Drivers Beware: Little-Known Registration Plate Rules May Lead to £1,000 Fine, Caution Experts at Platehunter
In the realm of private number plates, Jon Kirkbright shines as the sales director of Platehunter. With over a decade of experience, his established business acumen keeps him attuned to the shifting rules and regulations governing number plates.
Sharing his expertise, Jon reveals that certain individuals take it upon themselves to rearrange the letters and numbers on their plates, all in the pursuit of creating captivating words. Yet, he fervently advises motorists against this practice, as the consequences could entail substantial financial penalties.
The car expert has said that some people choose to rearrange the letters and numbers on their plates in order to make desirable words. However, he has warned motorists against doing this as they could be hit with a huge fine.
The Government states that: “Number plates (also known as licence plates) must show your registration number correctly. You cannot rearrange letters or numbers, or alter them so that they’re hard to read.
“You could be fined up to £1,000 and your vehicle 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
Jon said: “Sometimes people will change the spacing on their number plates in an attempt to make it look more like a word - or name - than it did before. By doing this, drivers run the risk of being hit with a costly fine.”
If you are wanting to have a number plate featuring certain combinations of numbers or letters, then there may be a personalised number plate that is perfect for you - and it’s legal.
Platehunter has been trading for 11 years and currently has over 56 million personalised number plates for sale. The car expert says that Platehunter prides itself on being an affordable number plate supplier, with plates for sale starting from just £39 plus VAT and transfer fee.
But rearranging the letters and numbers on your plate is not the only issue that could see drivers hit with fines. There are other rules that must be followed, including the colour of the writing.
According to guidelines, the number plates on your vehicle must:
- 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
- be marked to show who supplied the number plate
- be marked with a British Standard number - this is ‘BS AU 145e’ for plates fitted after 1 September 2021
The characters must not be removable or reflective. If your number plates were fitted after September 1st 2021, they must also be a single shade of black.
Your number plates can also:
- have 3D (raised) characters
- display certain flags, symbols and identifiers
- display a green flash, if you have a zero-emission vehicle
To avoid finding yourself on the wrong side of the law, Jon has advised drivers to only purchase their number plates from a reputable dealer. He said: “All drivers should ensure that they are buying number plates from a reputable seller who has been approved by the DVLA.
“There are strict rules around the font, colour, spacing and size of the characters on a number plate that must be adhered to. We offer the service for just £25 including delivery and they can be dispatched on the same day - depending on the time they are ordered.
“This gives our customers peace of mind that the plates they are installing on their vehicle are legal and comply with the law.
Drivers looking to purchase private number plates will likely be looking for plates which resemble names, initials or words that are meaningful - as well as numbers which correlate with special events such as birthdays.
Those who are on the hunt for a registration plate are being urged to browse the Platehunter site. Jon added: “If customers cannot find what they are looking for, they can inform us of their specifications and we can notify them if it becomes available. We are also able to get any number plate to auction from the DVLA, as long as it is legal and has never been issued before.”
For more information or help with purchasing a private number plate - or selling one - visit PlateHunter.
Alternatively, you could follow and contact them on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook, or contact:
Jon Kirkbright
Sales@platehunter.com
Release ID: 640410
Prodigy Press Wire
