Our Most Commonly Asked Questions - Number1Plates

Our Most Commonly Asked Questions

Frequently Questions.. With Answers!

Buying number plates can be a bit of a minefield if you’ve never done it before. Dealing with such a volume of orders, we get regular questions about number plates. The processes involved and the various legalities, some of which are more common than others. 

So, with this in mind, we’ve put together our most common recently asked questions. So that you can have a read through and know the ins and outs of purchasing number plates. If you’re still unsure on anything, please feel free to get in touch with us! We’ll be more than happy to help answer any questions you may have.

 

Will my number plates fail an MOT?

Number plates themselves are unlikely to fail an MOT, providing that they are fully road legal and are securely on the vehicle. Number plates which don’t meet the required standards will cause an MOT failure. In severe circumstances, they can give fines up to £1,000. As well as loss of ownership of any private registration on the vehicle!

Any plates which have illegal spacing will automatically fail an MOT. Whether you have a prefix, suffix or dateless format, it’s vital that the digits spacing is correct. Some people own private registration plates which they deliberately misformat in order to try and spell out a name for example. However, this will cause an MOT failure. 

It’s also important to note that novelty plates are highly illegal and vehicles cannot use them. These will most definitely fail an MOT and result in a heavy fine!

If you’re not sure whether your number plate will pass inspection, then it’s always a good idea to have a spare set of standard plates knocking around which you can quickly put on the car prior to it going into the garage.

 

Why do I need to send in my private documents?

Our customers ask this very frequently, and we know why! 

Of course, with confidential documentation it can be a little daunting to send them across to other people and especially companies. We understand this, however we are here to reassure you that you shouldn’t worry about it. 

We simply ask for identification and entitlement documents, as it is a legal requirement from the DVLA Government body. Due to fraudulent activity being rife with number plates and cars, it is a necessary precaution to take. We have to ensure that you are A) a real person and B) own the registration which you are purchasing. If we didn’t ask for these, it could be easy for anybody to purchase any registrations – and it could be yours.

We can assure all customers that when we receive all documentation, the plates shall be manufactured and then all private documentation will be safely destroyed within our secure intranet system. There shall be no documentation stored on our systems, and of course data protection is our priority.

It is easy to purchase plates off of other competitors’ sites without having to provide any documentation, although this is actually illegal and as mentioned above can aid fraudulent activity.

v5c logbook

I’m using the plates I ordered for show use, do I need to provide documentation?

Whether you’re claiming ‘show use’ or not, the bottom line is if you’re asking for a vehicle registration mark to be printed, regardless of customisation options such as spacing, we must still see documentation for that registration. 

 

Can I put any registration on my car?

This is another big question which we receive and if you’re not an expert with number plates we can gather why! 

The short answer to this is ‘no’! It’s simply not possible to simply make up a registration and put it on your car. In order to have number plates made up, you must own the entitlement to the registration you have requested to be printed on the plates you have ordered. Therefore, you must provide evidence, such as the V750, V778 or vehicle’s V5C with the registration clearly displayed. Of course, all number plates have to follow a specific format, prefix, suffix, dateless or Northern Ireland, so it would not be possible to have a registration which was DE8 Y4Y for example. 

 

What classes as a novelty plate?

A novelty plate is any plate which does not display a vehicle registration mark. Therefore the words ‘SHED’, ‘MAN CAVE’ and names such as ‘JAMES’ or ‘STEVE’ would be classed as novelty items which make ideal gifts! As such, no documentation is needed, as they are not registrations. Novelty plates do not have a road legal registration mark on them in any way. Therefore AB12 ABC, 4 LEX and J4 MES are not novelty plates, but instead could be real, road legal plates which either are or could be used on a vehicle. If you were to ask for a novelty such as this, you would need to provide documentation for them.

4D Number Plates

Can I to space digits however I like?

If you haven’t already gathered from the other questions throughout the article, then the simple answer is no! Adhering to the DVLA standards is essential, thus illegal spacing, we don’t do. A simple way to find out if you’re spacing the plate correctly, is to have a look at your entitlement documents and see how the digits are formatted on there. You can find these on the V5, eV948 and other such paperwork which correlates to the registration of the plate and car.

 

Do I have to have the legal information on the bottom?

Again as with most questions we receive, we do have to follow the law and place our legal details on the bottom of the plate. All of our plates conform to the current or upcoming British Standard, as dictated by the DVLA. 

The new BS AU 145e stipulates that the legal markings must be made more obvious, which thus means that at the bottom of the plate in the centre, we will have our markings on. These however do not clash or cross over with the border and slogan, and so rest assured you will still be able to clearly see your additional extras on the plate!

 

What’s the difference between your 3D and 3D Gel plates?

Although our plate builder can highlight which text style you have chosen and what they look like, it’s understandable that some of our customers get confused between the ‘3D Text’ and ‘3D Gel’ options, and so we thought it would be best to run through these to provide some clarification.

3D Gels have stuck-out letters and are hand-stuck, creating a true 3D effect. It really is that simple! It is important to highlight that 3D printed plates are ILLEGAL and so we do not do them! We used to supply these, however since the DVLA made them illegal, we do not supply them!

3D Gel Style Number Plates

Will I receive warranty with my plates?

Our warranty only applies to manufacturing defects. Which includes delimitation of the plate and letters which have become unstuck from the plate. It excludes damage caused during the process of fitting, including cracks to the acrylic when drilling and any damage caused to the letters. As well as anything we deem to be normal wear and tear.

You hold a warranty for a period of 3 years from the date of order. Any claims should be in line with our Terms and Conditions, by emailing us with photographic evidence of the defects.


We hope that this has helped clear any questions you may have had. If you do have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us through our email, or head over to our T&C’s!

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