With the British Standards Institution consultation on changes to BS AU 145e now closed, attention is turning to what the proposals could mean for everyday motorists, number plate suppliers and enforcement agencies.
Plates4Less.co.uk has published guidance on the draft amendment, highlighting what it believes could be significant unintended consequences. Drawing on its experience as the UK’s highest-rated number plate agent, managing thousands of private number plates transfers each month, the company estimates that as many as a quarter of drivers who have replaced their plates since 2021 may be affected.
The proposed update would effectively ban raised-style number plates, including 4D and gel variants, by requiring all visible surfaces to be entirely flat. While the change has been framed as a way to improve readability and prevent misuse, some within the industry argue that it addresses symptoms rather than causes.
They point to the expanding and largely unenforceable market for unregulated number plates as the real issue, warning that legitimate suppliers and compliant motorists could bear the brunt of the changes while illegal operators remain unaffected.
A Market Already Under Pressure: Weak laws, Number plate Cloning, Unregistered Manufacturers and Ghost Plates
Number plate crime is rising sharply. Data obtained from the DVLA by Churchill Insurance shows sustained growth in cloning and plate misuse, while a BBC investigation reported a 64 percent increase in vehicle identity-cloning cases in London between 2021 and 2023. A separate cross-government inquiry presented to the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Transport Safety suggested that as many as one in fifteen vehicles may already be displaying illegal or unreadable plates designed to evade Automatic Number Plate Reader (ANPR) detection.
Critically, the vast majority of these plates are not purchased from official DVLA-registered (RNPS) number plate suppliers. They are sourced from unregistered online sellers operating outside the current regulatory framework and even outside the UK.
Industry figures argue that restricting compliant products sold by legitimately registered businesses does little to address these sources of illegal number plate supply.
Crucially, under present laws it is perfectly legal to manufacture number plates of any design, material, colour, shape or typeface either in the UK or elsewhere. The law is only broken once such number plates are fixed to a vehicle used on the public highway. Unscrupulous suppliers are therefore taking advantage of this loophole in the law to meet the growing market demand for unregulated number plates, declaring that their non road-legal number plates are being manufactured solely for ‘Show’ or ‘Off -road’’ purposes. Some manufacturers even send them out with removable stickers stating these conditions of use to cover their backs.
Compliance Versus Criminal Supply
When manufactured correctly using approved materials and processes, 4D and gel plates meet the existing legal standard because the digits cannot be altered or removed. No publicly available test data has demonstrated that compliant raised-character plates cause systemic ANPR failures. In contrast, enforcement agencies consistently link detection issues to illegally modified, spaced, tinted, or deliberately altered plates.
Antony Clark of VRM Swansea, Plates4Less, explains the concern:
“Removing legally compliant products from legitimate suppliers does not remove demand. It risks pushing motorists towards the very same unregulated sellers already responsible for cloning, unreadable plates, and enforcement failures.”
Customer insight from Plates4Less shows that raised-style plates now account for up to a quarter of new plate sales, with motorists citing both appearance and improved readability as reasons for choosing them. Plates4less’ supplier also fixes their 4D digits over an already fully compliant standard number plate so that even if every digit became removed or damaged the ANPR cameras could still read the registration mark correctly. Illegal number plates don’t have this more expensive security feature. Eliminating these products from the regulated market could therefore have a material impact on consumer behaviour in the wrong direction.
What Happens If You Already Have a 4D Number Plate?
One of the key unresolved issues is whether any future standard change would apply retrospectively. Previous amendments have not required motorists to replace plates that were legally suitable for road use at the time of purchase, but no formal confirmation has yet been given that the same approach would apply again.
Based on current sales volumes, retrospective enforcement could affect up to 25 percent of motorists who have purchased replacement plates within the past five years. This could create confusion, unnecessary cost, and additional pressure on enforcement teams.
There is also concern that compliant businesses could face even tighter restrictions than illegal operators, effectively penalising those who follow DVLA RNPS rules, while doing little to disrupt the unregulated black market.
What Happens Next?
Now that the consultation has closed, stakeholders are awaiting clarity on how evidence submitted by manufacturers, enforcement bodies, ANPR specialists, and retailers will be assessed.
Many within the sector argue that more effective solutions are already available. These include stronger enforcement against illegal traders, improved traceability of plate components, clearer DVLA RNPS guidance, better digital compliance tools, and tougher penalties for displaying illegal plates.
The outcome of the review will be closely watched, not only by the number plate industry, but also by motorists and enforcement agencies dealing daily with the consequences of vehicle identity fraud.
The challenge ahead is ensuring that any changes to the standards targets criminal misuse without undermining legally compliant businesses or driving motorists towards the illegal market that the new proposals aim to control.
A Practical Guide to the Proposed Number Plate Changes
To help motorists and businesses understand the implications of the proposed changes, Plates4Less.co.uk, the UK’s highest-rated agent of private number plates with more than 25,000 five-star reviews, has summarised the key issues and industry concerns below.
This guide reflects the views of compliant manufacturers, registered suppliers, and enforcement specialists, and focuses on where the real risks lie.
What Are the Proposed Changes?
The draft update to BS AU 145e (the present legal British number plates manufacturing Standard) introduces stricter wording that would effectively eliminate 4D and gel plates by requiring the surface of all number plates to be completely flat. Key elements include:
- Characters must not exceed 2 mm in height above the plate surface
- No materials may be attached to the outward-facing surface of the plate, including layered components that create a raised appearance
- Laminated plates must have a single, homogeneous clear layer with no indentations or intrusions
- Stickers, overlays, and applied materials are prohibited if they alter surface flatness
- This wording removes the legal basis for producing raised-character plates, even when manufactured using compliant materials and processes.
The draft also emphasises that manufacturers must not add any component that could compromise retroreflectivity or ANPR readability. However, it does not present new test data showing failures specifically linked to properly produced 4D or raised gel digit plates.
Why Experts Say the Proposal Risks Unintended Consequences
Weak penalties fail to deter illegal plates
Under current law, drivers caught displaying illegal or non-compliant plates are usually issued with a ‘producer’ and a £100 fine, with no penalty points. In many cases, this is a lower penalty than the offence the illegal plate was intended to conceal.
As a result, existing penalties do little to deter the use of ghost plates, cloned plates, or deliberately altered registrations.
Key concerns raised by compliant manufacturers
1. Customers may turn to illegal sellers
Raised-character plates account for around 22 to 25 percent of the market. If compliant businesses are forced to stop supplying them, demand is unlikely to disappear and may instead shift to unregulated online sellers who bypass DVLA RNPS checks and entitlement requirements.
2. Rogue operators benefit while compliant businesses lose out
The proposal does not directly address the supply of fake reflective materials, altered fonts, or ghost plates sold by unregistered manufacturers often based overseas. Registered manufacturers fear the change could penalise legitimate businesses while leaving criminal sellers unaffected.
3. No evidence of ANPR failures from compliant plates
DVLA RNPS-registered suppliers report no reliability issues when 4D and gel plates are produced using certified materials and correct processes. ANPR problems are consistently linked to non-compliant or illegally altered plates.
4. Reduced consumer choice
4D and gel plates are popular for both appearance and clarity. Removing compliant options may push personalisation into the black market rather than eliminating it.
5. More effective solutions already exist
Experts point to readily available alternatives that directly target criminal activity, including stronger enforcement against sellers of illegal road plates, improved material traceability, clearer DVLA RNPS guidance, and higher penalties for displaying illegal plates on British roads.
Questions Motorists and Businesses Are Asking
Why was the ban proposed?
Some case studies suggest that raised characters on incorrectly made plates may affect ANPR performance. The proposed British Standards amendment aims to remove variation by requiring flat surfaces only. Evidence shared publicly appears to focus on non-compliant plates rather than legally manufactured ones.
Are 4D and gel plates currently legal?
Yes. When produced by a DVLA RNPS-registered supplier using approved materials and correct processes, 4D and gel plates comply with BS AU 145e and are legal for use on UK roads.
Do compliant raised plates cause ANPR problems?
There is no broad industry evidence showing that legally produced raised plates cause ANPR failures. Issues almost always relate to non-compliant or illegally altered plates.
What are the risks of a blanket ban?
A full ban may push motorists towards cheap, unregulated online sellers. These sellers often supply plates with incorrect fonts, poor reflectivity, and no traceability, increasing the risk of cloning and enforcement failures.
What approach would be more effective?
Experts recommend focusing on enforcement and accountability, including stronger action against illegal online sellers, tighter controls on materials and batch traceability, clearer guidance for DVLA RNPS holders, higher penalties for displaying illegal plates, and better public education on legal requirements.
This approach targets criminal behaviour rather than restricting lawful businesses and consumers.
I already have 4D or gel plates. Would I need to replace them?
Historically, changes to the British Standard have applied to new production only, not to plates that were legal when fitted. There is no indication that existing, compliant plates would need to be replaced. The standard governs how plates are made, not whether motorists must remove plates that were previously legal at the point of manufacture.
