Motorists are at risk of a £1,000 fine and failing their MOT test as new number plate changes hit UK roads in weeks. New number plate designs will hit the car market from September 1, with '76' designs set to be launched. It is the second number plate change this year, with the '26' designs already introduced to the market back in March.
But in all the excitement of securing a new design, motorists must make sure their number plate follows a series of specifications before equipping it to their car.
Number plate specifications and rules
Number plates on a vehicle must be made from a reflective material and not have a background pattern. Meanwhile, front registration plates need to display black characters on a white background, with black characters on a yellow background at the rear.
Plates must also be marked to show who supplied the number plate and have a British Standard number. This should read 'BS AU 145e' for any number plate fitted after September 1, 2021. But most importantly, brand new registration numbers should not be fitted to older vehicles.
Penalties for non-compliance
Plates that make a car look newer than it actually is cannot be installed, meaning road users are not allowed to install a '26' or '76' design on a car registered in 2025 or earlier. Motorists who break the rules and drive around with an incorrectly displayed number plate are at risk of being slapped with hefty penalties.
Road users may get away with a £100 fixed penalty notice, but motorists are still at risk of being hit with a £1,000 fine. Crucially, road users found to have an incorrect number plate will fail their annual MOT test, effectively taking the car off the road.
Data and expert warning
Data suggests that more than 1.3 million MOT failures last year were linked to number plate issues, including illegible plates and non-compliant designs. Damon Jowett, head of customer, roadside and network services, at Green Flag stressed that number plate problems could become a much more serious issue.
He said: “Many drivers don’t realise just how strict the rules around number plates are. Something as simple as a faded digit, cracked plastic or loose fixing can lead to an MOT failure, as can plates fitted with illegal fonts, altered spacing or decorative effects.
“While these issues are often quick and relatively inexpensive to fix, failing to display a legal plate can also result in fines, enforcement action or problems if a vehicle is misidentified by cameras.”
