A personalised registration is one of the best upgrades you can make to a car – but it's also the plate most likely to land owners in trouble. The temptation to space it so it spells a name is strong, and the DVLA takes it seriously. Here's how to display a private plate legally.
Assigning the registration first
Before you can fit plates, the registration has to be assigned to your vehicle.
- If you bought it from the DVLA or a dealer, you'll usually get a V750 certificate of entitlement.
- If it came off another vehicle, you'll have a V778 retention document.
You apply to assign it online or by post. Once it's done, you'll receive a new V5C showing the new registration. Don't fit the plates until the assignment has gone through. Your insurer also needs to know about the change.
Which cars can it go on?
You can't put a registration on a vehicle if it would make the vehicle look newer than it is. For example, a 24-series registration can't go on a car built in 2015.
Dateless registrations – ones with no age identifier, like R4 CEY or 1 ABC – can go on a vehicle of any age. That's one reason they're so popular.
The display rules are exactly the same
A personalised registration has to follow the same rules as any other plate:
- Charles Wright 2001 font, 79mm tall characters
- 11mm between characters and the standard gap between the two groups
- black characters on a white front and yellow rear reflective background
- the British Standard mark and the supplier's name and postcode
The registration has to appear exactly as it's issued. For example, R4 CEY must be shown as R4 CEY – not R4CEY, not R4 C EY.
What gets private plates withdrawn
These are the most common offences:
- Changing the spacing to make a word or name
- Using screws or bolts to alter how a character looks – a black screw that turns an F into an E, or closes up a C into an O
- Using stylised, italic or slanted fonts, or anything that makes the characters harder to read
- Two-tone or coloured characters
Any of these can lead to a fine of up to £1,000 and an MOT failure. The DVLA can also withdraw the registration completely – and you lose what you paid for it. See number plate fines in the UK.
Want it spaced your way?
You can – on a show plate. Show plates can be spaced to spell a name and used at car shows, on private land or for display. They just can't be used on the road. Drive on your legal plates and swap when you arrive. See show plates.
Getting the plates made
You'll need to show your V5C, V750 or V778 and photo ID when you order road-legal plates. Our builder lays out your registration to the rules automatically, and you can see it in 3D before you buy.