Firstly, what is a number plate light?
It is a small fixture positioned at the rear of your vehicle, above the rear number plate. It is designed to illuminate your registration plate. As the plate has reflective properties, it enables the plate to be visible to others even at a distance.
This is put in place for the safety of you and other road users and makes your vehicle a bit more visible at night, especially for rear plates, ensuring clear visibility of the registration plate. It's also in place for the police and ANPR cameras, as it means they can read your reg even at night and match the registration number with the vehicle and registered keeper.
Is there a limit to the number of lights you can have on a number plate?
No, there is currently no restrictions as to how many lights are on the reg of your vehicle, the only requirement is, it just needs to be sufficiently illuminated.
Is a number plate light an MOT requirement?
One of the crucial aspects of MOT requirements for number plates is ensuring they are easily readable and unobscured. Consequently, if your number plate is dirty or obscured, it may result in an MOT failure. Given how common having a dirty number plate is, it is recommended you inspect and clean them before the MOT to prevent any issues arising from mud or grime accumulation.
Functioning number plate lights are mandatory by law and are an integral part of the MOT regulations regarding number plates. It is not uncommon for a vehicle to fail its MOT if the light above the number plate fails to work. These lights are an essential function of illuminating your registration number in low-light conditions, ensuring readability by both the Police and ANPR cameras.
Number plate lights legal requirement
All vehicles must be equipped with a light to illuminate the rear number plate. This law does not stipulate how bright it should be but it does have to be a white light, no colours. Not adhering to this law could incur a fine of up to £1000 and cause your vehicle to fail its MOT.
Where do number plate lights need to be positioned?
The position of the light needs to be in a place that will illuminate the whole plate sufficiently so it can be seen at nighttime. Most cars will already have these lights fitted and they are generally fitted in the centre of the plate at the top. As long as this criteria is met, there are no further restrictions on where the driver chooses to install the individual lights.
Do you need to see the light on the car?
No, it's not necessary to be able to physically see the light fitting or bulb, as long as it is illuminating the car's number plates. The main concern is that the rear plate is sufficiently visible in darkness. The most commonly used lights are a dim LED so they don’t detract from your cars appearance or of its number plate.
Is there a limit to how powerful the lights can be for a number plates?
There are currently no regulations regarding the wattage or intensity of the lights for any DVLA number plates. However, the sensible thing would be to avoid excessively bright lights that could dazzle other drivers. Opting for a small, appropriately sized lights is sufficient to illuminate the plate without causing disruption to other drivers.
Can I use any colour light for my car number plates?
No, white is the only colour legally permitted for illuminating your cars registration plate as this prevents any distortion when the plate is illuminated.
Do private number plates require lights?
The regulations concerning lights and registration plates extend to all types of private registrations, including current style and Northern Ireland number plates, as well as those from general government stock. These rules apply to all car registration plates and means whether the plate is a private or standard number plate and has been issued by the DVLA, while in the UK, all the rules above still apply.
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