Is Your Private Number Plate Legal?
Are you sure that your private number plate is legal? All across the U.K., drivers are being urged to check whether their private number plates are legal or they could face a fine of up to £1000 and potentially fail their MOT. There are specific rules and regulations that your number plate must adhere to in order to comply with the DVLA’s standards. These rules have been created in order to make sure number plates are clearly visible in-case of a car crash, or to ensure they can be read on cameras.
Over the last 3 years there have been over 15,000 illegal number plates recorded in the U.K., with the majority being found in Norfolk and London. There are a variety of different reasons why your number plate can be classed as illegal, so we’ve given you a rundown of the main reasons your plate might be illegal.
1.The wrong font has been used
The only official number plate font allowed in the U.K. is the ‘Charles Wright’ font. If you have any other font then it will make your plate illegal. You will know this font as it is the font used on all normal registration plates now. The only other font allowed is the 3-D version which makes the plate look more stylistic. If you’re looking to build a private registration, click here to build your own.
2. Symbols used on the plate
The only symbols allowed on a number plate are one of the U.K. flags or the Euro sign. This means that football club symbols or famous logos are illegal. In the U.K., the following flags are allowed on the plate:
- EU flag
- Union Jack
- St George’s Cross
- The Scottish Saltire
- The Red Dragon of Wales
You may see the symbol of the car brand in a vehicle showroom, this is allowed but has to be removed once used on the roads.
3. The wrong color has been used
The colors used on number plates have been created to make the number plates clear, legible and reflective at night. The front plate must have a white background with black text and the rear plate has to have a yellow background with black text. This law was introduced in 1973; however, plates made before 1973 generally used black and silver as their main colors. If you have a vehicle registered before 1973 you can use the black and silver number plate style to make your vehicle look authentic; however, the yellow and white plates are still an option.
4. The background is illegal
The main priority of the number plate is to make sure that the digits are clearly visible. If the background of the plate has any form of patterned background then it is illegal, as well as this, if there are any stickers covering the characters then this is also not permitted. The background of the plates must be white and yellow in order to pass the MOT.
5. The letter spacing is incorrect
The DVLA also has strict rules on the spacing of the characters on a number plate. Each of the characters must be a certain distance away and have a certain amount of space around the borders. Often this is the most abused rule when it comes to private number plates and if you don’t have the correct spacing, your car will definitely fail its MOT.
Now you’ve got all of the rules you can check whether your private number plate is legal or not. If not, you could face a £1000 fine and have your number plate removed, which can be especially annoying if you have paid a lot of money for your plate.
This is a collaborative article.
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