number plate lettering - What's the score?

[welland99]

Car had MOT today and failed.
Luckily nothing serious, but it still niggles.
The number plates are defective (6.3.2a & b) "...does not have black characters on a white/yellow background".
I haven't yet discussed the matter with the garage yet hwmbo picked up the car late afternoon and didn't tell me what they said until they'd closed.

I can't see anything wong with the white / yellow background, so it must be the lettering. The letters are a kind of 3D effect, so part of the letter is black and part looks like a kind of grey shadow.

Has the rule about this changed during the last year?

This is the first MOT since I bought the car last April. These plates were on the car when i got it and when it was MOTed by the garage down the road from the dealer the day before I bought it.

Have I got any comeback on the dealer or the MOT garage who tested it last year?

It seems like the official MOT claims procedure must be invoked within 28 days.

And, the fail certificate permits a free partial retest before the end of tomorrow. This will be difficult. Do garages have discretion about whether to charge for a retest, if I have to take it back later in the week?

 

[Merc Owner 2B]

The size and spacing of number plate characters is specified in the regulations, as follows:
Each character must be 79mm high and 50mm wide (except the number 1 or the letter I). The width of each character stroke must be 14mm. There must be a space of 11mm between characters within the same group, and character groups must be 33mm apart. For the purposes of measurement, each character (again, excepting the number 1 or the letter I), regardless of its shape, is treated as a rectangular block of dimensions 79mm x 50mm
Optionally, number plates may display one of the following national emblems: British Union Flag with “GB”, English Flag (St George Cross) with “ENG”, Scottish Flag (St Andrew Cross) with “SCO”, Welsh Flag (green dragon on green/white field) with “Wales” and “Cymru” or Euro Flag (circle of stars) with “GB”. If the Euro/GB configuration is displayed, then the bearer vehicle need not display a separate “GB” emblem when driving within the EU.
The colours and reflectivity of number plates are also specified in the regulations, and there is a British Standard (BS AU 145d) which describes the physical characteristics of number plates, including: visibility, strength and reflectivity. Front plates must have black characters on a white background, while rear plates must have black characters on a yellow background. The British Standard also requires that a number plate must be marked with the following information: the British Standard Number, the name, trade mark, or other means of identification of the manufacturer or component supplier, the name and postcode of the supplying outlet. A non-reflective border is optional. There may be no other markings or material contained on the number plate.
SUMMARY: What is required and permitted on UK road-legal number plates

Required:

• White front plate (to British Standard BS AU 145d)
• Yellow rear plate (to British Standard BS AU 145d)
• The registration number of the bearer vehicle in the mandatory font (black ‘Charles Wright 2001’)
• Spacing of characters and character groups in accordance with the measurements specified in the regulations. Variation is not permitted

Permitted but not required:

• 3D variation of the mandatory ‘Charles Wright 2001’ font
• Coloured, non-reflective border
• National emblem: English St George Cross with “ENG” legend, Scottish St Andrew Cross with “SCO” legend, Welsh Dragon with “WALES” and “CYMRU” legend, British Union Flag with “GB” legend) or Euro Stars symbol with “GB” legend.

No additions or variations are permitted. Common illegal variations are:

• Fancy or decorative typefaces
• Bolts placed in such a way as to alter the appearance of characters
• Adjusted spacing between characters or character groups
• Altered characters
• Additional logos or symbols, such as sporting emblems and religious symbols.

There are concessions for older and vintage cars. “Historic vehicles”, i.e. those built prior to 1973, are permitted to bear the old-style black plates of either plastic or traditional metal construction.
To quote the DVLA: "Vehicles constructed before 1.1.73 may display traditional style ‘black and white’ plates i.e. white, silver or grey characters on a black plate."

 

[moonloops]

can you post up pictures of the plates? Sounds like they are either faded or the old pre 1971 black/silver...

 

[NormanC]

Try this for the regs for number plates. If they don't conform then the car should fail fail the MoT. I believe that the background isn't just yellow or white but should be reflective.

The Legal requirements for displaying your vehicle number plate

 

[BTB 500]

AFAIK they are cracking down on plates now. Official requirements here:

Displaying your registration number : Directgov - Motoring

Easiest to nip down to Halfords and get some legit ones made up. Make sure you take the right ID docs.

 

[Deleted member 6183]

No offence to the OP but when I read this kind of thread I usually wonder if it was the style police who were offended.

 

[welland99]

Thanks for swift replies. Quite a few points there.
1) They are normal yellow / white background. Appear to be reflective.
2)Letters appear to be normal size, although I haven't got a ruler out.
3) There is a mercedes emblem at the left hand side. This has been covered with a GB sticker on the rear one, so the emblem can't be the problem.
4) Only other thing is the lettering style. What is "3D variation of the mandatory ‘Charles Wright 2001’ font" (Merc Owner 2B)?

 

[welland99]

Here's a photo of part of the front plate.

 

[cliveyboy8]

No, they are a good set of "Show" plates. Totally illegal. Quite right car failed MOT.

As someone else said, go down to Halfords and get a proper pair made up.

Simples.

 

[KillerHERTZ]

Nasty IMO - Get a proper pair made up!

Id avoid Halfords ones, on the blue strip GB plates, theres a border around the blue & looks odd. + the yellow looks an odd colour...

Go to your local MB Dealership & get a pair of OEM ones

 

[Merc Owner 2B]

Thanks for swift replies. Quite a few points there.
1) They are normal yellow / white background. Appear to be reflective.
2)Letters appear to be normal size, although I haven't got a ruler out.
3) There is a mercedes emblem at the left hand side. This has been covered with a GB sticker on the rear one, so the emblem can't be the problem.
4) Only other thing is the lettering style. What is "3D variation of the mandatory ‘Charles Wright 2001’ font" (Merc Owner 2B)?

This is the permitted "Shadow" font......

As has already been said, yours ARE ILLEGAL I'm afraid. Merc logo isn't allowed either. Previous tester was either blind to pass them or these plates were not actually on when he tested it!

 

[NormanC]

This is the official 3D font.

You have 2 problems that I can see immediately. The Merc badge is illegal and you have the wrong font - just compare the number 6 in your plate with the sample given.

Sorry -beaten to it!!

 

[welland99]

Thanks all. The concensus is that the lettering is not allowed. I didn't choose the plates and I have no problem changing them. But what niggles is that somebody else passed them just before I bought the car.

It also niggles how other far more illegal (if there is such a thing) plates are seen every day. You know the sort of thing - dots in the wrong place or incorrect spacing to try to make the letters make a word.

One of the worst I have ever seen was last week on a mitsubishi EVO. The plate began E11O, but the 1s were pointing together at the bottom to make them look like a V.

Personally I think "E11O" is quite cool.

 

[PXW]

I think the worst 'plate offenders' have two sets - one in legal standard to put on when it goes to the MOT station. Would only take a couple of minutes to swap them, so your car may well have been MOT'd on different plates last time round. Ask the selling dealer if he still has them, and can you please borrow them

 

[JumboBeef]

The British Standard also requires that a number plate must be marked with the following information: the British Standard Number, the name, trade mark, or other means of identification of the manufacturer or component supplier, the name and postcode of the supplying outlet.

(As I understand it), only on post 2001 cars (and the OPs car is pre-2001). Agreed though that the show plates shown are not legal.

 

[Palfrem]

I thought the whole point of a number plate is that it can be read at 25 metres and the information on it provides a link to the registered keeper of the vehicle.

These seem to be perfectly legible. They may not conform to the letter of the law but IMHO are fit for purpose.

I'm sure the scroats cloning cars will always get a legit looking plate made up to avoid attention and thus escape detection whilst welland gets a tug and a finger wag (or 3 points and a fine) for his heinous crime.

If Border Control scanners can now recognise a face from a passport photo, then make ANPR a bit smarter to recognise pretty fonts and give the DVLA access to all its EU equivalents or maybe make the plate relate to the driver not the car.

 

[BTB 500]

(As I understand it), only on post 2001 cars (and the OPs car is pre-2001).

Officially, no. The requirement to show maker etc. applies to number plates fitted after September 1st 2001.

But if you have a car registered before September 1st 2001 you could try claiming that the plates are the original ones, i.e. fitted before that date.

No help to the OP though as the font on his plates is very obviously wrong.

 

[BTB 500]

make ANPR a bit smarter to recognise pretty fonts

Would need to be pretty clever to read ANY font (just have a look at what's available in MS Word etc.). And remember it's us that would end up paying for all that work.