Legal number plates

You can find shops selling auto and car parts or accessories on many retail parks. Or there are literally dozens of online websites. So it's not difficult to find where to get number plates made up. But not all number plates are the same. So beware.
Like many things you buy, the great thing about walking into a shop is that you can see exactly what you are getting for your money. You can touch and feel the number plates before you get them made up. The quality of number plates does vary a lot. Cheap number plates do just peel apart and can cause you to fail an MoT if the letters and numbers are affected.

What is the right spacing for a personalised number plate?

We are regularly asked about number plate spacing. It's assumed that this doesn't matter on a personalised registration number. Not true.

Whether you have personalised number plates or a standard ones, the same rules apply for the size of the letters and the spaces between them. Even the fonts for registration numbers are tightly controlled. And the official font for UK number plates is called Charles Wright.

What are the official DVLA rules on spacing?

Beware of cheap number plates

If you need a set of number plates made up for your car, or other vehicle, you need to know what you're buying.

Not all number plates are made the same

The quality of number plates varies a lot. The end result depends on the equipment used by the supplier of the plates.

Making illegal number plates lands company in hot water

Not everyone is familiar with the laws for the display of number plates. These rules are the same regardless of whether you have a private number plate or just a standard one.

Number plate suppliers are claiming to sell road legal plates

And unwitting customers are buying them.

We've seen so-called "road legal number plates" for sale online. Many on a well-known auction site, but also on other websites. And quite frankly, they are not road legal.

There's a lot of confusion out there about what is or isn't a legal number plate.