What makes a number plate road legal

Every number plate we make is to BS AU 145e, which sets the character size and the spacing between characters. Those figures are what make a number plate look right rather than merely yellow, and nothing may alter them. The rules are the DVLA’s, set out in displaying number plates on gov.uk.

Characters & spacing

On a car the characters are 79mm tall and 50mm wide, with 11mm between characters and 33mm between the two groups. Motorcycles, and imports under the concession below, use the 64mm character: 44mm wide, 10mm apart, 30mm between groups. Those are two prescribed fonts, not one and a shrunken copy.

A number plate arranged to make the registration mark read as something else is not road legal. It will fail an MOT and can bring a fine of up to £1,000.00 with the registration mark withdrawn.

Sizes

The standard car number plate is 520 x 111mm. A square 284 x 210mm number plate suits older vehicles and some four-wheel drives. A motorcycle registered on or after 1 Sept. 2001 must show a rear number plate only, in two rows.

Imports

A 330 x 178mm number plate is permitted for a vehicle that has no UK or European whole-vehicle type approval and whose construction cannot take a standard number plate. Two rows of the 64mm character need 163mm of height, so a 178mm number plate carries them. It is a concession for vehicles that qualify, not a free choice of shape.

Finishes

Flat printed characters are standard. 3D gel is a raised domed resin. 4D is cut acrylic laid on. 5D is cut acrylic with a gel top. All are road legal on an ordinary number plate.

Badges & borders

A badge on the left is optional: UK, England, Scotland, Wales, or a green flash for a zero-emission vehicle. A black border is optional too, as long as it does not touch or obscure any character. Neither may be carried on a black and silver number plate.

Black & silver

A black number plate with silver characters is only for a vehicle built before 1 Jan. 1980 and registered in the DVLA’s historic tax class. It carries no badge, no border and no raised finish: the concession is for the traditional number plate, not a canvas. The tax class and what qualifies for it are on gov.uk.

Number plate sizes lists every size we make, styles of registration mark explains the five formats, buy number plates made to these rules for a registration mark you already hold, and the glossary defines the terms.