The law on UK number plates changed in September 2021. The new law sets out several key points that must be adhered to.

These are:
1- Plates must be made from reflective material.
2- The front plate should display black characters on a white background
3-The rear plate must display black characters on a yellow background
4- Plates should not have a background pattern
5- Plates should be marked with a British standard number. For plates fitted after 1st of September 2021, this is ‘BS AU 145e’
6- The characters on the number plate must not be removable or reflective
7- If the plates were fitted after 1st September 2021 the lettering must be a single, uniform shade of black.

YES – Our 2D Printed Plates, you will be happy to know, are 100% road legal and meet all requirements of British Standards as they are standard replacements with zero modifications.

Be concern-free, as here at Professor Plates, we take pride in offering you number plates that meet all requirements.

The UK is a global leader when it comes to number plate personalisation. Mostly people want to know the rules and regulations of 3D 4D Number Plates in the UK. Britain loves personalised plates, and over recent years, the trend for 3D and 4D plates has gone mainstream. They look great, make your car stand out, and allow you to get creative. All of which have contributed to their popularity.

However, there has been some confusion about the legal position of 3D and 4D number plates, with many people mistakenly believing that they are illegal on UK roads.

A short number plate is a shortened number plate. Basically, it’s shorter than a standard-sized number plate.

A standard size number plate in the UK is 520mm long by 111mm tall. Rear plates can either be the same size, be smaller at 285mm x 203mm, or be slightly bigger at 533mm x 285mm

If you look at our number plate builder, you can see we offer a range of shorter plates. Some of these are better suited to 7-digit registrations, some to 6-digit registrations.

The physical dimensions of the number plate are not the issue. If you want to be sure your number plate is road legal, then the size and spacing of its characters must conform to DVLA rules.

First step you should take when you discover that your number plates have been stolen is to report its straight away to the authorities. This could be the DVLA or the Police (recommended to do both). By reporting, you are alerting the police to the fact that your plates could be used in criminal activity.

Personalised number plates can be expensive, but they’re unlikely to impact your insurance

No, not usually, most insurers don’t classify personalised plates as a modification, so you shouldn’t be charged extra, but it’s worth checking.

YES, THEY ARE!!!
Here at Professor Plates, we specialise in ALL Types of number plates including the import.
These are 3 main import plate sizes:
13’ x 7’ – 330mm x 178mm
13’ x 6.5’ – 330mm x 165mm
12’ x 6.5’ – 305mm x 165mm

Yes, since running around with dirty number plates makes it harder to read your plate, you can be stopped and fined. The fine can be a grumpy £100 on-the-spot fixed penalty or up to £1,000 once the police manage to catch up with you.

No, Black & Silver Number plates are NOT legal now
Only classic cars manufactured prior to 1st January 1980 can continue using black & silver number plates.

Yes, front number plates are mandatory in the UK.

The short answer is NO. There are NO circumstances in which it is legal to drive your car (on UK roads) without a number plate on the front & rear. Even when you have reported it to the police, you are still not allowed to drive without plates.

It could end up with you receiving some hefty fines, up to £1,000! That doesn’t sound too appealing, does it! You should ensure that after reporting it, you head over to our site to purchase some replacement plates – the last thing you’d want is to not & end up spending a lot more.

NO tinted number plates are not legal

No, you will be breaking the law if your vehicle’s number plate is obscured, which means tinted number plates will NOT pass the MOT test.

How much replacement number plates cost depends on the style and type you prefer.

1- Vehicle ownership proof – V5C or V5CNI logbook, V5C/2 or V5C/2NI new keeper slip, or the V778 certificate
2- Valid ID – driving licence, passport, or a utility bill

(Electric Vehicle) EV Number Plates

If you own an electric vehicle, you can show that your car is with the new green number plates. These number plates are still new and were only introduced on British roads for the first time in December 2020

Here are six things that make Number Plates Illegal:

1- Spacing:
Incorrect spacing of characters on the number plates means it’s illegal. To be sure you are not going against the law, a quick check on your V5C logbook for your V778/V750, if you have yet to receive your V5C, will give you a better insight.

2- Bolt Placement:
You have to be aware of the implications of using a bolt to affix your number plate to your vehicle; in some cases, it has interfered with the visibility of the number plates. When not placed in the right place, it can affect the appearance from a distance, making a letter or number look different.

3- Front:
UK number plates have specific fonts. Road users and number plate dealers generally accept it. It enhances the visibility of letters and numbers. Furthermore, incorrect font renders your plate illegal. The standard font used is “Charles Wright”.

4- Background:
The number plate’s background in the UK has to be reflective. This allows the characters to stand out, making it visible. It also aids the visibility of drivers, especially under bad weather conditions. Road users will be able to know which way a vehicle is facing easily with the background colour. It is illegal for you to use non-standard backgrounds, colours or even stickers. The front plate background must be white, while the rear plate background must be yellow.

5- Colour:
As stated earlier, incorrect colour on number plates attracts fines. These are standard colours for the background and font. The font must be white and rear must be yellow while the characters must be black. Any other colours apart from these make it harder to identify, and illegal

6- Invalid Flags:
Having a flag on the number plate is optional, but it adds to its beauty nonetheless. However, if you decide to add a flag, it must be a valid flag and placed correctly. Not every flag is accepted in the UK, but the set of flags permitted in the UK includes EU flags like the St. George cross, Union Jack, Red Dragon of Wales and Scottish Saltire (St. Andrew Cross).

Currently, you do NOT receive points.
If you don’t display your number plate, change the character spacing if it is detected, or have the wrong text size. However, you can receive a fine of up to £1000 for illegal number plates, although in most cases, motorists seem to get £100 fines for displaying incorrect plates.

The House of Commons is discussing a new proposal that would see drivers who do not have legal number plates given 3 points and an exciting fine of £100.

Yes, 3D Number Plates are legal.

Despite some unfounded fears that changes to DVLA number plate regulations would effectively outlaw 3D and 4D number plates.

What has happened is that 2D plates that have used an unusual font or effect to give the impression of being 3D are now effectively banned. However, genuine 3D and 4D plates with actually raised lettering are still legal.

When you’re looking for a 3D and 4D number plate, make sure you order it from a reputable supplier and order with genuinely raised lettering. The DVLA guidance also states that characters must not be removable or reflective. If your plates were fitted after the 1st of September 2022, they must also be a single shade of black.

Yes, but ONLY 3D Gloss Black. No other designs, such as COLOURED or CARBON versions, as they will FAIL!!!

As long as the plate meets all other BS AU 145e legal requirements, is made from reflective material with non-reflective solid-black and non-reflective lettering with no background pattern, 4D Plates are legal. Plates should also bear the name of the supplier

Yes, Short Number Plates are Legal.

When we talk about short number plates, we mean the physical dimensions of the plate itself.

Number plates haven’t always been the length they are now. Very early registrations only feature two numbers and you can still buy older registrations with fewer characters.

If you do buy one of these private registrations, chances are it might look a little peculiar on a standard-sized number plate.

In which case, you might consider having a shorter plate. But is it legal to do this?

4D plates differ from 3D plates in that they are typically manufactured using professionally laser-cut acrylic letters rather than raised letters. 4D number plates give your car an added wow factor

Number plate personalisation in the UK continues to be in high demand. While there are a range of different personalisation options available, one of the leading trends.

YES, But Only the Road Legal Styles