UK Number Plates
Discussion
I'm looking at options for plates when I get back to UK. With the Camaro I had motorcycle plates fitted but I heard a rumour that they are no longer allowed and that its not possible to get custom sizes made. I also heard that maybe some US cars were exempt if they had a US size plate housing. Is that true?
I see that LuS1fer has a custom sized plate that fits the rear. I'm trying to avoid bolt on holders (front and rear) for the standard size "long" plate. is it possible to get custom plates? I'm thinking of buying a particular current style number but I could go for less characters if necessary.
I'd appreciate your thoughts.
I see that LuS1fer has a custom sized plate that fits the rear. I'm trying to avoid bolt on holders (front and rear) for the standard size "long" plate. is it possible to get custom plates? I'm thinking of buying a particular current style number but I could go for less characters if necessary.
I'd appreciate your thoughts.
Y50 VET said:
dont have a front plate looks better
Sam
US size plates are allowed on US cars in the UK there is a special dispensation from the DVLA. However as there is a speed camera or Scamera van on every corner / village /over every hill I would recommend no front plate or a stick on one that is mounted so no one can see it
My one has been stolen /just fell off officer......
As above, you can fit motorcycle size fonts on plates where the car is an import and has an aperture that won't accept a UK size plate. This can get iffy when you have a US rear plate but there is adequate room at the front for a UK plate but my argument is it's either exempt or it isn't.
If you want US size plates which are 12 x 6, you can get them from States Plates for the pressed steel variety (writing only and takes 3 weeks) or I just got a set from www.aplates.com (or co.uk, can't recall). You can order on-line and have them the next day any size you want.
For the rear plate, I used stick-on Velcro patches to secure the plate with great success and on the front I made up some brass brackets as it has to withstand a considerable wind force.
The Law is here and worth keeping in your glove box for keen officers of ze leur:
STATUTORY INSTRUMENTS
________________________________________
2002 No. 2687
ROAD TRAFFIC
The Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) (Amendment) Regulations 2002
Made 24th October 2002
Laid before Parliament 1st November 2002
Coming into force 22nd November 2002
The Secretary of State for Transport, in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 23(3) and (4) and 57 of the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994[1] hereby makes the following Regulations:
Citation and commencement
1. These Regulations may be cited as the Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) (Amendment) Regulations 2002 and shall come into force on 22nd November 2002.
Amendment of Regulations
2. The Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001[2] shall be amended in accordance with the following provisions of these Regulations.
Further requirements for registration plates
3. In regulation 11, after paragraph (1), insert the following paragraph -
" (1A) The surface of a registration plate must not comprise or incorporate any design, pattern or texture, or be treated in any way which gives to any part of the plate the appearance of a design, pattern or texture.".
Interpretation of provisions relating to registration marks
4. In regulation 12 (interpretation of Part III), in paragraph (1), in sub-paragraph (d), after "character height" ", insert ", except in relation to a vehicle to which regulation 14A applies,".
Size and spacing of characters
5. - (1) In regulation 14 (size and spacing of characters) -
(a) in paragraph (1), after "and (3)", insert "and regulation 14A";
(b) in paragraphs (4) and (5), for "The", substitute "Subject to regulation 14A, the";
(c) in paragaph (6), after "paragraph (11)", insert "or regulation 14A";
(d) in paragraphs (7) to (9), for "The", substitute "Subject to regulation 14A, the".
(2) After regulation 14, insert the following regulation -
" Size and spacing of characters: special cases
14A. - (1) This regulation applies in relation to any vehicle imported into the United Kingdom which -
(a) does not have European Community Whole Vehicle Type Approval; and
(b) is so constructed that the area available for the fixing of the registration plate precludes the display on the plate of a registration mark in conformity with the requirements of regulation 14.
(2) In relation to a vehicle to which this regulation applies -
(a) each character in the registration mark must be 64 millimetres high;
(b) the width of each character of the mark, other than the letter "I" and the figure "1", must be 44 millimetres;
(c) the width of every part of the stroke forming a character in a mark must be 10 millimetres;
(d) the spacing between any two characters within a group must be 10 millimetres;
(e) the vertical spacing between groups of characters must be 5 millimetres;
(f) the width of a margin between the mark and the top and lateral sides of the registration plate must be not less than 5 millimetres;
(g) the space between the bottom of the mark and the bottom of the registration plate must be not less than 13 millimetres; but, within that space, the space between the bottom of the mark and the top of the name and postcode of the person by whom the plate was supplied must be not less than 5 millimetres."[3]
Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Transport.
David Jamieson
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department for Transport
24th October 2002
________________________________________
EXPLANATORY NOTE
(This note is not part of the Regulations)
These Regulations amend the Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001 ("the 2001 Regulations"
.
Regulation 3 amends regulation 11 of the 2001 Regulations. The effect of the amendment is to prohibit the use of a number plate on which the background is patterned or textured, or gives that appearance.
Regulation 4 amends regulation 12 of the 2001 Regulations. The effect of the amendment is that references in Part III of those Regulations (including Table B in Part 3 of Schedule 3) to "relevant character height" do not apply in relation to a vehicle to which regulation 14A applies.
Regulation 5 amends regulation 14 of the 2001 Regulations and inserts a new regulation 14A.
The effect of the amendments to regulation 14 is that the requirements of that regulation, which deals with the size and spacing of characters in a registration mark, do not apply in relation to vehicles to which regulation 14A applies.
New regulation 14A makes special provision in relation to the size and spacing of characters in the registration mark of certain imported vehicles.
________________________________________
Notes:
[1] 1994 c. 22.back
[2] S.I. 2001/561, amended by S.I. 2001/1079.back
[3] As to European Community Whole Vehicle Type Approval, see Council Directive 70/156/EEC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the type-approval of motor vehicles and their trailers (O.J. L No. 42, 23.2.70, p. 1), as last amended by Council Directive 98/14/EC (O.J. L No. 91, 25.3.98, p. 1). See also regulation 11 of the Motor Vehicle (EC Type Approval) Regulations 1998 (S.I. 1998/2051).back
________________________________________
ISBN 0 11 042925 7
If you want US size plates which are 12 x 6, you can get them from States Plates for the pressed steel variety (writing only and takes 3 weeks) or I just got a set from www.aplates.com (or co.uk, can't recall). You can order on-line and have them the next day any size you want.
For the rear plate, I used stick-on Velcro patches to secure the plate with great success and on the front I made up some brass brackets as it has to withstand a considerable wind force.
The Law is here and worth keeping in your glove box for keen officers of ze leur:
STATUTORY INSTRUMENTS
________________________________________
2002 No. 2687
ROAD TRAFFIC
The Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) (Amendment) Regulations 2002
Made 24th October 2002
Laid before Parliament 1st November 2002
Coming into force 22nd November 2002
The Secretary of State for Transport, in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 23(3) and (4) and 57 of the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994[1] hereby makes the following Regulations:
Citation and commencement
1. These Regulations may be cited as the Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) (Amendment) Regulations 2002 and shall come into force on 22nd November 2002.
Amendment of Regulations
2. The Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001[2] shall be amended in accordance with the following provisions of these Regulations.
Further requirements for registration plates
3. In regulation 11, after paragraph (1), insert the following paragraph -
" (1A) The surface of a registration plate must not comprise or incorporate any design, pattern or texture, or be treated in any way which gives to any part of the plate the appearance of a design, pattern or texture.".
Interpretation of provisions relating to registration marks
4. In regulation 12 (interpretation of Part III), in paragraph (1), in sub-paragraph (d), after "character height" ", insert ", except in relation to a vehicle to which regulation 14A applies,".
Size and spacing of characters
5. - (1) In regulation 14 (size and spacing of characters) -
(a) in paragraph (1), after "and (3)", insert "and regulation 14A";
(b) in paragraphs (4) and (5), for "The", substitute "Subject to regulation 14A, the";
(c) in paragaph (6), after "paragraph (11)", insert "or regulation 14A";
(d) in paragraphs (7) to (9), for "The", substitute "Subject to regulation 14A, the".
(2) After regulation 14, insert the following regulation -
" Size and spacing of characters: special cases
14A. - (1) This regulation applies in relation to any vehicle imported into the United Kingdom which -
(a) does not have European Community Whole Vehicle Type Approval; and
(b) is so constructed that the area available for the fixing of the registration plate precludes the display on the plate of a registration mark in conformity with the requirements of regulation 14.
(2) In relation to a vehicle to which this regulation applies -
(a) each character in the registration mark must be 64 millimetres high;
(b) the width of each character of the mark, other than the letter "I" and the figure "1", must be 44 millimetres;
(c) the width of every part of the stroke forming a character in a mark must be 10 millimetres;
(d) the spacing between any two characters within a group must be 10 millimetres;
(e) the vertical spacing between groups of characters must be 5 millimetres;
(f) the width of a margin between the mark and the top and lateral sides of the registration plate must be not less than 5 millimetres;
(g) the space between the bottom of the mark and the bottom of the registration plate must be not less than 13 millimetres; but, within that space, the space between the bottom of the mark and the top of the name and postcode of the person by whom the plate was supplied must be not less than 5 millimetres."[3]
Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Transport.
David Jamieson
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department for Transport
24th October 2002
________________________________________
EXPLANATORY NOTE
(This note is not part of the Regulations)
These Regulations amend the Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001 ("the 2001 Regulations"
. Regulation 3 amends regulation 11 of the 2001 Regulations. The effect of the amendment is to prohibit the use of a number plate on which the background is patterned or textured, or gives that appearance.
Regulation 4 amends regulation 12 of the 2001 Regulations. The effect of the amendment is that references in Part III of those Regulations (including Table B in Part 3 of Schedule 3) to "relevant character height" do not apply in relation to a vehicle to which regulation 14A applies.
Regulation 5 amends regulation 14 of the 2001 Regulations and inserts a new regulation 14A.
The effect of the amendments to regulation 14 is that the requirements of that regulation, which deals with the size and spacing of characters in a registration mark, do not apply in relation to vehicles to which regulation 14A applies.
New regulation 14A makes special provision in relation to the size and spacing of characters in the registration mark of certain imported vehicles.
________________________________________
Notes:
[1] 1994 c. 22.back
[2] S.I. 2001/561, amended by S.I. 2001/1079.back
[3] As to European Community Whole Vehicle Type Approval, see Council Directive 70/156/EEC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the type-approval of motor vehicles and their trailers (O.J. L No. 42, 23.2.70, p. 1), as last amended by Council Directive 98/14/EC (O.J. L No. 91, 25.3.98, p. 1). See also regulation 11 of the Motor Vehicle (EC Type Approval) Regulations 1998 (S.I. 1998/2051).back
________________________________________
ISBN 0 11 042925 7
The weird thing about this is that, in theory, a Euro car MUST have a UK front plate but an identical car which has been personally imported from USA can use a motorcycle front plate which fits perfectly in the C5 aperture.
The required size of a UK plate is determined by the standard spacing of the letters and the minimum amount of surround that is stated in the regulations. So the fewer characters you have on the plate the smaller it can be.
The shape of a UK plate is not regulated, although it must be flat and vertical. Hence it's OK for a C5 to have a front plate which exactly fits the front aperture provided you find a way to get it vertical! You see shaped plates on the back of some Rovers (Peugeots? Jags?) which are also fine. If you fancy the idea of a round or triangular plate it seems there's nothing stopping you! Usually all the characters must be in a single line although there are some specific rules about how characters must be arranged on square plates where they are needed. The plate does not have to be in the cente of the vehicle so there's no problem with the Alfa one-sided fronts (except they look stupid) or the rears on Land Rover type vehicles.
Some lorry trailers have the owner's trailer identification code on a plate made up very like a number plate. This seems to be allowed by the regulations. The regulations say a number plate must be made from a particular reflective material but there is no prohibition of using that material for other purposes. So if you want you can have 5 or 6 different plates on the back of your car only one of which is your number plate. Obviously you mustn't use someone else's number or make up a number that looks real. However, you could have all sorts of names and numbers on the plates with plenty of opportunity for confusing BiBs number-plate recognition devices! Especially confusing is your dummies are standard shape and the real one is triangular. The real rear number plate has to be illuminated in accordance with yet more regulations.
As you might guess, this knowledge derives form a BiB "pull" some years ago regarding a plate which was alleged not to comply with the reg's! (So if any of the info is out of date it's because I haven't had to look it up recently)
The required size of a UK plate is determined by the standard spacing of the letters and the minimum amount of surround that is stated in the regulations. So the fewer characters you have on the plate the smaller it can be.
The shape of a UK plate is not regulated, although it must be flat and vertical. Hence it's OK for a C5 to have a front plate which exactly fits the front aperture provided you find a way to get it vertical! You see shaped plates on the back of some Rovers (Peugeots? Jags?) which are also fine. If you fancy the idea of a round or triangular plate it seems there's nothing stopping you! Usually all the characters must be in a single line although there are some specific rules about how characters must be arranged on square plates where they are needed. The plate does not have to be in the cente of the vehicle so there's no problem with the Alfa one-sided fronts (except they look stupid) or the rears on Land Rover type vehicles.
Some lorry trailers have the owner's trailer identification code on a plate made up very like a number plate. This seems to be allowed by the regulations. The regulations say a number plate must be made from a particular reflective material but there is no prohibition of using that material for other purposes. So if you want you can have 5 or 6 different plates on the back of your car only one of which is your number plate. Obviously you mustn't use someone else's number or make up a number that looks real. However, you could have all sorts of names and numbers on the plates with plenty of opportunity for confusing BiBs number-plate recognition devices! Especially confusing is your dummies are standard shape and the real one is triangular. The real rear number plate has to be illuminated in accordance with yet more regulations.
As you might guess, this knowledge derives form a BiB "pull" some years ago regarding a plate which was alleged not to comply with the reg's! (So if any of the info is out of date it's because I haven't had to look it up recently)
In reality, the absolute letter of the law only really applies at SVA time. After that any sensible plate will be OK as long as you don't take the p**s : On my '95 Camaro Z28, I have a recessed rear plate - hence I'm allowed a motorcycle size plate which fits fine. On the front I had a factory plate mounting that looked shite, but allowed a square plate, I binned the mounting, bought a rectangle plate with motorcycle size characters on as small a background as the characters will allow - not standard size - it fits in the black section between nose cone and spoiler and looks the danglies. It is perfectly readable and I've never been stopped or failed any tests for it. On my Ducati I have a plate as small as I can legally get, a faint image of the Roadrunner in the background and grey shaded letters - not strictly legal but again not obvious and perfectly legible. So basically do whatever you need to to get SVA, then sort it out afterwards. As for legal plates needing postcodes etc, that's easy - look in motorcycle news at all the "show" plate makers - there are no laws governing show plates so they will make anything you want - as long as they sell it for show purposes 
.
. yellowvette said:
In reality, the absolute letter of the law only really applies at SVA time. After that any sensible plate will be OK as long as you don't take the p**s : On my '95 Camaro Z28, I have a recessed rear plate - hence I'm allowed a motorcycle size plate which fits fine. On the front I had a factory plate mounting that looked shite, but allowed a square plate, I binned the mounting, bought a rectangle plate with motorcycle size characters on as small a background as the characters will allow - not standard size - it fits in the black section between nose cone and spoiler and looks the danglies. It is perfectly readable and I've never been stopped or failed any tests for it. On my Ducati I have a plate as small as I can legally get, a faint image of the Roadrunner in the background and grey shaded letters - not strictly legal but again not obvious and perfectly legible. So basically do whatever you need to to get SVA, then sort it out afterwards. As for legal plates needing postcodes etc, that's easy - look in motorcycle news at all the "show" plate makers - there are no laws governing show plates so they will make anything you want - as long as they sell it for show purposes
I'll go with that and I'm sure everybody that knows my car and bike would agree that I have the smallest plate I can but do try not to take the p155
>> Edited by Gixer on Tuesday 18th October 17:55
vetteheadracer said:
My one has been stolen /just fell off officer......
That excuse doesn’t work, even being nice, I now have my front plat tucked behind the passenger seat just in case I can then whip it out and put it on the dash, its only a £30 pound fine or £45 if you leave it till the bailiff comes round
Sam
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