Are your plates legal? Read on to find out!
New UK number plates are designed, tested and released every year in March and September for cars fresh off the assembly line.
However, the technical standard for number plates registered after the 1st of September 2021 has been changed. These revised standards will impact road users in more ways than one and could even make some vehicles illegal to drive!
In our quick guide, we’ll discuss the changes made to the new UK REG plates so that you can drive your set of wheels with complete peace of mind.
The BS AU 145d standard for new REG plates in the UK has been replaced by the BS AU 145e standard.
New UK number plates registered after the 1st September 2021 will now have:
Number plates registered after the 1st September 2021 can also include a green flash if the vehicle produces zero emissions and specific flags.
It’s important to note that the old BS AU 145d standard for UK REG plates will still apply to those manufactured before the 1st September 2021.
The BS AU 145e standard for new UK number plates has brought it’s fair share of controversies with the biggest of these being the ban on two-toned lettering.
Two-toned lettering which creates the illusion of 3D or 4D text will no longer be legal in the UK. This is because this kind of lettering can impact the reliability of ANPRs.
ANPRs are fairly accurate, however Birmingham Live reported an incident where a woman was charged for driving in Birmingham’s clean air zone despite never traveling there. It’s very possible that the ANPR misread the number plate on the offending vehicle and confused it with Ruth Costello’s REG.
We believe that the new UK REG plates will prevent situations like this from happening as the standard lettering will now be in a single shade of black and two-toned letting, which can negatively impact ANPRs, has been banned for new plates.
You can find out more about the new Clean Air Zone In Birmingham in our in-depth guide. We also have guides on:
On the 28th September 2021, a new law was introduced for all UK motorists driving their vehicles abroad.
You will now be required to display a “UK” sticker on the rear of your vehicle if your number plates have:
If you have a GB sticker, you must cover or remove it before driving your vehicle outside of the UK. However, you don’t need a UK sticker or revised number plates to drive in Ireland.
If you have a new UK number plate with a “UK” identifier beneath the Union flag, then you don’t need a UK sticker to travel abroad.
In addition to the new BS AU 145e standard, a few other changes have been introduced for plates manufactured after 1st September 2021.
Most of these REG changes were introduced in March 2021. They are as follows:
If your number plate doesn’t meet the legal standards, then you could be fined up to £1,000!
Your vehicle will also fail it’s MOT test if you drive with incorrectly displayed number plates. This can be easily avoided and at Scrap Local we’ve provided tips on how to pass your MOT as well as more information on the latest MOT changes in 2021.
The new standard only applies to new UK number plates registered after the 1st September 2021. Don’t get caught out and make sure that your set of wheels has plates which:
You can find out more about the rules for number plates on GOV.UK.
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