Will 3D gel & 4D number plates be illegal after September 2021?

For the past few months, a rumour has been circulating that 3D gel and 4D laser cut number plates will be illegal from September 2021 - this is a rumour which is quite simply false!

Where does the rumour originate from?

Just before Christmas 2020, the DVLA sent out a newsletter to Registered Number Plate Suppliers (RNPS). This newsletter contained a single sentence which suggested that 3D/4D plates would not meet the new British Standard for number plates (BSAU 145e). Furthermore, it suggested they do not meet the current British Standard (BSAU 145d). However, this statement had no factual basis or evidence to support it.

Utopia Plates works closely with the DVLA RNPS Enforcement Team to ensure our complete compliance to all regulations regarding our operation and the products we produce, which is why we can confidently say that our products are road legal, and we stand by that fact - we’ve been known to successfully defend our customers against incorrectly failed MOTs and misinformed Police Officers.

We knew, for a fact, that the statement made in the newsletter was incorrect, given the RNPS Enforcement Team has visited our premises and given the ‘all clear’ on our products and we speak to them on a regular basis to ensure compliance. Not only this, we have dedicated much of our time, in this industry, to ensuring we understand and adhere to the British Standard for number plates.

So why is it being said as ‘fact’?

The reason why this rumour has been circulated so much as if it were fact, is due to a psychological phenomenon known as Negativity Bias. Things of a negative nature have a greater effect on oneself than things of a positive nature, no matter whether they are of equal significance [1] - it’s the reason why you feel like you only see negative stories in the media. The negative stories are more likely to influence your feelings, and subsequently are more likely to draw you in, thus getting more ‘clicks’ for the media company.

So how does negativity bias come into play here? Firstly, unscrupulously creating a ‘news’ article which definitively puts forward a negative point (3D/4D will be illegal), without factual basis, is going to get a lot more attention and clicks. It is especially beneficial if the publisher of said article does not produce 3D/4D plates, only flat printed plates.

Secondly, individuals are more likely to ‘jump on the bandwagon’ and spread the negative news throughout forums and social media, as they have been influenced by the negativity bias.

So what is the reality of the situation?

In a response to a Government petition to stop the ban of 3D/4D number plates [2], the Department for Transport has clarified the position - as long as 3D gel and 4D laser cut letters meet the requirements of the current standard, BSAU 145d, then they are legal and would not need to be changed after September, when the new standard comes into effect. Furthermore, 3D gel and 4D laser cut number plates will be legal under BSAU 145e, so long as they meet the requirements of the standard and pass the mandatory tests.

It would appear there was never any true threat of 3D gel and 4D laser cut number plates becoming illegal, though the Government petition was successfully able to bring clarification to the matter.

With this in mind, we would like to draw attention to the fact that there are many companies who will claim the number plates they produce are road legal, when in fact they do not meet the British Standard whatsoever - most notably coloured 4D and ‘sparkly’ gel. When you purchase your number plates from Utopia Plates, you can rest assured that the products you receive are fully road legal and verified as such. We produce no illegal products, and are proud of that fact.

Too long; didn’t read: 3D gel and 4D number plates are road legal, so long as they conform to the active British Standard, or the British Standard which was in place when they were manufactured.


Charlie Cook