Rules on silver and black numberplates (again!)

[Oceanrower]

Hi all,

Found a long thread that, eventually, ended up on agreeing that there is a 40 year rolling rule on silver and black number plates.

Now, my googling skills are obviously getting rusty, but I can't actually find any regulations on what these number plates should consist of.

Anyone got any idea of letter sizing, spacing, borders etc?

And, if it's the same as "modern" plates, does it still need the postcode, BS number etc.

[konark]

Far as I know there's no rolling rule. You can use black and white up to K suffix, after that you can't.

And why would you want to? it looks wrong and it is wrong.

I doubt many cars registered after 1967 had black and white number-plates, people wanted their cars to look new and stand out from older ones.
Many people , like my dad, even retro-fitted yellow plates to their old dogs in a vain attempt at modernity

[Dark Star]

Only legal on vehicles registered before 1st January 1975.
Then you need to meet the normal rules about letter space, etc

[Oceanrower]

This is the original thread I found,

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

and, at the end, even BV72 admitted he was wrong and accepted that there was a rolling rule.

This is on an old motorbike that has been modified (don't worry, not enough to revoke the historical status) and I think the style would suit it. Frankly, I don't really care whether you think it looks wrong, I was asking about the legalities...

[Oceanrower]

Dark Star said:

Only legal on vehicles registered before 1st January 1975.
Then you need to meet the normal rules about letter space, etc

If we agree to differ on the date, as per the link I posted, any idea on BS numbers, postcodes etc. Not even sure postcodes were a "thing" back then!

[RobXjcoupe]

Have a chat with your mot man regarding the bs numbers. It’s always been 1975 and older though, won’t be a rolling 40 years otherwise eventually a brand new car today could be fitted with black and white number plates in 40 years time

[akirk]

https://insidedvla.blog.gov.uk/2015/11/17/whats-th...

1.5 seconds of googling (slow typing on an ipad) showed this blog from the DVLA
- historic class is 40 years rolling
- black and silver plates = historic class
- blog was written in 2015, so 40 years at that time was 1975, but will now be 1978
- changes on April 1 each year

OP is right...

and as their photos show, just the required characters, no makers name or BS codes etc.
as for sizing, the details are on the internet as I have found them before now, but it was probably on a forum somewhere, but a plate maker should know the details...

have fun...

Edited by akirk on Saturday 30th June 07:04

[triumphkryten]

Read page 11 - this is INF104, published by the government, and updated this year - the rolling tax exemption and black/silver plate run concurrently

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/governmen...

Edited by triumphkryten on Saturday 30th June 09:55

[Riley Blue]

triumphkryten said:

Read page 11 - this is INF104, published by the government, and updated this year - the rolling tax exemption and black/silver plate run concurrently

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/governmen...

Edited by triumphkryten on Saturday 30th June 09:55

From which I quote:

Traditional number plates for vehicles made
before 1 January 1973.

Vehicles made before 1 January 1973 may display
traditional ’black and white’ number plates (for example,
white, silver or grey characters on a black plate).

Since April 2018 vehicles manufactured before 1 January
1978 can display the older style plates. You must:
• have applied to DVLA
• be registered within the ‘historic vehicles’ tax class.

Vehicles constructed 40 or more years ago are exempt
from tax. The 40 year exemption date rolls forward
automatically each year on 1 April.

[Oceanrower]

Thanks all.

So, as I understand it, I CAN have older style plates (which is what I thought) on a 1977 vehicle.

What I still don't know is

1. What about BS numbers, postcodes etc. Sizing is covered in that leaflet.

2. It states "Have applied to the DVLA" and "Be registered within the ‘historic vehicles’ tax class."


I HAVE re-registered it but do I have to apply to the DVLA separately as well or does the re-registration cover that.

If so, no doubt there's a form for that. Anyone know the number?

[sherbertdip]

Why don't you wait until Monday and phone DVLA?

[KevinCamaroSS]

Reading the guidance note as the link above I read it to mean:

Cars before 1973 can use 'black and white' type number plates. Cars from 1973 can use 'traditional' number plates. There is no description of a traditional number plate. What there is, though, is the requirement for cars post 1st Jan 1973 to have black on yellow, black on white reflective number plates with a different font requirement to modern number plates. Are these the 'traditional' number plates?

[Ardennes92]

You don't tend to see many black & white plates these days, most are pressed alloy (silver on black) or current plastic black on white/yellow

[Durzel]

No one is going to pull you over and give you a ticket for no BS marks etc on an ancient car with black/silver plates.

You'd probably struggle for months to get pulled with misspaced plates or no plate at all nowadays. You're worrying about an aspect of a plate that chances are even the Police on the road won't even be sure about, even if they had the luxury of the time to pull you for it.

[laters]

I've had back and silver plates fitted to a 1975 car for nearly two years now.
As soon as the car was changed over to historic vehicle on the v5c I fitted it with black and silver plates.

Have talked to a few police officers about the car and the plates have never been mentioned.

The plates I have fitted are the pressed metal silver and black type plates with no makers marks or b/s symbol.

Passed mot with them too.


Ive just fitted another set of the pressed black and silver plates to my latest 1976 car as soon as the v5c came back from dvla with historic vehicle.
Got the plates on ebay as it was the cheapest source.

[Oceanrower]

Thanks everybody. EBay it is, then.

[mgtony]

I think I had post or two in that other thread!
As mentioned, they are rolling with the historic date status.
Scroll down on this suppliers page and it tells you what you can currently use on what year car:
http://www.chestnut-registrations.co.uk/vintagepla...

[sim72]

If they're rolling with the historic status, you're going to get to the point (are we there already?) where you can fit black/silvers to vehicles that would never have had them in the first place. Why would you want to do that?

[Pothole]

sim72 said:

If they're rolling with the historic status, you're going to get to the point (are we there already?) where you can fit black/silvers to vehicles that would never have had them in the first place. Why would you want to do that?

Because you like the way they look?

[Riley Blue]

I must be in a parallel universe, I can't see a mention of a rolling exemption for black/silver number plates in the regulations I posted.