Drivers face £1,000 fine for number-plate mistake as new batch are introduced – here’s how to avoid being caught out

A SIMPLE number-plate mistake could land drivers with fines of up to £1,000.

A new batch of registrations is being introduced, meaning motorists could easily get caught out.

Alamy

The DVLA has changed the way registrations are designed in 2022 – with fresh plates featuring “22” from March 1.

The update is designed to make the registration numbers easier to track with surveillance equipment, as well as more resistant to damage.

As the new wave enters the market, and motorists show off their shiny new vehicles, you might be looking for an update yourself – but don’t be caught out.

Plates, which will now follow BS AU 145e technical standards, must meet a specific set of requirements to be legal so they are easy to read.

Failing to abide by the rules can lead to hefty fines, failed MOTs and even the loss of the plate.

So to avoid being punished, ensure your registration meets the following criteria.

COLOUR

Number plates must have black characters on a white background on the front plate, and a yellow background on the back.

Vehicles which meet the relevant criteria for zero emissions are also allowed to feature a flash of green on the left hand side.

SPACING

Plates should always have the correct spacing. For example, AC55 ABC.

For most vehicles, there must be an 11mm gap between each character, and an 11mm margin at the top, bottom and side of the plate.

FONT

Only the standard “Charles Wright” font is acceptable.

But under new rules, the registration must be displayed in solid black lettering.

Two-tone plates that use different shades to create a 3D and sometimes 4D effect were banned in September last year.

But the lettering is still allowed to be Perspex or acrylic providing it meets all other requirements.

The characters also need to be a certain height and size – 79mm tall, 50mm wide and of 14mm thickness – for the majority of vehicles.

BACKGROUND

Number plates must be plain and made of a reflective material.

There must also be no stickers or other patterned elements that interfere with its legibility.

The new plates will also be required to include a way to identify the manufacturer or supplier, as well as the name and postcode of the outlet.

FLAG

Only a set variety of flags are allowed to be displayed on the left hand side of the plate.

These include the Union Flag, Cross of St George, Cross of St Andrew (also known as the Saltire), and the Red Dragon of Wales.

The letters, or national identifiers, you can have include GB (or Great Britain), UK (or United Kingdom), ENG (or England), SCO (or Scotland), Cym (or Cymru), or Wales.

No new plates feature the EU flag following the UK’s departure from the European Union.

A spokesperson for the DVLA said: “Number plates (also known as licence plates) must show your registration number correctly.

“You cannot rearrange letters or numbers, or alter them so that they’re hard to read.

“You could be fined up to £1,000 and your vehicle will fail its MOT test if you drive with incorrectly displayed number plates.”

The current vehicle registration number format was introduced in 2001.

It consists of two letters, which refer to the region in the country where your vehicle was first registered, two numbers, which tell you when it was issued, and three letters chosen at random.

New plates are released every six months, with the “22” batch released on March 1 and the “72” set on September 1.