I’ve read that Halfords use stickers and not some fancy thermowizardry as some other makers do. Does this matter, legally?

Have you not seen the signs in every store – ‘not to be fitted to a motor vehicle’?

They’re fine, really.

No idea what the differences are, but I have had them before, and have one on our caravan, they’re sealed up units, so if they are stickers, they’re under a laminate of some sort.

Try your local motor factors, i got a number plate made up by my local place and it was cheaper than halfords as well as being a genuine road legal number plate.

Be aware they may ask you for the V5 document for your car and your driving licence as i think they are supposed to get proof of ownership of the car and an address before re-producing plates.

Always bought mine from Ebay.

Good quality. cheap and fast delivery.

To be legal they have to have the british standard BS AU145d and name & postcode of the place that made them on the plate. Can be fined £60(I think and even points)

Had some made up at Halfords 4 years ago in store. They were B S marked and I had to provide my documents. Sounds legal to me.

To be legal they have to have the british standard BS AU145d and name & postcode of the place that made them on the plate. Can be fined £60(I think and even points)

I wonder how they’d enforce that – the roads will be full of plates made before that BS standard was introduced.

Of course they are legal, they don’t use stickers either

Why would halfords sell illegal number plates?

At the price they charge, they’re criminal! 😆

If, when stopped they point it out “your number plate is illegal you know we can fine you blab blah” my son had some e bay ones minus bs number and postcode ,the officer kindly let him off. Another friend with an oldish motorbike had the same he pointed out the age as it was pre the bs and was told you’ll have to change it (not done it he’s a rebel) It is not even enforced through the mot I think they let it go unless the graphics are non standard or the spaceing is out as in personalised plates trying to spell names etc

well mine are black and white handpainted using headlines from a tabloid newspaper as a stencil..
oh and number plates form no part of an MOT test

My plates aren’t legal – been on for years and never been stopped, have to swap them for the mot though

oh and number plates form no part of an MOT test

Are you sure about that????

Missing or incorrect number plates are an MOT failure.

The MOT testers are starting to get stricter on this. I had to get new plates at testing because mine were delaminating.

number plates form no part of an MOT test

I think you might have that wrong, the direct.gov website and the MOT inspection manual say that they do form a part of the test.

MOT instructions

Section 6.3 of document 3.

Right size, right colour. Correctly spaced, clean and legible. All of that, and it would take a real pillock of a bobby* to make a fuss. Balls to kite marks and proofs of identity, what’s the bloody point?

*admittedly, these do exist, but ime are quite rare…

If car was registered after 2001 then you should have BS marked plates. You would be very unlucky to fail an MOT and even more unlucky to get pulled for Ian otherwise legal plate!

Be aware they may ask you for the V5 document

If they don’t they’re breaking the law.

I shall be ringing Halfords shortly. My car’s plates were nicked last night 🙁

I used to work in Halfords, many moons ago (well about 13yrs) when i was a young and spotty, and i can confirm that they only produce leagle number plates in store – if you require a pair they will/should take some details from you (name, car type etc).

The number plates are full BS compliant and are made up using approved backings and spacings they are laminated in three parts, backing, numbers and acrylic/plastic front.

They were a pain in the bum to do and i used to hate doing them as trying to get it laminated with no air bubbles very hard (well i thought so).

IIRC you could order in illegal number plates in store, as well as teh classic black ones but the store staff would/should advise you that they were illegal.

Pennine if your plates were stolen report it to the police or you might find yourself convincing them you did not drive away from that petrol station without paying, did not over stay in a car park did not speed on that road at that time etc. I would say someone is cloning your car.

itstig: I rang the police at 7.30 and they logged it on their system which links to the DVLA

Looks like you’ll have to cycle down to Halfords ( as all other motor factors are shut on sunday) to buy some new ones……………are number plates from halfords legal? And so it goes on.