Plenty of drivers are caught out when an MOT fails on something as simple as the number plates. Plates are a standard part of the test, and a tester can fail a car for plates that look fine at a glance.
What the tester checks
During the MOT the tester checks that your registration plates are:
- present – both front and rear on a car
- secure – not loose or likely to fall off
- in good condition – not cracked, faded, peeling or delaminating
- showing the right registration – the one on the vehicle's record
- correctly formed and spaced – the right font, character size and spacing
- the right colours – black characters on white at the front and yellow at the rear
- legible – nothing covering, obscuring or altering the characters
The most common reasons plates fail
Wrong spacing or font
Plates spaced to spell a word, or made in a non-standard font, fail. That includes italic and "carbon" styles and any font that isn't Charles Wright 2001. It's the most common failure on personalised registrations.
Screws and bolts in the wrong place
A fixing screw placed so it changes how a character looks – making a C look like an O, or an F look like an E – is treated as altering the registration. Use colour-matched caps or fix plates with adhesive pads instead.
Damage and fading
Cracked acrylic, peeling characters and old plates where the reflective backing has yellowed or faded can fail. That's especially true if the characters aren't easy to read any more.
Dirt, covers and tints
Tinted covers, sprays and films that make plates harder to read – or that stop cameras reading them – aren't allowed. See ghost plates explained. Heavy dirt on a plate can also be marked against it.
Missing plates
A missing front plate is an instant fail on a car. (Motorcycles registered since September 2001 only need a rear plate.)
Will 4D or gel plates pass?
Yes – 3D gel and 4D plates pass the MOT if they meet the same rules as flat plates:
- solid black characters
- the right font, size and spacing
- the British Standard mark and the supplier's name and postcode
Read are 4D number plates legal? for the detail.
Quick pre-MOT check
- Both plates are fitted and don't move when you push them.
- The characters are clean, black and easy to read from 20 metres.
- No screw heads sit on or between characters in a way that changes them.
- The plate has the British Standard mark and the supplier's name and postcode along the bottom.
- There's no tint, cover or cracked acrylic.
If your plates are tired, a new road-legal pair is a quick fix. Design them in our builder, or read the full road legal guide.