Your Guide to Show Number Plate Laws

Show number plates can give your car or bike a really unique look when it’s off road. You can have whatever word or phrase you wish printed on the number plate (provided it fits) and you can even include a tag line or slogan at the bottom of the plate as well as having a whole range of colours and fonts. If someone has just passed their driving test or if you know someone who’s mad about their car then show number plates make great gifts. There are laws as to what you can do with show number plates though so make sure you are up to date on the legalities with the quick guide below.

What makes a number plate legal?

Unfortunately you can’t just attach any number plates you wish to your car when your vehicle is on the road. There are a number of basic rules which should be adhered to for a number plate to be legal including (although it might seem obvious) having a number plate on both the front and rear of your car. The number plates should be reflective and have black text with the rear plate having a yellow background and the front plate having a white background. The number plates should also have the registration number of the bearer vehicle on them. All the text on the number plate should be in the standard font and spaced as outlined in the regulations.

What legal added extras can I have?

If you want to make your plate individual whilst still keeping everything legal there are a few options. You can show your patriotism by including a national emblem and abbreviation on the plate for example "ENG" with the St. George Cross or for a broader scope you could have the European Union star logo with "GB" next to it. To add some colour, number plates are permitted to have coloured boarders as long as they are not reflective and you can have a slight variation on the text with a 3D version of the standard font.

What should I avoid on my number plate?

Classic mistakes which are actually illegal include altering the appearance of numbers or letters due to screws or bolts, for example a ‘C’ being misrepresented as an ‘E’ because of the positioning of a bolt. Any alterations to the spacing of the text or the font is also illegal so decorative fonts are definitely not permitted. No matter how much you may love your football team you can’t include any other logos or symbols on the number plate other than the national ones outlined above.

What can I use show plates for?

Legally show plates can’t be used for road vehicles as they are not permitted to have an actual registration number on them. However, show plates can be used for off road use such as for promotional vehicles or for cars in salesrooms. Show plates can also be used for rallies or for car clubs at meet ups or even to use as decoration in offices, bedrooms, or anywhere else!

If you are planning to buy a show plate then make sure you check out all the legalities you make a purchase.

If you are looking for a place to buy show plates then you should check out the A1 Plates Ltd website.