Replacement number plates: stolen, lost or damaged

Replacing a number plate is straightforward, but there are two things people get wrong: waiting too long, and assuming a replacement is a like-for-like purchase that needs no paperwork. It isn't. Every road-legal plate in the UK has to be made by a registered supplier who has checked who you are and that the registration is yours — a replacement included. Here is the order to do things in.

If your plates have been stolen

Number plates are usually stolen to be used on another vehicle — for fuel theft, parking and toll evasion, or to hide a cloned car. That means a stolen plate can generate fines and letters in your name until it is recorded as stolen.

1. Report the theft to the police as soon as you notice, either through your local force's online reporting service or by calling 101. Say clearly that the plates were stolen rather than lost, and keep the crime reference number you are given.
2. Keep the reference number to hand. If a penalty notice, parking charge or fuel-theft letter arrives for a journey you did not make, the crime reference and the date of the report are what you will use to contest it.
3. Order replacements straight away. There is no allowance for driving without plates in the meantime, even with a police report, so treat the replacement as urgent. A single plate can be ordered on its own if only one was taken.

It is also worth telling your insurer, and checking whether your car park or street has CCTV that could help the police. Anti-theft fixings — one-way “clutch head” screws, or plates fitted with strong adhesive rather than standard screws — make the next attempt harder; see our guide to fitting plates with pads or screws.

If a plate is damaged, faded or cracked

The law is not only about the plate being present. GOV.UK's rules for number plates require the registration to be displayed correctly and legibly, on reflective material, in the right colours and font, with the British Standard mark and the supplier's details on the plate. A plate that is cracked, delaminating, faded, or has lost part of a character no longer meets that, and it will be looked at during an MOT. Common reasons to replace a plate that has not been stolen:

• Cracks or chips from a low-speed knock or a pressure washer.
• Fading or yellowing of the white front plate, or a rear plate that no longer reflects.
• A plate made before 1 September 2021 that you want to bring up to the current BS AU 145e standard when you replace it.
• An old plate with a background pattern, an odd font or a non-standard flag that would not pass today’s rules.

You do not need to replace both plates if only one is damaged. Front and rear plates are ordered separately in our plate builder, and a replacement rear plate can be made in the same finish as the front you are keeping, or a different one if you prefer.

The documents a supplier must see — even for a replacement

By law, only a registered number plate supplier can make a road-legal plate, and the supplier has to check two things before doing so: proof of who you are, and proof that you are entitled to the registration. This applies to a replacement in exactly the same way as to a brand-new set, so have both ready before you order:

• Proof of identity — your driving licence or passport.
• Proof of entitlement — the V5C logbook for the vehicle, the V5C/2 new keeper slip if you have just bought it, or a V750 or V778 for a private registration.

With us the order is: build the plate, pay, then upload both documents from the order confirmation page. They are checked before the plate goes into production. The full list of what we accept, and why, is on our documents required page; if you have just bought the car and the logbook has not arrived, the green new keeper slip is the document to use.

Ordering a replacement that matches

A replacement does not have to be identical to the plate it replaces, but it does have to be legal. If your other plate is an older 3D gel or a 4D plate, you can order the same finish for the new one — see 2D vs 3D gel vs 4D vs 4D gel for how they differ. Two things to check before you order:

• Size. Most cars use the standard 520 × 111mm plate, but some vehicles have a shorter recess or a square rear plate. Measure the plate you are replacing and choose the matching size — our sizes guide lists every format we make.
• Spacing. Type the registration into the builder with the spacing you want. Road-legal plates must follow the DVLA layout for the registration; if the spacing you enter differs from that layout, we check it with you before manufacturing rather than guessing. See spacing rules.

Delivery is free across the UK. Orders placed before 3pm on a working day may be dispatched the same working day, subject to production capacity, payment and — for road-legal plates — your documents being approved; see delivery and dispatch times.

What to check when the new plate arrives

Before you fit a replacement, hold it next to your V5C and check the registration character by character, including the spacing. Then look at the plate itself: it should carry the BS AU 145e mark, the name and postcode of the supplier that made it, black characters in a single shade with no background pattern, and a white (front) or yellow (rear) reflective face. If any of those is missing the plate is not road legal, however good it looks — the marks are what an MOT tester and a police officer look for first. Our plates carry all of them as standard; see BS AU 145e explained for what each one means.

Damaged plates after an accident

If a plate was destroyed in a collision, the replacement is usually the least of the paperwork, but it is still worth doing promptly: a car that is otherwise roadworthy cannot be driven until the registration is displayed again. Where an insurer is repairing the car, the body shop will normally fit a new plate as part of the repair; ask which supplier made it and check the marks above. If you are arranging the repair yourself, order the plate as soon as the registration and the size of the holder are known — the plate does not need to wait for the bodywork.

Reducing the chance of it happening again

Most plate thefts are opportunistic. Fitting the replacement with anti-theft screws or a strong adhesive fixing, parking with the rear of the car against a wall where you can, and choosing well-lit or covered parking all make a difference. If you would rather not drill the bumper, our adhesive strips hold a plate securely without visible fixings.

Common questions