How to fit number plates
Fitting number plates is a short job with sticky pads or a screwdriver. Clean the surface, line the number plate up level, and keep every screw in the background, never through a character. If the number plates are for a new private plate, wait until the registration is on your vehicle before you fit them.
Before you start: is it time to fit them
A vehicle must display the registration shown on its log book. If you have bought a private plate, the new number plates go on only once the registration has been assigned to the vehicle and you have been told so. Fit them earlier and you are driving on the wrong registration. When we make number plates for a mark you are buying from us, we say when it is safe to fit them.
Fitting with sticky pads
- Take off the old number plate. Prise it away slowly with a plastic tool, and peel or scrape off the old pads without scratching the paint.
- Clean the surface with warm soapy water, then wipe it dry. Pads will not hold on wax, dirt or a damp panel.
- Put the pads on the back of the new number plate: one near each corner and a few along the middle, more on a long oblong number plate.
- Hold the number plate up against the vehicle before you peel the backing, to check it is level and centred in its recess.
- Peel the backing, press it into place, and hold firm pressure along its whole length for a minute. Avoid washing the vehicle for a day.
Fitting with screws
- Use the existing holes in the vehicle where there are any, and mark the same spacing on the new number plate.
- Check each mark falls on the background, clear of every character. Move it sideways if a character is in the way.
- Drill the number plate slowly from the front, with a small bit first and tape over the spot to stop the acrylic cracking.
- Fit the screws without overtightening, which can crack the number plate, and press on the caps.
Use caps the colour of the background they sit on: white at the front, yellow at the rear. A black cap in the wrong place can turn an O into a Q at a glance, which is misrepresenting the registration.
What the law says about a fitted number plate
GOV.UK sets out the rules in displaying number plates. Characters must not be rearranged or misrepresented, and a fixing bolt or screw that changes how one reads does exactly that. A trailer must display the same registration as the vehicle towing it.
The MOT inspection manual treats a number plate that is missing, so insecure that it is likely to fall off, or illegible as a major defect, and fails one that is obscured or has a cover or fixing that changes how a character looks. Incorrectly displayed number plates can also bring a fine of up to £1,000.
The old number plates
Once the new ones are on, we suggest cutting the old number plates in half before you throw them away. A whole number plate can be used to clone a registration, and a cut one cannot.
Number plates made by us
When you buy number plates from us, you choose the fixings with them: sticky pads, screws with caps to match the number plate, or nuts and bolts. Each pair is made to the British Standard by a registered supplier, and number plate sizes helps you choose the right one before you order. Need new ones because the old ones are damaged? See replacement number plates.
Questions
Can I fit number plates myself?
Yes. The law controls who may make number plates, a registered number plate supplier, and how they must look once fitted. Fitting them is a short job with sticky pads or a screwdriver.
Should I use sticky pads or screws?
Sticky pads where the number plate sits on a flat surface or in a recess and you do not want holes; screws where there are existing holes or the surface is curved or textured. Many people use both.
Where should the screws go?
Through the background, never through a character. A screw or cap that touches a character can change how it reads, which is misrepresenting the registration.
When can I fit the number plates for my new private plate?
Only once the registration has been assigned to your vehicle. Until then, the vehicle must carry the registration on its log book.
Read what makes a number plate road legal, private plates for motorbikes, or how transfers work.