You may have already read about personalised number plates and decided that you want to invest in one so we are here to tell you how to get a personalised number plate. But what counts as a personalised number plate? What do they even do? We have all the answers for you.
As an established registration plate maker, we at Bespoke Plates know how to add a unique and distinctive finish to your vehicle registration plate, further stating a level of individuality that can be the finishing touch to a vehicle you have already customised.
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.)
What kind of personalisations
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.
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!
What is the best personalisation to get for your plate?
This is ultimately down to personal preference, aside from the aesthetic differences, and a nominal increased durability (with gel plate options) there isn’t a feasible benefit you can obtain from personalising your plate, it is entirely for yourself, at your discretion.
3D and 4D plates create unique aesthetics that is guaranteed to add a level of individuality to your vehicle, in conjunction with a Hex Plate, it brings your plate to the next level, certainly making your plate eye-catching, especially to fellow car connoisseurs.
How to get a personalised number plate?
Getting a personalised number plate through Bespoke Plates is so simple, the process can be started without you having to get up from your seat!
Whether you want to replace your registration plate because of physical damage, 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.
If you choose to install through us, we can remove and replace your old registration plate, taking the hassle and hard work out of your hands. Of course, you can opt to remove your plate yourself.
Are personalised plates legal?
To clear up any confusion, plate modification, whether that be Hex plates, or gel plates (3D & 4D) are 100% LEGAL if you stick to the outlined rules from the DVLA.*
*Please do your due diligence and research, some unverified registration plate providers may not be making their plates to the legal specification, which could become an inconvenience for you. Visiting Bespoke Plates is the best way to avoid this trouble.
Alternatively, using the government gateway to find licenced and approved plate makers is the best option for peace of mind and finding plate makers close to you. Enter your postcode on the government gateway website.
What are the legal requirements for a registration plate?
The legal terms that a registration plate must adhere to are:
- be made from a reflective material – for road safety
- black display characters on a white background (front plate)
- black display characters on a yellow background (rear plate)
- not have a background pattern – so as not to distort the readability of your plate
- be marked to show who supplied the registration plate – to assist with thefts and sourcing queries
- be marked with a British Standard number – this is ‘BS AU 145e’ for plates fitted after 1 September 2021
- Characters must not be removable or reflective. If your registration plates were fitted after 1 September 2021, they must also be a single shade of black.
You can find the full list of legal requirements here.
Can I get a personalised plate for any vehicle?
Vehicles that are not yours, for example, government vehicles, work vehicles, leased or rented vehicles, can not get personalised plates. The only exception to this would be a leased or rented vehicle but is at the discretion of the vehicle’s owner.
Ordering a personalised plate
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 ‘How to get a personalised number plate?’
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
