Number Plate Spacing Rules: Why You Can't Move the Letters

It's tempting. You've got a private plate that almost spells your name, and moving one letter a few millimetres would make it perfect. But changing the spacing on a number plate is illegal, and it's one of the most common reasons drivers get fined.

The spacing rules

On a standard UK car plate:

• Each character has a gap of 11mm next to it.
• There's a 33mm gap between the two groups of characters, for example between AB12 and CDE.
• There's a margin of at least 11mm around the edge of the plate.

For current-style registrations, the split always comes after the fourth character. Private registrations follow the spacing the DVLA has set for that registration.

What counts as misrepresenting a plate?

• Moving characters closer together or further apart
• Using screws or bolts to make a letter look like a different one
• Changing a character's shape so it looks like a letter
• Adding gaps where there shouldn't be any

The risks

• A fine of up to £1,000
• An MOT fail
• The DVLA can withdraw the registration, which means losing a private plate you may have paid a lot for

The legal way to show off a name

If you want a word or name with your own spacing, a show plate is the answer, for display only. For the road, our plate builder spaces your registration correctly every time.