Are 3D Plates and 4D Plates Legal?

The answer is YES. 3D 4D Number Plates are legal!

That’s one of the biggest questions we get asked, you know!

So 2021 saw a number of unfounded concerns about the ongoing legality of 3D plates and 4D plates gain traction as the DVLA revisited its rules. The custom plate industry received lots of questions about what the changes meant.

Hot on the heels of the September 2021 changes came ANOTHER set of requirements in March 2022 so…

We understand that many people have found this confusing and have wondered if now a good time is to invest in 3D or 4D plates.

Let us put your minds at rest!

Here we will look at all things LEGAL & ILLEGAL when it comes to your custom number plate, whether it’s a 3D Number Plate or a 4D number plate

So we’ve all seen the video of the police officer talking about the 3D/4D plate laws in 2021.

We get these questions on a daily basis and understand your concern about the legalities in regard to your plates and the future of the custom plate industry…

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Are 3D Number Plates Legal?

The short answer is YES. 3D plates and 4D plates are still legal. You can breathe a sigh of relief. Currently, characters on a number plate can be 3D, so long as you meet the below criteria…

Your Rundown of 3D and 4D Plate Requirements!

● The number plate’s material MUST be reflective
● There MUST be NO background pattern
● Front number plate letters MUST be black on white
● The rear number plate letters MUST be black on yellow
● Number plate characters MUST be of a specific size and height:
● All the number plate characters MUST be 79mm tall
● All number plate characters MUST be 50mm wide, except for the number 1 or letter I
● The strokes on these black characters MUST be 14mm thick
● Spaces between number plate characters MUST be 11mm.
● There are other rules regarding character spacing and margins, which you can find in the DVLA’s INF104 leaflet.

But, since 1 September 2021, there have been certain differences between what is or isn’t permitted depending on physical plate codes.

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Are 4D Plates Legal ?

YES 4D plates are legal, as long as they follow the rules.

How Number Plate Codes Affect Number Plate Rules

The BSAU code on a number plate shows what standard the plate has been manufactured to:

• BSAU 145d codes apply to plates manufactured BEFORE 1 September 2021
• BSAU 145e codes apply to plates manufactured AFTER 1 September 2021.
• The old rules will continue to apply to BSAU 145d coded plates, BUT new rules will apply to BSAU 145e coded plates.

Since September 2021, it’s been a requirement to check your number plate code to see if your number plate design is still within the rules. This applies to 3D and 4D number plates too.

If your number plates were road legal at the time of purchase, they’ll still be legal providing they display the BSAU 145d code on the plate itself.

If you have a number plate made AFTER 1 September 2021, it will display the BS145e code and must follow the new DVLA rules.

What changed for Number Plates in March 2022?

Three key changes came into force in March 2022 building on the number plate rules introduced in September 2021. These are:

• Solid black font

To allow for easier vehicle identification by Automatic Number Plate Recognition systems, plates must have a solid black font. This, in effect, outlaws plates with a 2D two-tone font that gives the impression of being 3D. Genuine-raised 3D lettering is still permitted.

• Plate durability

Plates now need to pass durability and toughness tests including an abrasion test. They have to be able to withstand grit, road salt, and other debris while remaining readable. A  BS AU 145e plate subjected to consistent force, as long as the adhesive pads are correctly placed, should take a minimum of 160 hours to remove.

• Extra information

Newly registered plates are now required to display the supplier’s name and postcode, the BS AU 145e code, and the name of the plate manufacturer.

2021 saw a number of unfounded concerns about the ongoing legality of 3D and 4D plates gain traction as the DVLA revisited their rules. The custom plate industry received lots of questions about what the changes meant.

Hot on the heels of the September 2021 changes came another set of requirements in March 2022. We understand that many people have found this confusing and have wondered if now a good time is to invest in 3D or 4D plates.

Let us put your minds at rest.

Here we’ll take a look at the 2021 law changes and how things have developed again since March 2022.

Keep Up with Number Plate Changes

The world of number plates keeps on changing.

Keep up with the latest number plate developments by following us on Instagram and Facebook.

We advise you to purchase the correct road-legal style for your car.

These options include 3D and 4D number plates. Browse our collection. For more information, please call us on  01204 534 333/ 0777 444 55 16 or – email info@numberplateclinic.co.uk.

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