Number plate law

JustAnotherSaver

I saw a video the other week discussing 4D plates and how there's new legislation coming in which said they'll not be road legal from about September way (certainly some time in the second half of the year at least). Now if the video I saw was correct (and it was a guy who appeared to be a copper) then does this mean everyone who has these plates will need to remove them and get different plates?

My plates on my car are pretty tatty and could do with renewing. I had metal pressed plates on my last car which never caused a bother. I never got stopped from them and in fact I know that speed cameras pick them up perfectly fine because I got a letter telling me so.

Yes I could get the standard plates you see on the majority of cars but I prefer the pressed plates to those. Not sure if ruling changes affect these plates also.

I know some of you seem to know about the ins and outs on motoring law so wondered if you knew about this & what the actual situation was?

williamgriffin

If you're driving something over 40 years old they're legal. 

JustAnotherSaver

williamgriffin said:

If you're driving something over 40 years old they're legal. 

So right now they're legal on basically any car but then from [insert the date here] later in the year, everyone with them bar those who have cars over 40 years old will have to bin them and get different ones?

EssexExile

You seem to be talking about at least two different things.

4D reflective plates, which will become definitely illegal from September, as opposed to probably illegal as they are now.
Pressed metal plates in black and white or silver which, if my memory serves me well, were only ever legal on cars registered when black and white or silver plates were the norm.

williamgriffin

JustAnotherSaver said:

williamgriffin said:

If you're driving something over 40 years old they're legal. 

So right now they're legal on basically any car but then from [insert the date here] later in the year, everyone with them bar those who have cars over 40 years old will have to bin them and get different ones?

No, they're not legal on any car.

AdrianC

EssexExile said:

You seem to be talking about at least two different things.

4D reflective plates, which will become definitely illegal from September, as opposed to probably illegal as they are now.
Pressed metal plates in black and white or silver which, if my memory serves me well, were only ever legal on cars registered when black and white or silver plates were the norm.

Yep, black and silver used to be pre-73, but they dropped one a few years ago, and tied them to historic VED - so now 40yr rolling, changing to pre-1981 as of April.

Plates that will be illegal post September are already illegal. The main change is that there will be points, instead of just a fine.

The rules for what's actually a legal plate aren't changing. The current rules apply to everything 2001 and later.
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/955014/vehicle-registration-numbers-and-number-plates-inf104.pdf

MX5huggy

I think the OP is talking about pressed metal plates in standard colours yellow and white background with black lettering. I don’t believe anything in the changes makes these illegal. 

I have them on 2 cars very durable.

molerat

MX5huggy said:

I think the OP is talking about pressed metal plates in standard colours yellow and white background with black lettering. I don’t believe anything in the changes makes these illegal. 

I have them on 2 cars very durable.

OP is likely referring to these https://www.utopiaplates.co.uk/

MX5huggy

molerat said:

MX5huggy said:

I think the OP is talking about pressed metal plates in standard colours yellow and white background with black lettering. I don’t believe anything in the changes makes these illegal. 

I have them on 2 cars very durable.

OP is likely referring to these https://www.utopiaplates.co.uk/

At the start yes but this is what they want to get https://ej-parts.co.uk/2x-pressed-number-plates-metal-embossed-car-mot-registration-plates-uk-100-road-legal/ when they talk about pressed plates.

molerat

MX5huggy said:

molerat said:

MX5huggy said:

I think the OP is talking about pressed metal plates in standard colours yellow and white background with black lettering. I don’t believe anything in the changes makes these illegal. 

I have them on 2 cars very durable.

OP is likely referring to these https://www.utopiaplates.co.uk/

At the start yes but this is what they want to get https://ej-parts.co.uk/2x-pressed-number-plates-metal-embossed-car-mot-registration-plates-uk-100-road-legal/ when they talk about pressed plates.

It looks like 4D plates, along with pressed metal, are currently and will still be legal in the new changes.  The new rules will make the old 3D black and grey 2 tone numbers illegal as the new rules state solid black and the BS mark and manufacturers name must be on the good side of the plate where the old rules did not specify so some put it on the back, the reason why the MOT rules were changed soon after they were introduced. The new BS145e makes the plates more resilient and easier for ANPR to read.

AdrianC

BS145e doesn't change existing plates, just new ones supplied after 1st Sept.
BS145d still applies to all plates supplied between 2001 and 2011.

So what's actually new in BS145e?
https://www.bnma.org/advice-centre/the-new-rules-british-standard-bs-au-145e/

"4D"* plates will be actively barred for new plate supply, whereas they were merely iffy and implicitly barred before.
They were always explicitly tasteless anyway.

Pressed metal plates? We'll have to see if anybody can make them that conform to BS145e. But, if they can, they'll be pretty much visually identical to perspex ones...

* don't start me... The fourth dimension is time. If the plates don't change over time, they aren't 4d. Plates that change over time aren't new...