Personalised Number Plates can be seen on almost every street. From the obscure to the tacky, they're all there! They can be relatively cheap or very expensive. The right plate can also turn out to be an investment! Some number plates are unique in their own right, some need a little manipulation of the spacing between letters or the shape of letters. Be aware that there are strict guidelines as to what is allowed and so getting 5 EXY to look like SEXY, isn't allowed.

Cheap registration numbers such as AIG 6918 are available for just £69. For the Chelsea fan called Simon, SY CFC is about £8000. More exclusive plates can cost over £100,000!

A personalised number plate does not have to be put onto a vehicle - it can be kept on a Retention Certificate. This is renewable every year for a fee of £25 (Current DVLA fee). The current fee to transfer between two cars is £80 and to take off a vehicle and put onto a retention certificate is £105. To assign a personalised number plate or registration plate it is necessary to take all the relevant documentation into your nearest VRO office.

There are different rules and regulations depending on the age & type of the vehicle together with where it was imported from and the available space on the bodywork for the plates. These are listed below, but the basic law on display applies to all vehicles.

The law says:

You must not alter, rearrange or misrepresent the letters or numbers on the registration plate
Characters must not be moved from one group to the other
(e.g. A242 ABC must not be displayed as A242A BC). Offences may result in:
A fine of up to £1,000
The registration mark may be WITHDRAWN
The vehicle may FAIL the MOT test
Full details are included in The Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regs 2001.

Mandatory Character Font

From 1st September 2001 all new number plates must display the new mandatory (compulsory) font. This is designed to make number plates clearer and easier to remember.
Number plates fitted before 1st September 2001 need not be changed provided the font used is substantially the same as the new font.

Number plates must be replaced if they have been customised with:-

Stylised letters and/or figures such as italics
Number plate fixing bolts that alter the appearance of the letters and/or numbers