Private plate number spacing

Altarf

oscart1111 wrote: »

Recently got a new plate, it was purchased as: T** NGX. I want to get it put onto my vehicle sometime soon but I was wondering if I could space it as T**NG X with just a space after the G instead.

It isn't legal and it will make you look like a !!!!!!, but lots seem to.

Car_54

IvanS wrote: »

At the moment my registration M155 TAR would best be spaced M155TAR but it would be too risky to do so.

See also post #16.

Brads01

My father has the initial of his name then a space and his surname when the space should be mid way through his surname and I can say he's done well over 200,000 miles in various cars with this number plate without any issues. and I also have a friend who has a space in the wrong place on his plate and the police caught him when he came out of a petrol garage and all he got was a lecture. Do it at your own risk but from all the people I know no one has been in trouble because of it.

sambozauk

All this information is fine and all, but I cannot find anywhere on DVLA with reference to square number plates.  I have a JDM Legacy, quite rare motor.  It has a square number plate and there is a number plate I am wishing to purchase but need some advice on how it needs to look when and if I decide to purchase the number plate.

I will give you an example of my issue as nowhere seems to be able to answer my question regarding square number plates on cars and how the numbers need to look.

EXAMPLE ONE:

Number plate E1 DCS, can read; E1 DCS with the DCS beneath the E1 on the square number plate, yes? so EXAMPLE;

 E1

DCS. 

Not a problem with that.  Now where the confusion is coming with me is the following

EXAMPLE TWO:

Number plate ARN 3T, but can I go with;

 AR

N3T

instead of ARN 3T which is how the number plate is being purchase, but again, that is on regular number plates.  No information anywhere about square number plates, whether I can have AR N3T instead of ARN 3T.  Brits like to talk the talk, but when it comes to actually getting the correct information, it is just stressful trying to find anything out.

Because of all the conflicting information in forums leads me to believe that I can have AR N3T with the AR on the top line, N3T on the second line?, and because there is no mention anywhere of this, does this mean it is legal for me to have the number plate set up in that fashion?.  Who might know what I am on about?, is if I purchase the number plate ARN 3T, can I have AR N3T on the square number plate instead of having ARN 3T?.  I hope that makes sense. 

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

AdrianC

sambozauk said:

All this information is fine and all, but I cannot find anywhere on DVLA with reference to square number plates.

Schedule 3 of the actual legislation, pages 14-21 of this PDF http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2001/561/pdfs/uksi_20010561_en.pdf

I will give you an example of my issue as nowhere seems to be able to answer my question regarding square number plates on cars and how the numbers need to look.

EXAMPLE ONE:

Number plate E1 DCS, can read; E1 DCS with the DCS beneath the E1 on the square number plate, yes? so EXAMPLE;

 E1

DCS. 

Not a problem with that. 

Correct.

Now where the confusion is coming with me is the following

EXAMPLE TWO:

Number plate ARN 3T, but can I go with;

 AR

N3T

Nope. It'd have to be...

ARN
3T

...or...

ARN
3
T

The principle is very simple - you can break the blocks apart, if necessary, but you can't break a block up. The letters are a block, the digits are a block, the suffix is a block. The only exception to that is two-letter/four-digit pre-suffix plates, where a four-character block might be too long, so you can break the block of four digits into two and two.

Brits like to talk the talk, but when it comes to actually getting the correct information, it is just stressful trying to find anything out.

No, it's easy. Just go to the horse's mouth. DVLA issue plates, they don't set legislation or define formats.

Because of all the conflicting information in forums leads me to believe...

Lots of people on lots of forums have lots of opinions. Some of them may have got away with it. That's not the same as actually being legal.

Car_54

sambozauk said:

No information anywhere about square number plates, whether I can have AR N3T instead of ARN 3T.  Brits like to talk the talk, but when it comes to actually getting the correct information, it is just stressful trying to find anything out.

If you really find that stressful, you probably shouldn't be driving.

Altarf

AdrianC said:

Nope. It'd have to be...

ARN
3T

...or...

ARN
3
T

You can only have the second three line option if the car was registered before before 1 January 1973 or if it was made before 1 January 1978 and is registered in the historic tax class and is exempt from vehicle tax.

AdrianC

Altarf said:

AdrianC said:

Nope. It'd have to be...

ARN
3T

...or...

ARN
3
T

You can only have the second three line option if the car was registered before before 1 January 1973 or if it was made before 1 January 1978 and is registered in the historic tax class and is exempt from vehicle tax.

Not quite that simple - I think you're thinking of silver-on-black plates. (BTW, historic tax is currently pre-1/1/79, and changes to 1/1/80 in a fortnight)

From that link...

13 - (3) A mark may not be laid out in conformity with diagram 2c, 3c, 4b or 7b if it is displayed on—
(a) a registration plate fixed to a vehicle first registered on or after 1st September 2001, or
(b) a new registration plate fixed to a vehicle on or after 1st September 2001 to replace a plate previously fixed thereto (except where the vehicle was first registered before 1st January 1973)

(3c is the one we're talking about)

We don't know what age the OP's Subaru is - cars bearing the Legacy badge entered production from 1989.

kevmm1991

I know a lot of people who have illegally spaced plates and have never been pulled by the police. I was following a copper the other day and the vehicle in front of the copper had an illegal plate with this spacing AA11AA A and the copper didn’t batter an eyelid. So it really doesn’t seem like a big issue. Why the policy is so anal I don’t know. Let people do what they want. As long as the font and bold font is the same, why does it even matter..

AdrianC

kevmm1991 said:

I know a lot of people who have illegally spaced plates and have never been pulled by the police. I was following a copper the other day and the vehicle in front of the copper had an illegal plate with this spacing AA11AA A and the copper didn’t batter an eyelid. So it really doesn’t seem like a big issue. Why the policy is so anal I don’t know. Let people do what they want. As long as the font and bold font is the same, why does it even matter..

Turn that round...

Why on earth would anybody want to misrepresent the registration? What benefit is there in AA11AA A instead of the correct AA11 AAA?

Simple. Vanity.

There is no other reason. None. Not one.

I bet the individual in question thinks that AA11AA A "spells something", and therefore he is a god among men, more important than other mere mortals...
 
(Clue: It doesn't, and everybody else either simply doesn't notice, or laughs at him)

Why should the law on registration display place vanity above consistency and clarity, given that the entire point of registration display is to provide an instant, clear, unique vehicle identification?
Just about every other country is just as strict as the UK in terms of display formatting. The vast majority are far stricter in terms of plate supply. If the UK were serious about enforcement, then that would be the way to do it. Plate supply was restricted in 2001, but in a pointlessly half-measure kind of way that merely adds inconvenience to the law-abiding. Perhaps that should be done properly...?

The copper in your anecdote didn't exercise his legal right to stop the driver and issue a fixed penalty, no, true. But I bet he wouldn't have done over 33mph in a 30, either. Discretion is usually given to minor infringements.