DVLA number plate rules could see drivers fined £1,000

Vehicle owners are being warned about a series of little-known number plate rules that could lead to fines of up to £1,000.

Jon Kirkbright, Sales Director at Platehunter, specializes in buying and selling private number plates. Last year, Jon told the ECHO that some people choose to rearrange the letters and numbers on the plates to create wishful words.

However, he warned drivers that by doing so they could face a huge fine.

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Government guidelines say: “Registration plates (also known as registration plates) must show your registration number correctly. You may not rearrange letters or numbers or change them in such a way that they are difficult to read.

“You can be fined up to £1,000 and your vehicle will fail the MOT test if you drive with incorrectly displayed number plates.”

Rearranging the letters and numbers on the license plate is not the only problem that could lead to fines for drivers. There are other rules that must be followed, including the color of the writing.

According to the guidelines, the number plates on your vehicle must:

• be made of a reflective material
• display black characters on a white background (faceplate)
• display black characters on a yellow background (backplate)
• they don’t 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

Characters must not be removable or reflective. If your number plates were fitted after 1 September 2021, they must also be a single shade of black.

Your license plates can also:

• have 3D (embossed) characters.
• displays certain flags, symbols and identifiers
• displays a green flash if you have a zero-emission vehicle

To avoid being on the wrong side of the law, Jon advised drivers to only buy their license plates from a reputable dealer. He said: “All drivers should ensure they buy number plates from a reputable seller who has been approved by the DVLA.

“There are strict rules regarding the font, color, spacing and size of the characters on the number plate that must be followed. We offer the service for just £25 including delivery and can be dispatched the same day depending on what time they are ordered.

“This gives our customers peace of mind that the plates they are installing on their vehicle are legal and law abiding.”

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