Registration plates

The number’s up on illegal registration plates! New rules introduced at the beginning of the month aim to crack down on dodgy styles and fonts. And unless your car now carries special identifying marks, it won’t pass the annual MoT test.

Plates fitted to models registered after 1 September 2001 that aren’t embossed with the name and postcode of the supplier and BS AU145d British Standard symbol will result in an automatic failure. The move is des­igned to make it easy for testers to spot non-road-legal ‘show plates’, as these don’t have a BS symbol.

Vehicles made before 1 September 2001 don’t need the codes, although they may still fail if the examiner believes the reg uses letters and numbers with an incorrect size, font and spacing. And while plates which show an international marking to the left – such as GB or the Welsh Dragon – are fine, those with football team crests or cartoon characters will also fail.

The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) has drawn up these regulations to cut vehicle crime and make it easier for testers to identify a problem plate. A spokesman told us: “For accurate eyewitness accounts and to ensure enforcement cameras work, it is necessary that the registration conforms to the required standard.”

The table shows what is and isn’t acceptable in the guidelines – a version of which is on the www.vosa.gov.uk website.

This latest development comes hot on the heels of new fraud legislation. The police can now prosecute drivers who deliberately alter their registration number in order to evade devices such as speed cameras. If found guilty, these motorists could face fines running into thousands of pounds and even a spell in prison.

A spokesman for the Association of Chief Police Officers was keen to stress that these powers will not be directed at those who change plates for style reasons, although such drivers could be penalised under less harsh construction and use regulations.