Stick on vinyl front plate?
Discussion
Steve_D said:
Yes it is illegal but provided you use the correct size, font, spacing and can be viewed from suitable angles I suspect the BIB will leave you alone. I may be wrong but I don't belive the vinyl ones are reflective.
My vinyl has been on for 6 years now.
Steve
I've had both reflective and non-reflective vinyl. Just depends where you order it from/options etc. The reflective one seems to reflect more than a "standard" plate. I think it might be more directional though. Either way, plod have had reason to look at both types to read the plate. Didn't bat an eye lid. (I was just glad it came back as insured, taxed and tested)My vinyl has been on for 6 years now.
Steve
FlossyThePig said:
A quick search on the dft website found this page
They are also not aware of their ass even if they use both hands. That's just a "Don't ask us, it's not our responsibility" message.DVLA said:
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is not aware of any self-adhesive number plates that meet the British Standard requirements.
To know 100% if something conforms you'll need the british standard (and from 2001 the plate must have the BS kite mark on it), and the ability to test everything in it. However nobody seems to be able to find the standard in it's entirety on the internet.
It appears to say that the plate should be rigid, flat, and meet certain reflectivity requirements, (as well as the fonts, spacing, colours, makers name, postcode and BS kitemark requirements).
So without the BS and the ability to test all the plates requirements, the MOT testers (should plates come back after the last fiasco), and Plod, have to apply some common sense to if a plate is illegal or not.
Hit the requirements that can be tested with the mk1 eyeball, and I really can't see it ever being a problem.
I had NO front plate on my Fury for nearly 2 years, never got pulled, even my friendly MOT tester... :-)
Because kit cars look strange to many, they dont question / worry too much in my experience. A regular car is obviously a different kettle of fish. I am about to fit a front plate, undersized with silver lettering on black vinyl on a 2003 car, curved, underneath my nearside headlight and forsee no problems.
Because kit cars look strange to many, they dont question / worry too much in my experience. A regular car is obviously a different kettle of fish. I am about to fit a front plate, undersized with silver lettering on black vinyl on a 2003 car, curved, underneath my nearside headlight and forsee no problems.
My Spitfire has had stick on plate on the bonnet since at least 1996 (probably longer).
Its not legal - but raises no problem at MOT as it meets the letter of the MOT's rules.
As far as I can tell I've never had even a raised eyebrow from any plod, however when I find myself behind a police car I always moderate my right foot to keep the rather fruity exhaust at bay to avoid attracting unnecessary scrutiny.
Its not legal - but raises no problem at MOT as it meets the letter of the MOT's rules.
As far as I can tell I've never had even a raised eyebrow from any plod, however when I find myself behind a police car I always moderate my right foot to keep the rather fruity exhaust at bay to avoid attracting unnecessary scrutiny.
I also have black letters/numbers on a white stick-on background, all standard font/spacing etc. Never had an issue at MoT time or from the Police. You may get a lot more attention with white numbers/letters on a Black background simply as it is 'different' than the norm (and illegal for a post 73 car I think).
I had a stick on plate on my old Mini, and it was near enough on the flat of the bonnet. It could barely be read from straight ahead and was a non-reflective sticker too. Plod pulled me over once for going faster round a roundabout than they could manage only to ask me to slow down as I wasn't speeding. They didn't bat at eye at the plate, but did suggest I get the valve stem seals looked at as it was blowing a little blue.
all kitcars i own, also the ones friends bought (lets say in total 15 cars) came with self addhesive, vinyl plates..all cars had a fresh mot and passed like that since years. so i always thought that these plates are legal in UK...but it seems that i was wrong.
unfortunaltely we are not allowed to use self adhessive plates over here, even its often the "only" solution to fit a plate on such a car.
unfortunaltely we are not allowed to use self adhessive plates over here, even its often the "only" solution to fit a plate on such a car.
Edited by Comadis on Friday 21st January 12:32
when i looked into this for my own purposes a couple of years ago i read umpteen forums, threads and the DVLA/DOT details. To my understanding a stick on plate evben with correct font/spacing etc will never be legal - because of one or two factors; the fact that it isnt mounted as close to vertical as possible ( few cars dont have a vertical plane somewhere around the nosecone, second the plate will not have teh relevant british standards mark on it. Logically there's less 'risk' in getting a pull by having a stick on plate that is correct in font/space etc, BUT if i recall correctly if the letter of teh Law is applied an illegal number plate can carry a points + money finem, whereas i recall that no plate is a fine, not points. But like all things, interpretation - by the individuals ereadint the bumph and the copper that collars an offender will be the deciding factor.
I fitted a stick on plate to my Fury once IVAd. It is reflective, with the correct font/size, but is illegal as it doesn't show BS AU 145d or supplier name and post code. Will probably pass it's MOT when due though. I bought a 'normal' plate too, just in case the MOT tester moans. Just stick it one with 'Blue Tack' for the test 
Here's what we should do...
Rules Governing Display and Appearance
NB: This article is summarised in bullet points at the foot of the page.
When the new registration format was introduced in 2001, regulations governing the construction and display of car number plates were revised. These revised regulations apply to the number plates on any and all vehicles registered on or after 1st September 2001. They also apply to all replacement plates made and mounted on vehicles on or after the same date.
Number plates must now use one specific, mandatory typeface - a very simple sans serif typeface intended to make the numbers easy to read by both humans and automatic recognition systems, which are increasingly being used by the police and other agencies. All hard-to-read variants, such as multiple stroke and italic fonts, are now prohibited. The one decorative variation still permitted is a 3D effect version of the mandatory typeface.
The size and spacing of number plate characters is specified in the regulations, as follows:
Each character must be 79mm high and 50mm wide (except the number 1 or the letter I). The width of each character stroke must be 14mm. There must be a space of 11mm between characters within the same group, and character groups must be 33mm apart. For the purposes of measurement, each character (again, excepting the number 1 or the letter I), regardless of its shape, is treated as a rectangular block of dimensions 79mm x 50mm
Optionally, number plates may display one of the following national emblems: British Union Flag with “GB”, English Flag (St George Cross) with “ENG”, Scottish Flag (St Andrew Cross) with “SCO”, Welsh Flag (green dragon on green/white field) with “Wales” and “Cymru” or Euro Flag (circle of stars) with “GB”. If the Euro/GB configuration is displayed, then the bearer vehicle need not display a separate “GB” emblem when driving within the EU.
The colours and reflectivity of number plates are also specified in the regulations, and there is a British Standard (BS AU 145d) which describes the physical characteristics of number plates, including: visibility, strength and reflectivity. Front plates must have black characters on a white background, while rear plates must have black characters on a yellow background. The British Standard also requires that a number plate must be marked with the following information: the British Standard Number, the name, trade mark, or other means of identification of the manufacturer or component supplier, the name and postcode of the supplying outlet. A non-reflective border is optional. There may be no other markings or material contained on the number plate.
SUMMARY: What is required and permitted on UK road-legal number plates
Required:
* White front plate (to British Standard BS AU 145d)
* Yellow rear plate (to British Standard BS AU 145d)
* The registration number of the bearer vehicle in the mandatory font (black ‘Charles Wright 2001’)
* Spacing of characters and character groups in accordance with the measurements specified in the regulations. Variation is not permitted
Permitted but not required:
* 3D variation of the mandatory ‘Charles Wright 2001’ font
* Coloured, non-reflective border
* National emblem: English St George Cross with “ENG” legend, Scottish St Andrew Cross with “SCO” legend, Welsh Dragon with “WALES” and “CYMRU” legend, British Union Flag with “GB” legend) or Euro Stars symbol with “GB” legend.
No additions or variations are permitted. Common illegal variations are:
* Fancy or decorative typefaces
* Bolts placed in such a way as to alter the appearance of characters
* Adjusted spacing between characters or character groups
* Altered characters
* Additional logos or symbols, such as sporting emblems and religious symbols.
There are concessions for older and vintage cars. “Historic vehicles”, i.e. those built prior to 1973, are permitted to bear the old-style black plates of either plastic or traditional metal construction.
To quote the DVLA: "Vehicles constructed before 1.1.73 may display traditional style ‘black and white’ plates i.e. white, silver or grey characters on a black plate."
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Here's what we should do...
Rules Governing Display and Appearance
NB: This article is summarised in bullet points at the foot of the page.
When the new registration format was introduced in 2001, regulations governing the construction and display of car number plates were revised. These revised regulations apply to the number plates on any and all vehicles registered on or after 1st September 2001. They also apply to all replacement plates made and mounted on vehicles on or after the same date.
Number plates must now use one specific, mandatory typeface - a very simple sans serif typeface intended to make the numbers easy to read by both humans and automatic recognition systems, which are increasingly being used by the police and other agencies. All hard-to-read variants, such as multiple stroke and italic fonts, are now prohibited. The one decorative variation still permitted is a 3D effect version of the mandatory typeface.
The size and spacing of number plate characters is specified in the regulations, as follows:
Each character must be 79mm high and 50mm wide (except the number 1 or the letter I). The width of each character stroke must be 14mm. There must be a space of 11mm between characters within the same group, and character groups must be 33mm apart. For the purposes of measurement, each character (again, excepting the number 1 or the letter I), regardless of its shape, is treated as a rectangular block of dimensions 79mm x 50mm
Optionally, number plates may display one of the following national emblems: British Union Flag with “GB”, English Flag (St George Cross) with “ENG”, Scottish Flag (St Andrew Cross) with “SCO”, Welsh Flag (green dragon on green/white field) with “Wales” and “Cymru” or Euro Flag (circle of stars) with “GB”. If the Euro/GB configuration is displayed, then the bearer vehicle need not display a separate “GB” emblem when driving within the EU.
The colours and reflectivity of number plates are also specified in the regulations, and there is a British Standard (BS AU 145d) which describes the physical characteristics of number plates, including: visibility, strength and reflectivity. Front plates must have black characters on a white background, while rear plates must have black characters on a yellow background. The British Standard also requires that a number plate must be marked with the following information: the British Standard Number, the name, trade mark, or other means of identification of the manufacturer or component supplier, the name and postcode of the supplying outlet. A non-reflective border is optional. There may be no other markings or material contained on the number plate.
SUMMARY: What is required and permitted on UK road-legal number plates
Required:
* White front plate (to British Standard BS AU 145d)
* Yellow rear plate (to British Standard BS AU 145d)
* The registration number of the bearer vehicle in the mandatory font (black ‘Charles Wright 2001’)
* Spacing of characters and character groups in accordance with the measurements specified in the regulations. Variation is not permitted
Permitted but not required:
* 3D variation of the mandatory ‘Charles Wright 2001’ font
* Coloured, non-reflective border
* National emblem: English St George Cross with “ENG” legend, Scottish St Andrew Cross with “SCO” legend, Welsh Dragon with “WALES” and “CYMRU” legend, British Union Flag with “GB” legend) or Euro Stars symbol with “GB” legend.
No additions or variations are permitted. Common illegal variations are:
* Fancy or decorative typefaces
* Bolts placed in such a way as to alter the appearance of characters
* Adjusted spacing between characters or character groups
* Altered characters
* Additional logos or symbols, such as sporting emblems and religious symbols.
There are concessions for older and vintage cars. “Historic vehicles”, i.e. those built prior to 1973, are permitted to bear the old-style black plates of either plastic or traditional metal construction.
To quote the DVLA: "Vehicles constructed before 1.1.73 may display traditional style ‘black and white’ plates i.e. white, silver or grey characters on a black plate."
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Seems to me this is a bit like doing 34 mph in a 30 limit.
It is illegal but would anyone actually do anything about it?
Stick on plates cannot be street legal there are so few cars particularly sports cars with a truly vertical and flat surface anyway. Quite apart from the poor reflectability
Had loads of plates over the years never had a problem, umpteen kit cars and the like with letters on a grille etc and stick on plates etc never a problem.
BUT my cars have always been street legal not noisy etc insured taxed and unlikely to attract trouble. And I am a fat old bloke.
If you take it too far like the ones where numbers are reversed etc you will get a pull because the plate cannot be read.
I would try it and see making the plate as near to vertical etc as you can. If your motor is street legal in every other respect you could well never have a problem.
It is illegal but would anyone actually do anything about it?
Stick on plates cannot be street legal there are so few cars particularly sports cars with a truly vertical and flat surface anyway. Quite apart from the poor reflectability
Had loads of plates over the years never had a problem, umpteen kit cars and the like with letters on a grille etc and stick on plates etc never a problem.
BUT my cars have always been street legal not noisy etc insured taxed and unlikely to attract trouble. And I am a fat old bloke.
If you take it too far like the ones where numbers are reversed etc you will get a pull because the plate cannot be read.
I would try it and see making the plate as near to vertical etc as you can. If your motor is street legal in every other respect you could well never have a problem.
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