Metro plates are one of the most recognisable show-plate styles. Instead of the tall, narrow characters on a standard UK plate, they use a square, wide font with rounded corners. The result is a clean, modern look that stands out at a meet, on a show stand or in photos.
What makes a Metro plate different
A normal road plate uses the Charles Wright 2001 font: tall, narrow characters 79mm high and 50mm wide. Metro characters are much squarer:
- 50mm tall and about 47mm wide, so they're almost as wide as they are tall
- Rounded corners and a flat, even stroke
- Narrow 1 and I, so registrations with those characters fit on shorter plates
- Spaced close together, about 6mm between characters, with a wider gap between the two halves of the registration
Because the characters are shorter, there's more plate around them. That gives Metro plates their distinctive, spacious look.
2D or 4D?
You can have Metro characters in two styles:
- Printed (2D). Flat black characters printed under the plate's acrylic face. Crisp, clean and the most affordable.
- 4D acrylic. Each character is laser-cut from solid black acrylic in 3mm or 5mm and fixed to the plate, for real depth and shadow. Choose gloss or matte.
3D gel isn't offered in Metro. Gel domes are made in the standard plate shapes only.
Are Metro plates road legal?
No. UK road plates must use the Charles Wright 2001 font at the correct size, so Metro plates are show plates. They're for:
- car shows and meets
- private land and track days
- photo and video shoots
- garages, showrooms and display
They must not be fitted to a vehicle driven on a public road. A plate that breaks the display rules can mean a fine of up to £1,000 and an MOT failure. Show plates also carry no British Standard marking. Read more in show plates and the UK number plate font.
Going to a show? Drive there on your road-legal plates and swap to your Metro plates once you're parked up. See how to fit number plates for quick-swap options.
Spacing your registration
Because Metro plates are show plates, you can space the registration however you like, from the official layout to a name or word. Add a border, a smoked tint or a slogan under the registration to finish it off.
Sizes
Metro plates come in standard 520 × 111mm, short, hex and 21 × 6" large rear sizes. On a standard plate the characters are full 50mm Metro size. On shorter plates they're made smaller so they still fit neatly with a clear margin.
No documents needed
Road-legal plates need your V5C and photo ID. Metro plates don't, because they're show plates, so they go into production as soon as you order.
Design yours
See exactly how your registration looks in Metro, in 2D or 4D, white or yellow, in our Metro plate builder. Or read more on the Metro number plates page.