Number Plate Fines in the UK: What Can Get You Caught

Many drivers don't realise their number plates could land them with a fine of up to £1,000. Police officers and automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras are good at spotting plates that aren't right.

The most common number plate offences

• Wrong font. Italic, stylised or "custom" fonts are illegal. Only Charles Wright 2001 is allowed.
• Changed spacing. Moving letters closer or further apart to spell a word or name.
• Coloured or shaded characters. Characters must be solid black.
• Background patterns or pictures. The background must be plain white at the front and plain yellow at the back.
• Dirty, cracked or faded plates. If a plate can't be read easily, it can count as an offence.
• Show plates on the road. Fun to look at, but never legal on a public road.
• Plates without supplier details. Legal plates must show the supplier's name and postcode and the BS AU 145e mark.

It's not just the fine

Illegal plates can also mean:

• An MOT failure
• Problems with your insurance if you're in an accident
• In serious or repeated cases, the DVLA can withdraw your registration number, which hurts if you've paid for a private plate

How to stay legal

The easy way is to buy from a DVLA registered supplier that makes plates to BS AU 145e. At PlatedUp every road-legal plate is checked, made to the standard and marked correctly, even our 4D and gel plates.

Want something with custom text? Get a show plate for display instead.