Number Plates
Number plate (also known as licence plates) should show your vehicle registration number correctly. You can’t rearrange letters or numbers, or alter them so that they’re hard to read. You could also be fined up to £1,000 and your car will fail its MOT test if you drive with incorrectly displayed number plates.
The current vehicle registration number format was introduced in 2001.
It consists of:
- 2 letters (these refer to the region in the country where your vehicle was first registered
- 2 numbers (these tell you when it was issued)
- 3 letters chosen at random
You can get theft-resistant number plates! These make it harder for someone to remove them from your vehicle quickly and reuse them. Ask your local car dealer or registered supplier for more information.
Rules
Your number plates should:
- Be made from a reflective material
- Display black characters on a white background (front plate)
- Display black characters on a yellow background (rear plate)
- Not have a background pattern
Despite these restrictions, you are, however, allowed a personalised number plate. Characters displayed can be 3D.
You can display one of the following flags with identifying letters on the left-hand side:
- Union Flag
- Cross of St George
- Cross of St Andrew – also known as the Saltire
- Red Dragon of Wales
The letters, or national identifiers, you can have are:
- GREAT BRITAIN, Great Britain or GB
- UNITED KINGDOM, United Kingdom or UK
- CYMRU, Cymru, CYM or Cym
- ENGLAND, England, ENG, Eng
- SCOTLAND, Scotland, SCO or Sco
- WALES or Wales