Number plates are one of the easiest things for the police to check – and one of the easiest ways to pick up a fine. If your plates don't meet the rules you could be fined up to £1,000, your car can fail its MOT, and the DVLA can withdraw a personalised registration altogether.
The good news: every common problem is easy to avoid.
What you can be fined for
- Re-spaced characters. Moving the gap or squeezing letters together to spell a name or word is the most common offence. The spacing must match the official format for your registration.
- The wrong font. Road plates must use the standard "Charles Wright" style characters. Italic, script or "designer" fonts aren't allowed.
- Characters that are the wrong size. Characters must be 79mm tall and 50mm wide (except 1 and I), with 11mm between characters and a 33mm gap between the two groups.
- Coloured or two-tone characters. Characters must be black. Raised 3D and 4D characters are fine – but only in a single colour, black.
- Background patterns or the wrong colours. White at the front, yellow at the rear, both reflective, with no pattern behind the characters.
- Dirty, damaged or obscured plates. A plate covered in dirt, cracked or partly hidden by a bike rack or tow bar can still earn a fine – even if the plate itself is legal.
- Anti-camera "ghost" plates and covers. Anything designed to stop cameras reading your plate is illegal. See Ghost plates explained.
- Plates without the right markings. Plates must meet the British Standard (BS AU 145e) and show the supplier's name and postcode.
The MOT
Number plates are checked at every MOT. Incorrectly spaced characters, the wrong font, a plate that's damaged or faded, or a plate missing altogether can all cause a fail.
Personalised registrations
If you've paid for a private registration, there's more at stake. The DVLA can withdraw a registration that is repeatedly displayed incorrectly – and you won't get your money back.
How to stay legal
- Buy plates from a supplier who asks for your V5C (or other proof of entitlement) and photo ID – that's a legal requirement for road-legal plates.
- Check the characters are full size, correctly spaced and in the standard font.
- Keep plates clean and replace them if they crack or fade.
- Keep show plates for shows and private land only.
Our number plate builder checks the size, spacing and margins for your exact registration and labels every design as Road-legal layout or Show plate before you order. For the full rules, read UK number plate rules explained.