UK number plate rules
Number plate rules in Great Britain cover the plate as a finished article: its background, the shape and spacing of characters, the materials and what may appear on it. We supply the components that go into a plate, so this guide explains the framework and points you at the official source rather than making claims on behalf of any single component.
Where the rules come from
The requirements for displaying registration marks are set by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency and enforced on the road. The authoritative reference is the GOV.UK guidance on displaying number plates, which is kept up to date as standards change.
Anyone making up and selling finished registration plates in the UK must be registered as a number plate supplier and must check the buyer's entitlement to the registration. That obligation sits with the plate maker, not with the person buying loose characters.
What the rules cover
Background colour: white to the front, yellow to the rear on a standard plate.
Characters: a prescribed character shape and set spacing, in black, with no decorative alteration to the shape of the glyph.
Construction: the finished plate must meet the relevant British Standard, and that is a property of the whole plate — blank, characters and adhesive together — not of a character on its own.
What this means when you buy characters
Order the exact character you need. We supply the glyph ordered and never substitute a zero for an O or a one for an I, because on a plate those are different characters.
Keep the character set consistent across a plate. Mixing finishes or thicknesses within one registration changes how the plate reads.
If you are making plates to sell, your own registration as a supplier and your own record keeping are what satisfy the rules.