What is the Penalty For Having No Front Number Plate in the UK?

In the UK, there are various strict laws surrounding the layout and display of your vehicle’s number plates. These laws all come with their own penalties should drivers not adhere to them.

Here, we will discuss some of the current rules for the display of your number plates, as well as penalties drivers can face for not fully following the guidelines set out by the DVLA.

Number Plate Laws

As mentioned above, there are a range of laws currently in place in the UK surrounding the display, format, and use of your number plates. The following are some of the rules set out by the DVLA for your number plates:

• Your plate must be made from a reflective material

• Your front plate must display black characters on a white background

• Your back plate must display black characters on a yellow background

• Your plate must not have a background pattern

• Your plate must show a marking to signify who provided the number plate

• Your plate must be marked with a British Standard Number

If you’re interested in learning more about the rules and laws surrounding your number plate, read Absolute Reg’s articles on the spacing laws, screws and fixing laws, and an overview of number plate laws today.

Motorcycle Number Plate Laws

Though the laws for motorcycle number plates are typically the same, there are some specific rules that you must adhere to when it comes to properly displaying your plate.

The main factors you need to be aware of are:

• The plate must follow the design and lettering rules set out for standard number plates.

• Motorcycles and tricycles registered on or after 1 September 2001, then you must display your plate only at the rear of the vehicle. If your vehicle was registered before this date, then you can have a plate on both the front and rear of the vehicle, but this is optional.

• The number plate text for your motorcycle must cover two lines, instead of the single line format of standard plates.

If you’re interested in learning more about the laws surrounding number plates on your motorcycle, read through our motorcycle number plate laws blog.

The Penalty For No Front Number Plate

Now that we’ve discussed how to stay law compliant with your plate, we should now cover what happens if you do not follow these guidelines. 

As stated by the DVLA, if you choose to drive your vehicle with incorrectly displayed number plates, you could be fined up to £1,000, and your vehicle will automatically fail its MOT. It is also highly likely that you will receive up to 3 points on your licence for violating the law.

Find Number Plates With Absolute Reg

At Absolute Reg, we stock a vast range of plates to suit all styles and personal preferences. Using our number plate search, you can explore millions of plates in seconds.

No matter if you want a plate to represent your favourite football team, or show some home pride with a location based number plate, find a plate you’ll be proud to display on your vehicle with Absolute Reg.

Looking to sell a plate instead? Fill out our enquiry form today to get started, we’ll offer you a competitive price for your plate. 

If you’re struggling to know where to start with either buying or selling your plate, don’t hesitate to contact our expert team for advice. 

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