The Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001

Regulation 10

SCHEDULE 2 U.K. REQUIREMENTS FOR REGISTRATION PLATES

[F1 PART A1 U.K. VEHICLES REGISTERED AND NEW REGISTRATION PLATES FITTED ON OR AFTER 1ST SEPTEMBER 2021 (MANDATORY SPECIFICATION)

Textual Amendments

F1 Sch. 2 Pt. A1 inserted (1.1.2021) by The Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) (Amendment) (EU Exit) (No. 2) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1363), regs. 1(2), 7

1.   The plate must be made of retroreflecting material which, as regards its construction, colour and other qualities, complies with the requirements of— U.K.

(a) the British Standard specification for retroreflecting number plates published on 28th February 2018 under number BS AU 145e, or

(b) any other relevant standard or specification recognised for use in an EEA State and which, when in use, offers a performance equivalent to that offered by a plate complying with the British Standard specification,

and which in either case, is marked with the number (or such other information as is necessary to permit identification) of that standard or specification.

2.   Where the registration mark is displayed on the front of the vehicle, it must have black characters on a white background. U.K.

3.   Where the registration mark is displayed on the back of a vehicle, it must have black characters on a yellow background. U.K.

4.   Subject to the paragraphs below, other than the registration mark, no additional markings may be displayed on a registration plate. U.K.

5.   Each plate must display below the registration mark additional markings showing— U.K.

(a) the number of the British standard or other relevant standard or specification as referred to in paragraph 1;

(b) the name of the supplier or manufacturer of the parts used to assemble the registration plate; and

(c) the name and postcode of the supplying outlet of the assembled registration plate displaying the registration mark.

6.   The markings required under paragraph 5 must be— U.K.

(a) permanently marked;

(b) non-retroreflecting;

(c) of a single shade of non-retroreflecting colour; and

(d) no more than 10 millimetres in height and no less than 3 millimetres in height.

7.   The space between the bottom of the registration mark and any other markings must not be less than 7 millimetres. U.K.

8.   A border may be displayed on a registration plate where the border is— U.K.

(a) permanently marked;

(b) non-retroreflecting;

(c) of a single shade of non-retroreflecting colour without any design, pattern or texture;

(d) positioned no closer than 10 millimetres from the edge of any character of the registration mark;

(e) not positioned above any other markings; and

(f) no more than 5 millimetres in width.]

PART 1 U.K. VEHICLES REGISTERED AND NEW REGISTRATION PLATES FITTED ON OR AFTER 1ST SEPTEMBER 2001 [F2 AND BEFORE 1ST SEPTEMBER 2021] (MANDATORY SPECIFICATION)

Textual Amendments

F2 Words in Sch. 2 Pt. 1 heading inserted (1.1.2021) by The Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) (Amendment) (EU Exit) (No. 2) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1363), regs. 1(2), 8

1.  The plate must be made of retroreflecting material which, as regards its construction, colour and other qualities, complies with the requirements of— U.K.

(a) the British Standard specification for retroreflecting number plates published on 15 January 1998 under number BS AU 145d M1 , or

(b) any other relevant standard or specification recognised for use in an EEA State and which, when in use, offers a performance equivalent to that offered by a plate complying with the British Standard specification,

and which, in either case, is marked with the number (or such other information as is necessary to permit identification) of that standard or specification.

Marginal Citations

M1 Published by the British Standards Institution, 389 Chiswick High Road, London W4 4AL. The ISBN number is 0 580 28985 0. Copies may be obtained by post from BSI Customer Services, Sales Department, at the above address or from a BSI sales outlet.

2.  Where the registration mark is displayed on the front of the vehicle, it must have black characters on a white background. U.K.

3.  Where the registration mark is displayed on the back of the vehicle, it must have black characters on a yellow background. U.K.

PART 2 U.K. VEHICLES REGISTERED ON OR AFTER 1ST JANUARY 1973 AND BEFORE 1ST SEPTEMBER 2001 (OPTIONAL SPECIFICATION)

1.  The plate must be made of reflex-reflecting material which, as regards its construction, colour and other qualities, complies with the requirements of— U.K.

(a) the British Standard Specification for reflex-reflecting number plates, published on 11 September 1972 under the number BS AU 145a M2 , or

(b) any other relevant standard or specification recognised for use in an EEA State and which, when in use, offers a performance equivalent to that offered by a plate complying with the British Standard specification,

and which, in either case, is marked with the number (or such other information as is necessary to permit identification) of that standard or specification.

Marginal Citations

M2 Published by the British Standards Institution, 389 Chiswick High Road, London W4 4AL, being the first revision of the standard first published in 1967. The ISBN number is 0 580 07327 0. Copies may be obtained by post from BSI Customer Services, Sales Department, at the above address or from a BSI sales outlet.

2.  Where the registration mark is displayed on the front of the vehicle, it must have black characters on a white background. U.K.

3.  Where the registration mark is displayed on the back of the vehicle, it must have black characters on a yellow background. U.K.

PART 3 U.K. VEHICLES REGISTERED BEFORE 1ST JANUARY 1973 (OPTIONAL SPECIFICATIONS)

A.  Requirements where the vehicle carries a registration plate which is constructed so that the mark may be illuminated from behind by virtue of the translucency of its characters. U.K.

1.  The registration mark must be formed of white translucent characters on a black background on the surface of that plate. U.K.

2.  When the registration mark is illuminated during the hours of darkness, the characters on that plate must appear white against a black background. U.K.

B.  Requirements where the vehicle carries a registration plate which is not so constructed. U.K.

Either of the following is permitted—

1.  A plate made of reflex-reflecting material complying with the requirements of the British Standard Specification for reflex-reflecting number plates published on 31 October 1967 under the number BS AU 145 M3 and which displays black characters on a white background where it is fixed on the front of the vehicle and black characters on a yellow background where it is fixed on the rear of the vehicle. U.K.

Marginal Citations

M3 Published by the British Standards Institution, 389 Chiswick High Road, London W4 4AL, the standard having been revised in 1972 to BS AU 145a, as to which see the immediately preceding footnote.

2.  A plate displaying white, silver or light grey letters and numbers on a black surface having every character indelibly inscribed on the surface or so attached to the surface that it cannot readily be detached from it, which may either— U.K.

(a) be made of cast or pressed metal with raised characters, or

(b) consist of a plate to which separate characters are attached, or

(c) consist of a plastic plate having either reverse engraved characters or characters of a foil type, or

(d) consist of an unbroken rectangular area on the surface of the vehicle which is either flat or, if there is no flat area where the mark is required to be displayed, an area which is almost flat.