Smaller front plates

[DrRick]

Anyone running’s a smaller UK front plate?

If so where did you source it from?

And have you had any issues with running it?

[DJW]

What’s a front number plate ?

Have run 5 cars without them and only time I was pulled was in IOM for opening of mountain run for TT.

My understanding is you are eligible for 3 points and  fine for wrong sized number plate, but just a fine for none.  Go figure 

 

I did have a small plate with one Exige but no idea where from . Removed it 

 

[Spinney]

I had smaller plates on my old Elise for 5 years and had no problems apart from having to temporarily swap them back for the MOT every year, but it is a risk you take that you may be stopped and fined. With my current Exige I have a simple 5 character plate and had it made by 'Fancy Plates' with legal size font but the plate made at just 11mm bigger all round than the standard font.

https://www.fancyplates.com

This is completely legal and does keep the plate to a more reasonable (in my view) size.

Edited January 16, 2018 by Spinney

[PaulCP]

Ran a 3/4 size plate on my VX220 for 13 years without any issues

Just be aware that you run the chance of a fine if caught by a jobsworth. I always kept a full size plate in the boot ready to swap over if need be, using the excuse "just come from a car show and forgot to change the plate back" if stopped about it. No idea if the excuse worked though since I never was stopped.

[andydclements]

Here are the rules, and (without measuring) it looks that Spinney's meets them. There's a "standard" plate size but it's not compulsory, it's just that the "standard" size can take the widest characters and still have sufficient space, so manufacturers tend to do all on that size blank.

Page 8

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/533255/inf104-vehicle-registration-numbers-and-number-plates.pdf

[Whitey]

Legal font and size, but I went the stick on route as I have on various Loti previously. This only works with a short plate on the Evora due to the curvature

 

 

Edited January 16, 2018 by Whitey

[Spinney]

11 minutes ago, andydclements said:

Here are the rules, and (without measuring) it looks that Spinney's meets them. There's a "standard" plate size but it's not compulsory, it's just that the "standard" size can take the widest characters and still have sufficient space, so manufacturers tend to do all on that size blank.

Page 8

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/533255/inf104-vehicle-registration-numbers-and-number-plates.pdf

Yes, mine is legal - just.? But just legal is sufficient, fortunately. It has the standard size and style of font but the plate itself is quite a bit smaller than the usual one fitted by dealers and, I think, suits the car better.

Edited January 16, 2018 by Spinney

[DJW]

Done the same on rear of mine, just cut down length of plate to meet letters, however I’ve probably  cut off the relevant  logo on bottom of plate now to show it’s been produced at legal place etc. 

[21gg]

Round these parts they used to be very hot on plates. Mine is only 4 digits and minimum legal size. I have a mini with a six digit plate which is slightly undersized on the front and minimum space/ border on the rear. So far I've been OK. You can get them online, but the undersize ones often don't have the required bs number etc.

[TonyKL]

Those that run no front plate isn't that pushing your luck a little?

[Steve V8]

4 hours ago, DrRick said:

Anyone running’s a smaller UK front plate?

If so where did you source it from?

And have you had any issues with running it?

I have always had illegal small plates on my bikes, and the wife has a personalised plate on her car with incorrect spacings, neither of us as ever been pulled. They just need to be swapped out for the M.O.T.

Ask a local biker where to get them made. Most will know a graphic sign writer that also makes plates. (for show purposes only obviously). 

 

[mcx]

I have plates by four dot https://www.fourdotdesignerplates.co.uk/   on my exige.They do some cool designs, had some black and white union flag designs done which look like the spoiler end plates.  Also I’ve had several sets of stick on plates done by Rick of highgate house http://www.highgatehouse.co.uk/  who can make the stick on plate as small as poss whilst keeping legal sized numbers etc.

[mik]

 Evora has a normal sized plate, but I used to run a smaller one on my VXR8. Got challenged on it twice in 5yrs (once when turning in a police car park,  once pulled on the move). Carried a copy of the regs with me as the VXR8 was never fully UK type approved so it just had to meet import requirements - which allows shorter height text and 11mm spacing all round.

I used https://www.myshowplates.com . They didnt have a std size that suited, so they agreed to bias the text, BS logo etc to 11mm from one side, and I cut the excess off the other side. They looked good.

 

Even the cops do it with imports..... check the middle vehicle. I may have kept a copy of this image in the car too....

[dalepearson]

I have recently ordered a 3/4 plate from fancy plates for my Evora (currently run without). Only did this as was ordering some plates for a project car I am working on, and thought rather have 3/4 than normal if I need to put one on. I should add I got a speeding offense before Christmas and no mention of no front plate.

[DrRick]

Not sure I can be bothered now I think about it.

Traffic Taliban up here in Scotland would probably be all over it if they get a chance, and given my mileage I reckon I'd come a cropped sooner rather than later.

[Neal H]

I got pulled for an under sized front plate on a previous Elise. Fortunately I didn't get fined as I had a full size version in the boot and swapped them while he was there, so he let me off given that I showed a 'good attitude' to being pulled. It did cost me a good half an hour though as he went over the car with a fine toothcombe including checking all the paperwork and radioing it all in.

The funny part was, it was in a town centre and a local drunk staggered over and started having a go at the copper about him only pulling me over because it was a nice car and he was just jealous

I haven't bothered with small plates since.

[DrRick]

@Neal H, see, I think this is one reason that I'm just going to stick with the  standard plates. I even saw a post on Pistonheads from someone who's wife got stopped by the Police on the premise that their plates were illegal (from FourDot) despite them being legal, and all the palava that they had to go to to avoid court / get the fine rescinded. If I'm doing 70miles a day, potentially 5-days a week, the likelihood increases of coming across a Police 'intervention' that I'd like to avoid.

[Neal H]

Another thing I recall from when I was pulled.

He told me that if I hadn't been able to swap the plate for a legal one at the roadside he wouldn't have let me drive the car away as it wasn't road legal. That would have been a major problem....

[Bibs]

I think that copper was stronging it a bit to be fair. I would have thought he would give you a 7 day rectification notice? Motorbikes seem to get on ok without front plates... 

[Bruss]

3 minutes ago, Bibs said:

I think that copper was stronging it a bit to be fair. I would have thought he would give you a 7 day rectification notice? Motorbikes seem to get on ok without front plates... 

Motorbikes aren't required to have front plates.  Cars are.

[Bibs]

I think that bikes aren't actually allowed them if they are built post 2001?

I get that though, but it's hardly making the car unsuitable for use on the road. Seems a bit OTT, that's all and I thought that a Construction and Use violation like this merited an FPN, not a tow to the pound!

[Neal H]

He may have just been trying to scare me into staying legal, but given that he had just agreed not to issue me a ticket I wasn't about to start arguing with him!

[Bibs]

Makes perfect sense! It's easy to talk yourself into a worse situation at times like these! 

[21gg]

Years ago when I first got my plate I got written confirmation from the delay of the fact that there was no legal minimum plate size as long as the letters and spaces were correct, bs number and component / supplier identifier.  This was 1992. I used to carry a laminated copy in the car.  I didn't have many problems with it.

Nowadays they are stricter. More to do with anpr recognition I suspect.  originally my mate who had a garage would let me make my plates up on his machine and trim them down, now it can be a pain to get a truly legal minimum size plate made. My mini rear plate is legal spacing and letters but no bs number so technically not legal. The front 3/4 plate isn't legal size but has the bs and suppliers details on?

One funny thing to note was that when they switched to the new numberplate format (2001?) the size of the letters shrank. So my 21GG plate ended up even smaller!

If you get a fully legal minimum size plate you won't get any hassle, anything else and you possibly will.

[DJW]

Credit where it’s due, the IOM police at least gave me the opportunity to put my plate back on.....