Are Tinted Number Plates Legal?

Tinted number plates are NOT Road Legal.

Tinted number plates have caught on with some drivers looking for ways to make their vehicles stand out. But are these tinted number plates legal? ‘No’ They are not road legal.

The DVLA requires that number plates be clear and easy to read. With the growth in the customization of number plates, these regulations have taken on greater significance.

You should always make sure that when you choose to customise your plates, they’re still road legal.

Summer Sale 50% OFF

Check Out The Road Legal Styles.

 

What are the Number Plate Rules?

Tinted number plates are not road legal in the UK. You cannot have a standard number plate that’s tinted. You cannot have a 3D or 4D tinted number plate.

When you drive in the UK, your number plate must be reflective so that it’s easy for others, including the police, to read. Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras must also be able to read your number plate clearly.

A tinted number plate will not meet these readability standards, making it illegal for use on the road.

Check out the road legal styles.

DVLA rules on number plates state that:

• A number plate must be made from a reflective material.
• The front plate must display black characters on a white background
• The rear plate must display black characters on a yellow background
• There must be no background pattern on the plate.

The rules do allow for three-dimensional, or raised, characters. Any raised characters on a plate fitted after aised, characters. Any raised characters on a plate fitted after September 1, 2021, must be a single shade of black.

What Makes Tinted Number Plates Illegal?

The DVLA has strict criteria for the reflectiveness of number plates. Any plate that does not meet these criteria is illegal for use on the road.

Each plate must also be marked to show who the supplier of the plate was, and needs to be marked with a British Standard number. For a number or registration plate that was fitted after September 1st 2021, this would be BS AU 145e.

Tinted plates are less reflective than standard plates and therefore are illegal. This also applies to 3D and 4D tinted plates, even though the raised numbers are in front of the tinted background.

The darker background, in the DVLA’s view, makes it harder to see the individual characters.

By smoking or tinting your number plate, you run the risk of it no longer being road legal.

If you drive with number plates that the law sees as incorrectly displayed, you could face a fine of £1,000 and your vehicle could fail its MOT.

Darkened, tinted number plates – also known as smoked plates – used to be somewhat of a grey area in regards to whether or not they are road legal. A darkened number plate can cause problems as the tint makes them unclear, and less readable. This problem is made worse at night, or in any other circumstance where the lighting is poor.

However, if you are looking for ways to customise your number plates and make them more individual, there are options that keep you on the right side of the law. Are Tinted Number Plates Legal? Short answer is ‘NO’ They are NOT Road legal.

Don’t Forget to read the Legality on Number plates 

We advice you purchase the correct road legal style for you 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.

Check out our YouTube – https://youtu.be/O6zTJrHsrf4

Trustpilot