There are many myths about driving laws that people may believe, unfortunately, some people forget to search through the proper channels to discover if these myths are facts or not. Here’s a common one, ‘do you need a front number plate in the UK?’
Bespoke Plates is a renowned and legally certified registration plate maker and installer, with options of 3D Plates, 4D plates, Show plates, and regular / electric vehicle plates and more. We are the one-stop shop for all things registration plates!
Whether it’s a private plate, gel plate, standard registration plate or plating accessories, we have you covered.
As a certified and experienced team of plate fitters and makers, our plates are installed to the specification of UK law, provided alongside the appropriate paperwork you need. (The only exception to this is show plates.)
Why are number plates important?
Number plates play a pivotal role when it comes to vehicles. Number plates are essentially the unique identifying factor that determines the identity and history of a vehicle, every vehicle is assigned its own unique number plate.
Number plate recognition systems (ANPR’s) use your number plate for a variety of functions including registering a car in a car park or identifying who the legal drivers or owners of a vehicle are.
What happens if we don’t have number plates?
Without number plates, almost everyone can face difficulties, criminals who commit crimes that happen to have the same car as you (and the same colour) can easily result in you being questioned for crimes you didn’t commit.
Additionally, non-licenced people can drive a car, as not having a number plate means you can’t see who is registered to drive it. This puts pedestrians and other road users at risk.
How long have number plates been used?
In the UK, number plates for motor vehicles have been in use for 120 years. The earliest introduction was in 1903, and unlike modern times there was no date on the plate, only two letters and a number. These are commonly known as ‘dateless’ plates.
At the start of the 20th century, motor vehicles were only available for the financially elite of society who could afford these motors. In the UK there were not many people who could drive, let alone afford to own a vehicle, This is why the earlier plates had fewer characters on them because there weren’t a lot of cars around that time.
Do you need a front number plate in the UK?
Yes, it is required by law that every vehicle that is intended to be driven has to have a front number plate, in addition to a rear number plate. Neglecting this rule and still driving can result in you getting pulled over by authorities, charged, and/or fined and having points added to your licence, this is before considerations to legal proceedings.
You should never drive without your number plates. At a stretch, the only exception may possibly be if you were taking your vehicle’s plate to be repaired or replaced, or treating damage on the front or rear bumper. In both instances, if you have your number plate, it should be visible on your driver window if it can’t be placed on bumpers.
We must highlight that any actions or repercussions taken if you are stopped during this time are at the discretion of the officer if you ever find yourself pulled over in this specific situation.
Buying a replacement number plate
Whether you want to replace your registration plate because of physical damage or loss, or you just want a different style of plate, we at Bespoke Plates make the process easy and efficient. Here is the process.
By following these steps you will also have the option to see the plate before making a decision.
Visualising how your plate can look in real-time, with the characters from your actual registration plate, saves time and makes it easy for you to know what you want before you get it. Let us walk you through the process of choosing your plate through us.
- Head to the Bespoke Plates website
- Select the plate style you want under the “Build Your Plate” tab. Alternatively, you can follow this link.
- Enter your registration (You can press ‘preview’ to see your registration with all of the modification options you have selected.)
- When selecting your chosen plate, you can opt for 3D/4D options, a Hex plate, and whether or not you want a legal plate or a show plate.
- Select preferred optional accessories.
- Choose if you are collecting with installation, or if you want it to be delivered.
Installing through Bespoke Plates ensures the best service & secure installation for your number plate, along with guidance for any questions you may have.
Plate customisation options
As an approved licence vendor with years of experience, Bespoke Plates offers these two sleek plate upgrades, so for those who are curious, here is a brief description of 3D & 4D gel plates.
3D plates
- Characters placed by hand
- Acrylic plate – polyurethane letters
- Rounded-raised characters with a wet, gel-like look
3D plates are made from acrylic with individual raised letters. The raised letters are manufactured from polyurethane and get ‘stuck’ to the acrylic plate by hand. An aligner bar is used to guarantee perfect spacing.
The rounded and shiny gel-like appearance of 3D plates makes them a great choice if you want to add understated personalisation to your vehicle.
4D plates
- Characters are placed by hand
- Acrylic plate – acrylic letters (laser cut)
- Rectangular and deep-raised characters
4D plates are also made from acrylic, but instead of polyurethane characters, they use professionally laser-cut characters made from acrylic sheets. This allows the characters to be thicker and more rectangular for a more eye-catching look.
4D plates carry a premium over 3D plates by up to 20%. The reason 4D plates cost more is that the individual characters are laser cut, or they are of the thicker gel variety. In the case of laser-cut, the characters are also made to order in-house.
The 3D and 4D plates we offer are available in several styles:
4D plate options
- 4D 3mm
- 4D 5mm
- 4D Gel
- 4D Glitter Gel
- Carbon 4D Gel
- Krystal 4D
- Krystal Gel
3D plate options
- Black
- Carbon Brickwork
- Carbon Galaxy
- Glitter Gel
It’s important to note that with all these different styles, the only thing that changes is the texture and appearance of the characters.
Hex Plates
Hex plates are a customisation option that changes the traditional rectangular shape of the number plate to an elongated hexagonal shape. This provides an eye-catching addition to your number plate and can be done in conjunction with a 3D or 4D plate.
Want to see what we mean rather than read an explanation? Head over to our website so you can view an example of your ideal gel plate. And if you like what you see, we offer same-day collections and fittings!
Purchase a number plate today
In this blog, we have highlighted our plate options, and the information you need in order to our stylish customisation option to your vehicle. We aim to have answered the question ‘Do you need a front number plate in the UK?’
We hope that we provided all the right answers and options for all of your plate modification needs.
Bespoke Plates have all the options you can ask for, as an approved registration vendor we can guarantee your modification abides by the DVLA rules whilst offering same-day collections and full fitting service.
To get in touch and discuss the full fitting service we offer with our plates you can talk to one of the members of our team by:
Email info@bespoke-plates.co.uk
Phone 0333 006 7878
Visit in-store
36A Broughton Street,
Manchester,
England,
M8 8NN
