Short number plates
Shorter-length plates built for private and personalised registrations. By trimming the excess blank space around your characters, a short plate gives a tidy, balanced look that suits cars with a smaller plate recess.
Made for private and shorter regs
If you run a personalised or dateless registration with fewer characters, a standard-length plate can leave wide empty margins either side of your reg. A short plate removes that excess so the characters sit centred and proportionate.
Short plates are popular on cars with a compact bumper recess, and on imports where the standard oblong simply won't fit. Order them as a balanced pair, or just for the end that needs it.
A short plate can still be road-legal, provided the character size, font and spacing stay within the legal standard. We keep the layout compliant where you ask for a road set.
- Private & personalised registrations
- Dateless and shorter-character plates
- Cars with a smaller or non-standard recess
Good fit for
- Private 4 to 6 character regs
- Dateless registrations
- Compact bumper recesses
- A tidier, centred character layout
- Pairing with a premium finish
- Road or show use (spacing dependent)
Available in every style
Short size pairs with all of our plate finishes. Pick your look in the builder.
Short plate prices
Short plates are £21.99 for a single plate or £34.99 for a front & rear pair in the Standard 2D finish. Premium finishes are priced live in the builder — see the full breakdown on our pricing page.
Road-legal or show?
A short plate can be road-legal as long as the character height, font and spacing remain within the legal standard — tightening a layout too far makes it show-only. Tell us how the set will be used and we'll keep a road order compliant. Read our road-legal number plates guide, or choose show plates for off-road and display use.
Fitting your short plates
- Check your recess width before choosing a short layout
- Centre the plate so the characters sit level in the recess
- Sticky pads suit a flat mount where screw holes don't line up
- Magnets let you swap a show plate on and off easily
Need fixings?
Add a screw kit, sticky pads or magnets so your short plates are ready to mount as soon as they arrive.
Shop accessoriesShort plate sizes
Three widths, all at the standard 111mm height — shown largest to smallest.
406 × 111 mm
The widest short size — typically suits registrations of up to around 6 characters.
340 × 111 mm
The mid-width short size — typically suits registrations of around 5 characters.
280 × 111 mm
The narrowest short size — typically suits registrations of around 4 characters.
Shorter registrations suit narrower plates — but not every registration fits every short size. Character count, legal character sizing and spacing decide how narrow you can go. Pick your width in the builder, and if you're unsure which size your registration needs, ask us before ordering.
Short size questions
What counts as a short plate?
A short plate is narrower than the standard 520mm oblong, with the blank margins trimmed down so the characters sit centred. We make three short widths — 406mm, 340mm and 280mm, all 111mm tall — to suit shorter, private and dateless registrations.
Are short plates road-legal?
They can be, provided the character height, font and spacing stay within the legal standard. Compress the layout too far and the set becomes show-only. Tell us how it'll be used and we'll keep a road order compliant.
How much do short plates cost?
Short plates are £21.99 for a single plate or £34.99 for a front & rear pair in the Standard 2D finish. Premium finishes such as 3D gel and 4D are priced live in the builder.
How do I know if a short plate fits my car?
Measure the width of your bumper recess. If a standard plate leaves wide empty margins, a short plate will give a tidier, better-proportioned fit.
Build your short plates
Pick your style, add your registration and checkout in minutes — with free UK delivery on every order.