There’s a VITAL law you must know when buying a private number plate – it could cost you a £1,000 fine
THERE are lots of ways to help your car turn heads on the high street but a private plate is one of the most popular choices.
There are strict rules on what your plate can and can't be like, but there's one rule that many people aren't aware of.
The rules say you need a white front and yellow back plate, the lettering must be in black and in a font called Charles Wright 2001 and the spacing between the characters must be correct.
You aren't allowed decorative fonts, bolts that alter the way a character reads, different spacings or additional symbols or logos.
But there's one more rule you must abide by; the private plate can't make your car seem newer than it actually is.
For instance, if your car was built in 2007, you couldn't have a private plate with '08' in the middle, such as AB08 123.
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In fact, you can't have any plate that makes it look newer, so any numbers that suggest it was built after it was aren't OK.
It protects potential buyers from thinking the car is newer than it is when you sell and paying too high a price.
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If you're spotted with a plate that looks newer than your car, you'll be given 14 days to sort it out at first.
But if you choose to ignore the warnings, you could be fined up to £1,000s for doing so.
READ MORE ON NUMBER PLATES
There are countless places selling private number plates online and many have built-in checkers to make sure you don't make this mistake.
If you're buying a new car, you can ask the dealership to apply for a private plate on your behalf with the correct forms.
If you're buying used, once you have the V5C document stating you are the registered keeper of the vehicle, you can buy a plate and apply online with the DVLA to assign it to your motor.
