Say hello to the ‘23’ licence plate

From 1 March 2023, the new ‘23’ licence plate registration will be introduced across England, Scotland and Wales.

This will be the first licence plate change of the year, with the ‘73’ number plate being rolled out in September.

If you’re getting a new number plate, it’s always important to use a registered manufacturer who will meet the legal requirements. So, what are the requirements for a ‘23’ number plate?

Character requirements

All registration plates must use the Charles Wright font and only display solid black lettering. The lettering can be Perspex or acrylic, provided it meets all other specifications.

Each character must be 79mm in length and 50mm in width (except the number 1 and letter I) and the thickness of the character stroke must be 14mm.

The space between characters must be 11mm and the space between the age identifier and the random letters must be 33mm.

Additional requirements

For vehicles made after January 1 1973, the front number plate must have a white background and the rear number plate must have a yellow background.

All number plates must be made from the material specified to meet the British Standard BS AU 145e for Retroreflective Number Plates. This tougher material is more resistant to abrasion, so the plates are easier for Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) to read.

And remember, deliberately changing or obscuring your registration plate could land you a £1,000 fine.

Registration plates must include the supplier’s business name and postcode, as well as the name of the number plate manufacturer and the new standard.

Are you aware of the latest rules of the road? See these seven new driving changes for 2023.