The Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001

PART IV U.K. MISCELLANEOUS

International distinguishing signs and other material U.K.

[F1 16.— (1) No material other than a registration mark and material complying with the requirements of any of the relevant standards mentioned in Schedule 2 may be displayed on a registration plate.

(2) Subject to the following paragraphs of this regulation, a registration plate may not be combined with any other plate or a device of any kind.

(3) The letters “GB” may be displayed on a plate or other device in accordance with the Annex to Council Regulation (EC) No. 2411/98 on the recognition in intra-Community traffic of the distinguishing sign of the Member State in which motor vehicles and their trailers are registered [F2 , provided the plate or other device was originally fixed to the vehicle, and complied with the Annex, before IP completion day].

(4) Subject to paragraphs (5) to (8), there may be displayed on a plate or other device an arrangement of letters corresponding with one of the sub-paragraphs of paragraph (9) and an emblem corresponding with one of the sub-paragraphs of paragraph (10).

[F3 (4A) Subject to paragraph (4B), an eligible vehicle may display a plate or device which is green in colour.

(4B) The plate or other device referred to in paragraph (4A) must be—

(a) made from retroreflective material;

(b) colour Pantone 7481c or a colour match that is as close as possible to this colour;

(c) no less than forty millimetres and no more than fifty millimetres in width.

(4C) No other vehicle may display a plate or other device which is green in colour.

(4D) Subject to paragraphs (5) to (8) there may be displayed on a plate or other device referred to in (4A) an arrangement of letters corresponding with one of the sub-paragraphs of paragraph (9) and an emblem corresponding with one of the sub-paragraphs of paragraph (10).]

(5) The [F4 plate or other device, ] arrangement of letters and emblem referred to in paragraph (4) [F4 , (4A), (4B) and (4D)]—

(a) must be displayed to the left of the registration plate;

(b) must not encroach into the margin,

and for this purpose the expression “margin” is to have the same meaning as in regulations 14(9) and 14A(2)(f).

(6) The emblem referred to in paragraph (4) must be positioned above the arrangement of letters referred to in that paragraph.

(7) Neither the arrangement of letters referred to in paragraph (4), nor the emblem referred to in that paragraph, must be more than fifty millimetres wide.

(8) Paragraph (4) does not apply—

(a) if the letters “GB” are displayed in accordance with paragraph (3); or

(b) if the relevant vehicle is recorded in the part of the register relating to Northern Ireland.

(9) The arrangements of letters referred to in paragraph (4) are—

(a) “United Kingdom” or “UNITED KINGDOM”;

(b) “UK”;

(c) “Great Britain” or “GREAT BRITAIN”;

(d) “GB”;

(e) “England” or “ENGLAND”;

(f) “Eng” or “ENG”;

(g) “Scotland” or “SCOTLAND”;

(h) “Sco” or “SCO”;

(i) “Wales” or “WALES”;

(j) “Cymru” or “CYMRU”;

(k) “Cym” or “CYM”.

(10) The emblems referred to in paragraph (4) are—

(a) an image of the Union flag;

(b) an image of the Cross of Saint George, as depicted on the flag of England;

(c) an image of the Cross of Saint Andrew (the Saltire), as depicted on the flag of Scotland;

(d) an image of the Red Dragon of Wales, as depicted on the flag of Wales.]

[F5 (11) In this regulation—

(a) an “eligible vehicle” means a vehicle to which these regulations apply and which cannot produce any tailpipe emissions;

(b) where the eligible vehicle is towing a trailer, paragraphs (4A), (4B), and (4D) may also apply to the plate or other device fixed to that trailer.]

Textual Amendments

F1 Reg. 16 substituted (27.4.2009) by The Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) (Amendment) Regulations 2009 (S.I. 2009/811), regs. 1, 4

F2 Words in reg. 16(3) inserted (31.12.2020) by The Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) (Amendment) (EU Exit) (No. 2) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1363), regs. 1(3), 4

F3 Reg. 16(4A)-(4D) inserted (8.12.2020) by The Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1276), regs. 1, 4(a)

F4 Words in reg. 16(5) inserted (8.12.2020) by The Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1276), regs. 1, 4(b)

F5 Reg. 16(11) inserted (8.12.2020) by The Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1276), regs. 1, 4(c)

Optional early use of new-specification plates and prescribed font U.K.

17.—(1) This regulation applies in a case where, on or after 21st March and before 1st September 2001 a registration mark on a vehicle—

(a) is displayed on a registration plate which conforms to the specification set out in Part 1 of Schedule 2 and is otherwise fixed on the vehicle and lit in accordance with the requirements of Part II of these Regulations,

(b) conforms to the requirements of regulations 13 and 14 as to layout and spacing of characters in so far as they apply to vehicles first registered on or after 1st September 2001, and

(c) is comprised of characters each of which is in the prescribed font.

(2) Where this regulation applies—

(a) regulations 17 to 22 of the Road Vehicles (Registration and Licensing) Regulations 1971 M1 or, as the case may be,

(b) regulations 18 to 23 of the Road Vehicles (Registration and Licensing) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1973 M2 ,

(which provide for the format and means of display of registration plates and marks) shall cease to apply in respect of that vehicle and any trailer being towed by it and the provisions of these Regulations shall apply instead.

Marginal Citations

M1 S.I. 1971/450. The Relevant amendments are by S.I. 1972/1865, 1975/1089 and 1984/814.

M2 S.R. & O. (N.I.) 1973 No. 490. The relevant amendments are by S.I. 1976/2180.

[F6 Optional early compliance with Schedule 2, Part A1 U.K.

17A.   A new or replacement registration plate fixed to a vehicle on or after the 1st January 2021, and before 1st September 2021, may conform to the requirements set out in Part A1 of Schedule 2.]

Textual Amendments

F6 Reg. 17A inserted (1.1.2021) by The Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) (Amendment) (EU Exit) (No. 2) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1363), regs. 1(2), 5

Saving for vehicles constructed before 1st January 1973 U.K.

18.  For the purposes of these Regulations a vehicle which was first registered on or after 1st January 1973 shall be treated as if it was first registered before that date if—

(a) it is an exempt vehicle for the purposes of paragraph 1A(1) of Schedule 2 to the Act M3 [F7 and was constructed on or before 1st January 1980], or

(b) not being such a vehicle, it was constructed before 1st January 1973.

Textual Amendments

F7 Words in reg. 18(a) inserted (1.1.2021) by The Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) (Amendment) (EU Exit) (No. 2) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1363), regs. 1(2), 6

Marginal Citations

M3 Paragraph 1A was inserted by the Finance act 1996, s. 19, and amended by the Finance Act 1998, s. 17.

Offences under section 59 of the Act U.K.

19.—(1) For the purposes of section 59(1) of the Act (regulations: offences), the person responsible for complying with these Regulations is the person driving the vehicle or, where it is not being driven, the person keeping it.

(2) Paragraph (1) does not apply to a regulation the breach of which would constitute an offence under section 42(1) of the Act (not fixing a registration mark as required by virtue of section 23).