The Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001

Size and spacing of characters

14.—(1) Except in the cases mentioned in paragraphs (2) and (3), each character in a registration mark must be 79 millimetres high.

(2) In the case of a registration mark displayed on a vehicle first registered before 1st September 2001, a character in a registration mark may be 89 millimetres high unless—

(a) the vehicle was first registered on or after 1st January 1973 and the mark is displayed on a new registration plate fixed to the vehicle to replace a plate previously fixed thereto, or

(b) the vehicle is a motor cycle, motor tricycle, quadricycle, agricultural machine, works truck or road roller.

(3) In the case of a registration mark fixed on a motor cycle, motor tricycle, quadricycle, agricultural machine, works truck or road roller, each character of the mark may be 64 millimetres high.

(4) The width of each character of a mark other than the letter “I” and the figure “1” must be—

(a) in the case of a mark displayed—

(i) on a registration plate fixed to a vehicle first registered on or after 1st September 2001, or

(ii) on a new registration plate fixed to a vehicle on or after 1st September 2001 to replace a plate previously fixed thereto (except where the vehicle was first registered before 1st January 1973),

that shown in line 1 of Table B in relation to the relevant character height,

(b) in any other case, that shown in line 2 of Table B in relation to the relevant character height.

(5) The width of every part of the stroke forming a character in a mark must be that shown in line 3 of Table B in relation to the relevant character height.

(6) Except in a case to which paragraph (11) applies, the spacing between any two characters within a group must be that shown in line 4 of Table B in relation to the relevant character height.

(7) The horizontal spacing between groups of characters in a mark must be that shown in line 5 of Table B in relation to the relevant character height.

(8) The vertical spacing between groups of characters must be that shown in line 6 of Table B in relation to the relevant character height.

(9) The width of a margin between the mark and the top, bottom and lateral edges of the registration plate must be not less than that shown in line 7 of Table B in relation to the relevant character height.

(10) Paragraph (11) applies where—

(a) one or both of the characters is “I” or “1”,

(b) those characters are either 79 millimetres or 89 millimetres high,

(c) the mark is displayed on a vehicle first registered before 1st September 2001,

(d) the registration plate displaying the mark was fixed to the vehicle before 1st September 2001 or, if that is not the case, the vehicle was first registered before 1st January 1973 and,

(e) the plate is made of cast or pressed metal with raised characters.

(11) Where this paragraph applies the spacing between—

(b) two characters one of which is “I” or “1” must be within the limits shown in line 8 of Table B in relation to the relevant character height, and

(c) two characters both of which are “I” or “1” must be within the limits shown in line 9 of Table B in relation to the relevant character height,

but where one or more characters in a group is “I” or “1” all the characters within that group must be evenly spaced.