What Are Green Number Plates UK?
With electric vehicles becoming more and more popular and accommodated for in public spaces, its about time we got some clarity on them, but did you know this also relates to their registration plate?
In this blog, we will be answering the question ‘What are green number plates UK?’
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.)
Why do we need registration plates?
Registration plates are vital as they are like the fingerprint of your vehicle, it is the factor that identifies the vehicle as yours. You may have the same vehicle in the same colour as other road users, so a licence plate is the easiest way to identify the difference between them all.
Unfortunately, vehicle plates have been known to be stolen or cloned, this allows people with nefarious intentions to use your vehicle’s identifier to commit a crime, which could lead to you being questioned. In some instances, you won’t know this has happened until authorities have contacted you, but contacting authorities as soon as you know is the best way to combat this.
What happens if registration plates are not used?
If nobody used registration plates, you wouldn’t be able to verify anyone you have had an accident with. You won’t be able to verify whose vehicle was used when committing a crime. A licence plate is a key factor in maintaining order on the roads. It also allows insurance companies and hiring & rental companies to keep track of who is a registered and legally certified driver of their vehicles.
What are green number plates UK?
In the UK, a green number plate refers to a marking found on a fully electric vehicle’s registration plate, this marking is a green stripe on the left-hand side of the vehicle’s plate. This indicator is important to be able to recognise an electric vehicle, especially with ULEZ zones becoming more normal in areas like London.
Why are electric vehicle plates green?
They are green as it relates to the terminology used for environmentally friendly processes. The terminology is “Going green” or “Being green”.
Do hybrid vehicles have normal registration plates?
Yes, hybrid vehicles have regular registration plates without the green stripe, even though they partly use electricity. The reason they don’t have these plates is because they still emit pollutants and therefore can’t be called a ‘green’ vehicle.
Can you customise electric vehicle registration plates?
Yes! We at Bespoke Plates offer our 3D/4D gel plate options, including the Hex plate shape option for anybody looking to get a unique electric vehicle registration plate.
What happens if I use a green plate on a vehicle that isn’t electric?
There are legal consequences for doing this, it may be equivalent to using a cloned plate on a vehicle. This is similar to fraud, the reason it is a problem for non-electric vehicles to use this kind of plates is that you are creating the impression your car is environmentally friendly. This becomes a problem in ULEZ zones.
But with that being said, electric vehicles don’t have exhaust fumes, so pretending your vehicle is electric when its not is quite frankly a misguided and pointless exercise. In terms of legal consequences, you can expect to be fined, ordered to change the plate, or get points on your licence.
Where can I order an electric vehicle number plate?
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 an electric 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.
The legalities of custom registration plates
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.
Purchase an electric vehicle number plate today
In this blog, we have highlighted our plate options, and all the information you need in order to our stylish customisation option to your vehicle. We aim to have answered the question ‘What are green number plates 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
