Replacement Number Plates

A cracked, faded, stolen or simply tired number plate is one of the most common reasons UK drivers order from us, and it’s usually more urgent than people expect. Driving with a plate that’s hard to read, whether from age, damage or poor spacing, can fail an MOT and lead to a police fine. Legal & Show Plates makes road legal replacement number plates to BS AU 145e from our Bradford workshop, with same day dispatch on orders placed before 2pm.

What a Replacement Number Plate is and when you need one

A replacement number plate is a new physical plate carrying your existing registration, made because the plate you have now is damaged, missing, or no longer fit to be on the car. It’s not a new registration number. Your registration stays exactly as it is; only the physical plate changes.

You need one the moment your current plate stops doing its job properly. That might be obvious, a plate that’s cracked clean through after a low-speed knock, or gradual, a plate that’s faded so much over a few years outdoors that the characters no longer read cleanly against the background at a distance. Either way, a poor plate is a compliance risk long before it looks embarrassing.

Because it’s made to order against your specific registration, a road legal replacement plate isn’t something we can pull off a shelf. We check your documents, confirm the registration, and manufacture the plate to your car’s exact reg and to BS AU 145e spacing. That’s a legal requirement for anyone supplying road legal plates in the UK, not a Legal & Show Plates policy choice.

Documents you need to order Replacement Number Plates

This is the part first-time buyers are most often caught out by, so it’s worth covering properly rather than in a single line. As a DVLA registered number plate supplier, we’re required by law to check your identity and your entitlement to the registration before we make a road legal plate. It isn’t optional, and it isn’t unique to us: any legitimate UK plate supplier has to do the same check.

For identity, we accept one of the following:

• A photocard driving licence
• A recent utility bill (within the last six months)
• A recent bank statement (within the last six months)
• A recent council tax bill (within the last six months)

For entitlement to the registration, we accept one of the following:

• Your V5C vehicle registration certificate
• The V5C/2 new keeper supplement, if you’ve just bought the car and the full V5C hasn’t arrived yet
• A V750 or V778 certificate, if the registration is a retained or private registration held on a certificate rather than assigned to the car
• A valid eV948 Certificate of Authorisation, which is a digital DVLA document proving your entitlement to assign a private registration. If you have one of these, you can submit it alongside proof of address for a fully paperless order

If you’re only ordering show plates for off road, display or motorsport paddock use, none of this applies. Show plates aren’t road legal, so there’s no document check, but they also can’t legally go on a car that’s driven on the public road. If there’s any chance you’ll want to drive the car, order road legal plates and keep the show set for events and photos.

Practically, the fastest way through this step is to have your V5C (or new keeper supplement) and one proof of address ready before you start the order, so there’s no back-and-forth once you’ve paid. Read our full breakdown on the number plate compliance page if you want the underlying law rather than just the checklist.

Replacement Number Plate sizes and how to pick the right one

There’s no legal requirement on the physical size of a UK number plate. The law sets the character height, width and spacing (covered in the compliance section below), not the dimensions of the plate itself. That surprises a lot of people who assume “the right size” is a legal question. It isn’t; it’s a fit question.

The standard car oblong is 520mm x 111mm (roughly 20.5 by 4.4 inches), and it’s what most modern cars use front and rear. Shorter formats exist for vehicles with a smaller plate recess, commonly around 406mm x 111mm (about 16 by 4.4 inches) and 355mm x 102mm (about 14 by 4 inches). A square format, around 285mm x 203mm or sometimes 330mm x 152mm, turns up on some 4x4s and on older or imported vehicles built with a square plate holder rather than a rectangular one.

Whatever physical size you need, the character height, width and spacing still have to meet BS AU 145e in full. That’s exactly why a seven character registration on a very short plate needs the spacing checked carefully: the same legal character width has to fit into less horizontal space, and there’s less room for error. A longer registration on a short plate is one of the more common reasons an order needs a second look before it goes to production.

If you’re not sure which physical size fits your car’s plate recess, particularly on an import, a classic, or a vehicle with a non-standard holder, check with us before ordering rather than guessing. It’s a quick question and it avoids a plate arriving that doesn’t sit in the recess properly.

Replacement Number Plate styles and pricing

Every style below is available as a road legal replacement plate, made to your registration and BS AU 145e spacing. Prices are per pair and confirmed at checkout, since they’re occasionally updated.

Single plates are also available for some styles, Standard from around £12.50 each, which is useful if you’ve only damaged one plate and don’t need a full pair replacing, or if you ride a motorcycle and only carry a rear plate. If you’re deciding between our raised styles, our dedicated 4D plates and 3D gel plates pages go into the finish differences in more depth than makes sense to repeat here.

Our plate styles, in our own words

• Standard Number Plates: Manufactured using premium reflective materials to meet UK road legal requirements. A durable, high-quality finish makes them the perfect choice for everyday driving and replacement plates.
  
  
• 3D Gel Number Plates: Featuring raised gel characters for a sleek, glossy finish. Road legal and built to last, offering a stylish appearance while maintaining excellent visibility.
  
  
• 4D Number Plates (3mm): Precision-cut 3mm acrylic characters for a clean, modern look. Manufactured from premium materials, providing a bold finish that’s perfect for drivers wanting a subtle 4D upgrade.
  
  
• 4D Number Plates (5mm): Extra-thick acrylic characters create a deeper, more striking appearance while maintaining a high-quality, professional finish.
  
  
• 4D Gel Number Plates (3mm): Combining the bold appearance of 4D acrylic with a glossy gel coating for a truly premium finish. The raised 3mm characters add depth, shine and a distinctive modern look.
  
  
• 5D Gel Number Plates (5mm): Extra-thick 5mm acrylic characters finished with a crystal-clear domed gel coating. Designed for maximum visual impact, delivering the most premium look in the range.
  
  
• Black Diamond Number Plates: Our most exclusive design, featuring precision diamond-cut characters that create a stunning crystal-like sparkle as they catch the light. Combining a deep gloss black finish with premium craftsmanship for an elegant, luxury appearance unlike any other plate style in the range.

Same day dispatch and delivery for Replacement Number Plates

Orders placed before 2pm on a working day get dispatched the same day, which matters a lot more for a replacement plate than for a first-time order, since most people ordering a replacement need it fast: they’ve either been pulled up on a defective plate or they’re driving around with a damaged one right now.

Royal Mail delivery typically takes 1 to 3 working days from dispatch. A tracked 24 hour option is available at checkout if you want to know exactly when it’s arriving, and free Tracked24 has historically been offered on orders over £30, though it’s worth checking the current terms at checkout since thresholds like that can change.

Who needs Replacement Number Plates?

A handful of situations account for most replacement plate orders we see:

• A lost or stolen plate, which also needs reporting so the registration isn’t misused
• A plate that’s faded, cracked or peeling with age, particularly on cars kept outside year-round
• A plate damaged in an accident, a car wash, or a low-speed knock against a kerb or bollard
• Buying a used car that already has a poor condition or incorrect plate fitted
• Wanting to upgrade the finish, adding a badge or moving from a flat plate to a raised one, while keeping the same registration
• Putting a newly assigned private or cherished registration onto physical plates for the first time

That last one is worth a separate note. This page covers the physical plate. If you’re in the process of assigning or transferring a private registration itself, that’s a DVLA process rather than a manufacturing one, and our private number plates page covers that side properly.

What to check before ordering Replacement Number Plates

A short checklist before you commit to an order saves a remake later:

• Confirm you’re ordering the correct physical size for your car’s plate recess, especially on an import, classic or 4x4 with a square holder
• Have your V5C, new keeper supplement, V750/V778 or eV948 ready, matching the name and address on your identity document
• Double check the registration you’ve typed is character-for-character correct, since we manufacture to what you submit
• If your registration is seven characters, be aware that a shorter plate leaves less room, and confirm the spacing looks right at the checkout preview before paying
• Decide upfront whether you want road legal spacing or show spacing, and don’t assume a show-spec plate can go straight onto a car you intend to drive

Road legal compliance for Replacement Number Plates

BS AU 145e is the current mandatory British Standard for number plates supplied or fitted since 1 September 2021, replacing the older BS AU 145d. Any replacement plate you buy for road use needs to meet it, and the key figures are worth stating here rather than sending you elsewhere for the basics: character height 79mm, character width 50mm (except the number 1 and letter I), stroke width 14mm, and 11mm spacing between characters. Front plates use black characters on a white retroreflective background; rear plates use black characters on yellow. Every plate must also carry the manufacturer’s name and postcode, and the BS AU 145e mark. These figures come from gov.uk’s INF104 guidance and the gov.uk displaying number plates rules page, not from our own summary of them.

Get any of this wrong and the consequences are real: an MOT failure, a police fine of up to £1,000, and the plate can be confiscated. That applies whether the plate is old and faded or brand new and simply made incorrectly, which is exactly why the checks above exist. For the fuller explanation of the standard, including how it applies to raised and gel finishes, see the number plate compliance page rather than us repeating the whole table twice here.

Staff notes on Replacement Number Plates

Ray, who handles a lot of our document checks, put it this way: “The order that goes wrong isn’t the unusual one, it’s the rushed one. Someone’s plate cracked yesterday, they want it today, and they upload a blurry photo of a document or the wrong one entirely. We can usually sort it over email in minutes if you catch it early, but if it comes through on a Friday afternoon it can sit until Monday. If you’re replacing a damaged plate, get your V5C or new keeper supplement out and photographed clearly before you start the order, it saves a day more often than people expect.”

Common mistakes when ordering Replacement Number Plates

A few patterns come up repeatedly enough to flag directly:

• Ordering the wrong physical size because the plate recess wasn’t measured, particularly on imports and older vehicles
• Submitting an identity document that doesn’t match the name on the entitlement document, which stops the order until it’s resolved
• Assuming a show-spec plate is road legal because it “looks the same,” when the spacing may not meet BS AU 145e
• Typing the registration with a spacing error, an easy thing to miss when copying from a faded original plate
• Leaving the order until the last minute before an MOT, then having no buffer if a document needs re-uploading

Replacement Number Plate material, durability and cleaning

Flat Standard plates are the most straightforward to keep looking new, since there’s no raised edge to catch on anything. Raised finishes, 3D Gel, 4D and 5D Gel, add depth and shine but also add an edge that a close-range jet wash can wear down faster than a flat plate would, over years of repeated washing. Black Diamond’s faceted cut has no resin layer to discolour under UV, which is a genuine advantage for a car kept outside permanently, though it doesn’t have the smooth domed look a gel finish has.

For cleaning, water and a mild detergent is enough for any style. Avoid abrasive pads directly on a gel dome, since scouring it will dull the gloss faster than normal washing would. Our full cleaning and maintenance guide goes into this per style if you want the detail.

Fitting Replacement Number Plates

Plates come with pre-drilled holes for standard fitting screws, or self-adhesive pads if you’d rather not drill. Screws tend to hold better long-term on a car that’s washed often at high pressure; pads are quicker and leave no holes, which matters more on a leased car or one you plan to sell with the original holes intact. Whichever method you use, make sure the plate sits flat against the panel rather than bridging a gap, since a plate that flexes in the wind is more likely to crack at a fixing point over time. Our fitting guide covers both methods step by step.

Replacement Number Plate delivery and returns

Delivery is same working day dispatch before 2pm, then typically 1 to 3 working days with Royal Mail, or the tracked 24 hour option if you need certainty on timing. Because every plate is made to order against your registration, replacement plates are exempt from standard change of mind returns, the same as any bespoke, personalised product. If something is wrong with your plate, whether it’s damaged in transit or there’s a fault with the finish, contact us and we’ll sort it quickly.

Show Plate Reviews From Real Customers

We are rated 5.0 on Google from more than 300 reviews and 4.6 on Trustpilot, and a fair number of those reviews are from customers who ordered show plates specifically. A few, in their own words:

Replacement Number Plates for your car’s make

Fitment details, common plate recess quirks and specific advice vary a little by make. Find your car’s replacement number plate page below.

Our honest verdict on Replacement Number Plates

If your current plate is damaged, faded, missing or simply wrong for the car, a road legal replacement is the straightforward fix, and there’s no reason to overthink the style choice: Standard is the sensible, durable default for a daily driver or fleet vehicle, and the raised or gel finishes are a genuine upgrade for anyone who wants more visual depth and is prepared to look after it slightly more carefully. The part that actually catches people out isn’t the style, it’s the documents and the size. Get your V5C and proof of address ready, check your plate recess before you order, and a replacement plate is one of the quickest, least stressful things you’ll buy for the car all year.

Replacement Number Plate FAQs

1. Do I need to prove I own the car to order a replacement number plate?
Yes. As a DVLA registered supplier, we’re required to check your identity and your entitlement to the registration before making a road legal plate, using documents such as your V5C, driving licence or a recent utility bill.

2. How quickly can I get a replacement number plate?
Orders placed before 2pm on a working day are dispatched same day. Royal Mail typically takes 1 to 3 working days from there, or you can choose a tracked 24 hour option at checkout.

3. What size replacement plate do I need?
There’s no legal size requirement, only rules on character height, width and spacing. The standard car size is 520mm x 111mm, with shorter and square formats available for certain vehicles. Check your car’s plate recess before ordering if you’re unsure.

4. Is BS AU 145e the same as BS AU 145d?
No. BS AU 145e is the current standard, mandatory since 1 September 2021. BS AU 145d is the superseded standard it replaced.

5. Can I order a replacement plate without a V5C?
Yes, if you’ve recently bought the car and don’t have the full V5C yet, the V5C/2 new keeper supplement is accepted instead.

6. Are show plates a legal replacement for a damaged road plate?
No. Show plates are for off road, display or motorsport paddock use only and are not made to road legal spacing. If your damaged plate is on a car you drive, order a road legal replacement instead.

7. What happens if my replacement plate arrives damaged?
Contact us and we’ll sort it quickly. Because plates are made to order they’re exempt from standard change of mind returns, but a genuine fault or transit damage is a different matter.

8. Can I add a raised or gel finish to a replacement plate, or does it have to match my old one?
You can choose any style we offer for a replacement, Standard through Black Diamond, regardless of what was fitted before, as long as it’s built to road legal spacing.