy.

On top of this, we also have a range of frames available including a premium chromed frame, a carbon effect frame, and a basic black frame. Rather than drilling holes in your vehicle, why not use a frame instead?

Fast dispatch

We dispatch orders the same day if they’re in before 3PM. Delivery is then in 1 to 3 working days, depending on which shipping method you use. You can pick a faster shipping service if you need your plates quickly. Available shipping methods are:

• Economy Signed For — Untracked with a signature on delivery. 2 – 3 days.
• Tracked 24 — Fully tracked with proof of delivery. 1 – 2 days.
• Special Delivery Guaranteed By 1 — Fully tracked 1 day service with proof of delivery. 1 day.

We’ll send your tracking number (and a tracking link) by email once we’ve posted your plates. The courier used depends on which service you choose, but includes The Royal Mail, DPD, Hermes, and sometimes Parcelforce.

Shipping times are based on past data, as well as time of year. Delays are uncommon, usually only happening at busy times of year such as Easter or Christmas.

Only rarely does an order go missing, but we’re happy to cover you with a replacement or a refund if it does. If your plates don’t arrive within the stated time, then head over to our contact page and get in touch. One of our friendly support staff will take it from there.

High tech production

Production quality is essential to our operation, but so is speed. Because we have a need for swift output, we’ve made sure our production workshop is able to handle large amounts of printing — up to 1,200 plates per day.

Some of our equipment includes:

• A UV flatbed printer
• Several laser graphics printers
• Thermal transfer printers
• Several laser cutters
• A vinyl cutter
• Laminators

Our workshop also features several roll to roll laminators for making 4D digits. Two doming stations for 3D gel digits also feature in our workshop.

Because we believe in a premium service, we use only the highest quality acrylic, no blended plastics or ABS. Our plates are also certified by Accelerated Weathering Laboratory as compliant to the British standard.

By the same token, we source the highest quality outdoor adhesives by 3M, and these are the only adhesives we use for our 3D digits (both gel and 4D) to ensure long lasting bonding (approx. 7 years).

Your questions — answered

Do you sell show plates?

Show plates are not number plates, so we don’t sell them. Some suppliers sell illegal plates claiming they are show plates, but DVLA says the term “show plates” has no legal basis.

Neon / krystal plates are illegal because they have a coloured backing. They do not comply with either the current British standard BS AU 145e, or the previous standard BS AU 145d.

The police weigh in on the 3D/4D number plate debate. Are 3D number plates legal?

We’ve already discussed this, and the answer is a firm yes: 4D number plates are road legal. GOV UK also has an advice page settling the matter here: displaying number plates.

Here’s yet another take on the subject by Sergeant Owen Messenger, who shared his thoughts on the topic.

How long does it take to make and dispatch my plates?

Normal processing times are a couple of hours. Our weekend period starts at 3PM Friday. If you order on a weekend, we’ll dispatch your order on Monday. Orders are always assembled in less than half a working day.

Where can you dispatch?

We only make British number plates, so we service the UK and Northern Ireland. Shipping to NI may add a couple of days to your shipping time. We do not service Jersey or Guernsey due to different laws.

How do I know you’re an approved replacement number plate maker?

SurePlates is on the Register of Number Plate Suppliers (RNPS). Number plate makers must register with DVLA before they can make number plates.

Conclusion

For such a simple product, there’s plenty of room for personalising your plates. Our plate builder provides more ways to customise your plates than any other on the market. Since only road legal plates are available, we guarantee you’ll be getting a standards compliant product.

Our processing times are fast. A quick processing time of less than half a working day is available because our operation doesn’t stop. Our business operates 7 days a week (but customer services are only available from Monday to Friday).

Because we’ve invested heavily in modernising our equipment with UV printers, laser graphics printers, and automated production methods, our operations are smooth and reliable. This allows us to offer a high quality service to each and every customer.

Build Your 3D Number Plates

Why buy gel number plates from SurePlates?

• Quality is our number 1 priority. We have spared no expense when it comes to making sure we produce only the highest quality products. So if you are not happy with your plates, you can return them for a full refund. We don’t quibble. We accept returns within 14 days of receipt — guaranteed.
• Speed is paramount. We dispatch orders the same day if they’re in before 3PM.
• Simplicity is a key focus in our business. We’ve made it easy for our customers to get what they need. Our number plate builder is so simple even a toddler could use it. You can build your plates in less than a minute. In just a few minutes more you can buy them and get back on with your day.
• Peace of mind is something we all want when buying online. Our systems are mostly automatic, and production is both accurate and fast. We’ll also send you an email at each step of your order, from receipt to production to dispatch.

More reasons to buy from SurePlates

• Guarantees are vital. We cover your plates for 2 years. If they fail, just get in touch and we’ll replace them free of charge.
• Options matter, even in something as simple as a number plate. Our plate builder is more versatile than any other on the market. Everything is customisable. We have even more options coming soon!
• Expertise is the name of our game. As well as high quality production methods, our team has expertise in the law, the user experience, software development, and website usability, among other things.
• Customer service that is second to none. We have friendly, helpful, and efficient staff on hand to assist with any issues you have. We resolve most queries within minutes.
• We’re giving away fixings with all orders. From 2022, your fixing kit comes with 9 sticky pads, 4 screws, and screw caps to match (2 x black, 2 x white, and 2 x yellow).

Build Your Gel Plates Now

What else is available?

Looking for something other than a set of 3D gel number plates? We also have other plate types to choose from, including:

• 4D number plates
• Printed number plates
• 4D gel number plates

Also available are a range of flags and borders (each with their own set of options) for a truly unique plate design. Not only do you get to customise your plates fully, you also get to see a true 3D, live and to-scale interactive preview of your plates before you buy.

On top of this, we also have a range of frames available including a premium chromed frame, a carbon effect frame, and a basic black frame. Rather than drilling holes in your vehicle, why not use a frame instead?

Fast dispatch

We dispatch orders the same day if they’re in before 3PM. Delivery is then in 1 to 3 working days, depending on which shipping method you use. You can pick a faster shipping service if you need your plates quickly. Available shipping methods are:

• Economy Signed For — Untracked with a signature on delivery. 2 – 3 days.
• Tracked 24 — Fully tracked with proof of delivery. 1 – 2 days.
• Special Delivery Guaranteed By 1 — Fully tracked 1 day service with proof of delivery. 1 day.

We’ll send your tracking number (and a tracking link) by email once we’ve posted your plates. The courier used depends on which service you choose, but includes The Royal Mail, DPD, Hermes, and sometimes Parcelforce.

Shipping times are based on past data, as well as time of year. Delays are uncommon, usually only happening at busy times of year such as Easter or Christmas.

Only rarely does an order go missing, but we’re happy to cover you with a replacement or a refund if it does. If your plates don’t arrive within the stated time, then head over to our contact page and get in touch. One of our friendly support staff will take it from there.

High tech production

Production quality is essential to our operation, but so is speed. Because we have a need for swift output, we’ve made sure our production workshop is able to handle large amounts of printing — up to 1,200 plates per day.

Some of our equipment includes:

• A UV flatbed printer
• Several laser graphics printers
• Thermal transfer printers
• Several laser cutters
• A vinyl cutter
• Laminators

Our workshop also features several roll to roll laminators for making 4D digits. Two doming stations for creating digits for 3D gel plates also feature in our workshop.

Because we believe in a premium service, we use only the highest quality acrylic, no blended plastics or ABS. Our plates are also certified by Accelerated Weathering Laboratory as compliant to the British standard.

By the same token, we source the highest quality outdoor adhesives by 3M, and these are the only adhesives we use for our 3D digits (both gel and 4D) to ensure long lasting bonding (approx. 7 years).

Your questions — answered

Do you sell show plates?

Show plates are not number plates, so we don’t sell them. Some suppliers sell illegal plates claiming they are show plates, but DVLA says the term “show plates” has no legal basis.

Neon / krystal plates are illegal because they have a coloured backing. They do not comply with either the current British standard BS AU 145e, or the previous standard BS AU 145d.

The police weigh in on the 4D number plate debate. Are they legal?

We’ve already discussed this, and the answer is a firm yes: 4D number plates are road legal. GOV UK also has an advice page settling the matter here: displaying number plates.

Here’s yet another take on the subject by Sergeant Owen Messenger, who shared his thoughts on the topic.

How long does it take to make and dispatch my plates?

Normal processing times are a couple of hours. Our weekend period starts at 3PM Friday. If you order on a weekend, we’ll dispatch your order on Monday. Orders are always assembled in less than half a working day.

Where can you dispatch?

We only make British number plates, so we service the UK and Northern Ireland. Shipping to NI may add a couple of days to your shipping time. We do not service Jersey or Guernsey due to different laws.

How do I know you’re an approved number plate maker?

SurePlates is on the Register of Number Plate Suppliers (RNPS). Number plate makers must register with DVLA before they can make number plates.

Conclusion

For such a simple product, there’s plenty of room for personalising your 3D gel plates. Our plate builder provides more ways to customise your plates than any other on the market. Since only road legal plates are available, we guarantee you’ll be getting a standards compliant product.

Our processing times are fast. A quick processing time of less than half a working day is available because our operation doesn’t stop. Our business operates 7 days a week (but customer services are only available from Monday to Friday).

Because we’ve invested heavily in modernising our equipment with UV printers, laser graphics printers, and automated production methods, our operations are smooth and reliable. This allows us to offer a high quality service to each and every customer.

Build Your Gel Number Plates

Why buy number plates from SurePlates?

• Quality is our number 1 priority. We have spared no expense when it comes to making sure we produce only the highest quality products. So if you are not happy with your plates, you can return them for a full refund. We don’t quibble. We accept returns within 14 days of receipt — guaranteed.
• Speed is paramount. We dispatch orders the same day if they’re in before 3PM.
• Simplicity is a key focus in our business. We’ve made it easy for our customers to get what they need. Our number plate builder is so simple even a toddler could use it. You can build your plates in less than a minute. In just a few minutes more you can buy them and get back on with your day.
• Peace of mind is something we all want when buying online. Our systems are mostly automatic, and production is both accurate and fast. We’ll also send you an email at each step of your order, from receipt to production to dispatch.

More reasons to buy from SurePlates

• Guarantees are vital. We cover your plates for 2 years. If they fail, just get in touch and we’ll replace them free of charge.
• Options matter, even in something as simple as a number plate. Our plate builder is more versatile than any other on the market. Everything is customisable. We have even more options coming soon!
• Expertise is the name of our game. As well as high quality production methods, our team has expertise in the law, the user experience, software development, and website usability, among other things.
• Customer service that is second to none. We have friendly, helpful, and efficient staff on hand to assist with any issues you have. We resolve most queries within minutes.
• We’re giving away fixings with all orders. From 2022, your fixing kit comes with 9 sticky pads, 4 screws, and screw caps to match (2 x black, 2 x white, and 2 x yellow).

Build Your Number Plates Online Now

What else is available?

Looking for something more than just a set of replacement car plates? We also have other plate types to choose from, including:

• 4D number plates
• Gel number plates
• 4D gel number plates

Also available are a range of flags and borders (each with their own set of options) for a truly unique plate design. Not only do you get to customise your plates fully, you also get to see a true 3D, live and to-scale interactive preview of your plates before you buy.

On top of this, we also have a range of frames available including a premium chromed frame, a carbon effect frame, and a basic black frame. Rather than drilling holes in your vehicle, why not use a frame instead?

Fast dispatch

When you buy number plates from SurePlates, we dispatch orders the same day if they’re in before 3PM. Delivery is then in 1 to 3 working days, depending on which shipping method you use. You can pick a faster shipping service if you need your plates quickly. Available shipping methods are:

• Economy Signed For — Untracked with a signature on delivery. 2 – 3 days.
• Tracked 24 — Fully tracked with proof of delivery. 1 – 2 days.
• Special Delivery Guaranteed By 1 — Fully tracked 1 day service with proof of delivery. 1 day.

We’ll send your tracking number (and a tracking link) by email once we’ve posted your plates. The courier used depends on which service you choose, but includes The Royal Mail, DPD, Hermes, and sometimes Parcelforce.

Shipping times are based on past data, as well as time of year. Delays are uncommon, usually only happening at busy times of year such as Easter or Christmas.

Only rarely does an order go missing, but we’re happy to cover you with a replacement or a refund if it does. If your plates don’t arrive within the stated time, then head over to our contact page and get in touch. One of our friendly support staff will take it from there.

High tech production

Production quality is essential to our operation, but so is speed. Because we have a need for swift output, we’ve made sure our production workshop is able to handle large amounts of printing — up to 1,200 plates per day.

Some of our equipment includes:

• A UV flatbed printer
• Several laser graphics printers
• Thermal transfer printers
• Several laser cutters
• A vinyl cutter
• Laminators

Our workshop also features several roll to roll laminators for making 4D digits. Two doming stations for 3D gel digits also feature in our workshop.

Because we believe in a premium service, we use only the highest quality acrylic, no blended plastics or ABS. Our plates are also certified by Accelerated Weathering Laboratory as compliant to the British standard.

By the same token, we source the highest quality outdoor adhesives by 3M, and these are the only adhesives we use for our 3D digits (both gel and 4D) to ensure long lasting bonding (approx. 7 years).

Your questions — answered

Do you sell show plates?

Show plates are not number plates, so we don’t sell them. Some suppliers sell illegal plates claiming they are show plates, but DVLA says the term “show plates” has no legal basis.

Neon / krystal plates are illegal because they have a coloured backing. They do not comply with either the current British standard BS AU 145e, or the previous standard BS AU 145d.

Is it legal to buy number plates in the 4D style? Are they road legal?

We’ve already discussed this, and the answer is a firm yes: 4D number plates are road legal. GOV UK also has an advice page settling the matter here: displaying number plates.

Here’s yet another take on the subject by Sergeant Owen Messenger, who shared his thoughts on the topic.

How long does it take to make and dispatch my plates?

Normal processing times are a couple of hours. Our weekend period starts at 3PM Friday. If you order on a weekend, we’ll dispatch your order on Monday. Orders are always assembled in less than half a working day.

Where can you dispatch?

We only make British number plates, so we service the UK and Northern Ireland. Shipping to NI may add a couple of days to your shipping time. We do not service Jersey or Guernsey due to different laws.

How do I know you’re an approved number plate maker?

SurePlates is on the Register of Number Plate Suppliers (RNPS). Number plate makers must register with DVLA before they can make number plates.

Conclusion

For such a simple product, there’s plenty of room for personalising your plates. Our plate builder provides more ways to customise your plates than any other on the market. Since only road legal plates are available, we guarantee you’ll be getting a standards compliant product.

Our processing times are fast. A quick processing time of less than half a working day is available because our operation doesn’t stop. Our business operates 7 days a week (but customer services are only available from Monday to Friday).

Because we’ve invested heavily in modernising our equipment with UV printers, laser graphics printers, and automated production methods, our operations are smooth and reliable. This allows us to offer a high quality service to each and every customer.

Build Your Number Plates Now

Why buy your replacement number plates from SurePlates?

• Quality is our number 1 priority. We have spared no expense when it comes to making sure we produce only the highest quality products. So if you are not happy with your plates, you can return them for a full refund. We don’t quibble. We accept returns within 14 days of receipt — guaranteed.
• Speed is paramount. We dispatch orders the same day if they’re in before 3PM.
• Simplicity is a key focus in our business. We’ve made it easy for our customers to get what they need. Our number plate builder is so simple even a toddler could use it. You can build your plates in less than a minute. In just a few minutes more you can buy them and get back on with your day.
• Peace of mind is something we all want when buying online. Our systems are mostly automatic, and production is both accurate and fast. We’ll also send you an email at each step of your order, from receipt to production to dispatch.

More reasons to buy from SurePlates

• Guarantees are vital. We cover your plates for 2 years. If they fail, just get in touch and we’ll replace them free of charge.
• Options matter, even in something as simple as a number plate. Our plate builder is more versatile than any other on the market. Everything is customisable. We have even more options coming soon!
• Expertise is the name of our game. As well as high quality production methods, our team has expertise in the law, the user experience, software development, and website usability, among other things.
• Customer service that is second to none. We have friendly, helpful, and efficient staff on hand to assist with any issues you have. We resolve most queries within minutes.
• We’re giving away fixings with all orders. From 2022, your fixing kit comes with 9 sticky pads, 4 screws, and screw caps to match (2 x black, 2 x white, and 2 x yellow).

Build Your Replacement Plates Now

What else is available?

Looking for something more than just a set of replacement car plates? We also have other plate types to choose from, including:

• 4D number plates
• Gel number plates
• 4D gel number plates

Also available are a range of flags and borders (each with their own set of options) for a truly unique plate design. Not only do you get to customise your plates fully, you also get to see a true 3D, live and to-scale interactive preview of your plates before you buy.

On top of this, we also have a range of frames available including a premium chromed frame, a carbon effect frame, and a basic black frame. Rather than drilling holes in your vehicle, why not use a frame instead?

Fast dispatch

We dispatch orders the same day if they’re in before 3PM. Delivery is then in 1 to 3 working days, depending on which shipping method you use. You can pick a faster shipping service if you need your plates quickly. Available shipping methods are:

• Economy Signed For — Untracked with a signature on delivery. 2 – 3 days.
• Tracked 24 — Fully tracked with proof of delivery. 1 – 2 days.
• Special Delivery Guaranteed By 1 — Fully tracked 1 day service with proof of delivery. 1 day.

We’ll send your tracking number (and a tracking link) by email once we’ve posted your plates. The courier used depends on which service you choose, but includes The Royal Mail, DPD, Hermes, and sometimes Parcelforce.

Shipping times are based on past data, as well as time of year. Delays are uncommon, usually only happening at busy times of year such as Easter or Christmas.

Only rarely does an order go missing, but we’re happy to cover you with a replacement or a refund if it does. If your plates don’t arrive within the stated time, then head over to our contact page and get in touch. One of our friendly support staff will take it from there.

High tech production

Production quality is essential to our operation, but so is speed. Because we have a need for swift output, we’ve made sure our production workshop is able to handle large amounts of printing — up to 1,200 plates per day.

Some of our equipment includes:

• A UV flatbed printer
• Several laser graphics printers
• Thermal transfer printers
• Several laser cutters
• A vinyl cutter
• Laminators

Our workshop also features several roll to roll laminators for making 4D digits. Two doming stations for 3D gel digits also feature in our workshop.

Because we believe in a premium service, we use only the highest quality acrylic, no blended plastics or ABS. Our plates are also certified by Accelerated Weathering Laboratory as compliant to the British standard.

By the same token, we source the highest quality outdoor adhesives by 3M, and these are the only adhesives we use for our 3D digits (both gel and 4D) to ensure long lasting bonding (approx. 7 years).

Your questions — answered

Do you sell show plates?

Show plates are not number plates, so we don’t sell them. Some suppliers sell illegal plates claiming they are show plates, but DVLA says the term “show plates” has no legal basis. We sell cheap replacement number plates as well as premium plates.

Neon / krystal plates are illegal because they have a coloured backing. They do not comply with either the current British standard BS AU 145e, or the previous standard BS AU 145d.

The police weigh in on the 4D number plate debate. Are they legal?

We’ve already discussed this, and the answer is a firm yes: 4D number plates are road legal. GOV UK also has an advice page settling the matter here: displaying number plates.

Here’s yet another take on the subject by Sergeant Owen Messenger, who shared his thoughts on the topic.

How long does it take to make and dispatch my plates?

Normal processing times are a couple of hours. Our weekend period starts at 3PM Friday. If you order on a weekend, we’ll dispatch your order on Monday. Orders are always assembled in less than half a working day.

Where can you dispatch?

We only make British number plates, so we service the UK and Northern Ireland. Shipping to NI may add a couple of days to your shipping time. We do not service Jersey or Guernsey due to different laws.

How do I know you’re an approved replacement number plate maker?

SurePlates is on the Register of Number Plate Suppliers (RNPS). Number plate makers must register with DVLA before they can make number plates.

Conclusion

For such a simple product, there’s plenty of room for personalising your plates. Our plate builder provides more ways to customise your plates than any other on the market. Since only road legal plates are available, we guarantee you’ll be getting a standards compliant product.

Our processing times are fast. A quick processing time of less than half a working day is available because our operation doesn’t stop. Our business operates 7 days a week (but customer services are only available from Monday to Friday).

Because we’ve invested heavily in modernising our equipment with UV printers, laser graphics printers, and automated production methods, our operations are smooth and reliable. This allows us to offer a high quality service to each and every customer. When you’re ready to order replacement number plates, click below to build your plates.

Build Your Replacement Car Plates Now

Number plates are a regulated product with rules that must be followed. What are the rules for displaying number plates, and do yours comply? Find out what makes a road legal number plate below.

Road legal number plates

What makes a road legal number plate? In short: black characters (whether 3D/4D or printed) that match the size, margin, stroke thickness, and character grouping specs of the regulations. The plate background must be reflective. They must show the supplier’s name & postcode. Also displayed in the lower right-hand corner should be the component maker & British standard markings. The flag (if displayed) can also be accompanied by its respective country code. Borders (if displayed) must be a solid colour, and be no wider than 5 mm in width.

Number plate regulations

Number plates are regulated under The Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001, and the British standard. For such a simple product, there’s a myriad of rules to comply with. Most of them are of no interest to every day readers, so I’ll only cover the “visible” ones that regulate how a plate can appear on the outside, not the “invisible” ones that regulate materials and technical properties.

1. Font / characters

A road legal number plate must meet several font requirements, so there are a few rules to cover here:

1. Character colour
2. Size
3. Margins
4. Stroke thickness
5. Character grouping

Character colour

The letters and numbers of your number plate must be a single shade of black. Additionally, this does include the front and side faces for 4D number plates.

It is no longer legal to add highlights to the characters by using different shades of black, for example to create a 3D-effect.

Size

Each character must be 79 mm in height and 50 mm in width for cars. For motorcycles, it’s 64 mm in height and 44 mm in width.

Character margins

Characters on a car plate must have an 11 mm margin. For motorcycles, it’s 10 mm. The margin also applies to the outside of the characters. No other marking such as a border, flag, or legal markings may encroach on the margin area. Further, the margin between the two character groups is 33 mm.

Stroke thickness

The number plate font (Charles Wright) has a stroke width (that’s the thickness of the lines) of 14 mm. Because motorcycle plates are smaller, the stroke thickness reduces to 10 mm for bike plates.

Character grouping

The format for registration numbers is 2 letters, 2 numbers, and 3 random letters. The first part of the registration never contains the letters Q, I, or Z. The 3 random letters also never use Q or I.

2. Reflective background

The plate background must be reflective. The rear plate should be yellow (but the exact hue is not regulated), and the front plate should be white.

3. Legal markings

Number plates must show the supplier’s name & postcode in the bottom centre of the plate. Also, the component manufacturer (or plate supplier) and the current British standard must be displayed in the lower right-hand corner.

4. Flags & borders

If displaying a flag, it must be 50 mm in width or less. Eligible flags include:

• The Union flag (UK)
• St. George’s Cross (England)
• St. Andrews’s Saltire (Scotland)
• The Red Dragon of Wales (Wales)

You may display a country code underneath the flag. Eligible country codes for each flag include:

• UNITED KINGDOM, United Kingdom or UK
• GREAT BRITAIN, Great Britain or GB
• CYMRU, Cymru, CYM or Cym
• ENGLAND, England, ENG, Eng
• SCOTLAND, Scotland, SCO or Sco
• WALES or Wales

Summary of road legal number plates

Your number plates must display black characters on a white (front) or yellow (rear) background. Additionally, the digits must meet the exact size, margin, and character stroke requirements regulated in the British standard.

The number plates must be made of a reflective material, and must display the supplier details and current British standard markings.

The flag (if displayed) can be any of the 4 flags of the United Kingdom, and may display one of their respective country codes. Further, flags can be up to 50 mm in width. Borders can be up to 5 mm in thickness, and can be any opaque colour, as long as they are not reflective.