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The Three Laws That Private Plate Buyers Should Know

The Three Laws That Private Plate Buyers Should Know

Private number plates are a fantastic way to personalise your vehicle and display your unique style or sense of humour. However, if you’re thinking of buying a private number plate for the first time, you need to know about some important rules and regulations. Here at ThePrivatePlateCo, we’re passionate about helping drivers understand the laws surrounding personalised number plates. After all, we want you to be able to choose and buy plates with confidence. To help you, we’ve created a list of the most important number plate rules and how you can avoid breaking them.

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1. Avoid fanciful fonts and distracting decorations

All legal number plates use a standardised font and colour scheme. This ensures that speed cameras and other automated security cameras can read them. Non-standard fonts and decorations that might obscure the actual registration are not permitted. Reputable dealers won’t sell number plates with non-standard fonts or illegal decorations. That’s why it’s always safest to buy from a trustworthy supplier like us.

2. Don’t lie about the age of your vehicle

Number plates normally indicate the year that a car was manufactured. It’s perfectly legal to put older plates on a newer car. However, you can’t put new plates on an old car, as this could mislead potential buyers and other interested parties into thinking that your car is newer than it is. Always make sure you buy number plates that are as old (or older) than your car.

3. There’s no need for rudeness

Certain registrations look like swearwords or epithets when displayed on number plates. These registrations are banned for reasons of basic decency and should not be used on any vehicle. Registration plates that contain religious phrases or references are also banned in order to avoid conflict and controversy. Reputable suppliers shouldn’t sell plates that could cause offence. When in doubt, however, it’s always best to avoid a number plate that you think might be controversial.

4. Legal Number Plate Spacings

One of the most important things about all car registrations whether they are private plates or just the general DVLA standard issue is that the plates must be spaced legally. There are huge implications if the spacing is incorrect. Firstly, and most importantly, is the fact that DVLA can revoke your rights to the plate so that would mean you would lose it altogether. Add to that the fact that they could also impose a fine up to £1000 then its clear to se that mis-spacing is not a god idea at all. Insurance companies also frown upon mis-spacing as they say its more difficult to recognise the car if its stolen as the cameras cant pick up the correct reg.

If you need any more advice about the laws surrounding private number plates, feel free to contact us. Alternatively, you could check out our extensive range of plates immediately. You don’t have to worry about number plate laws when you buy from us: all the DLVA number plates that we sell are legal and can be displayed on most cars.