Black and White Number Plates

Rob Gaskin

Treasurer
Staff member
Site Administrator
The Z Club is a member of the 'Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs' FBHVC. Note British Club not British Vehicle :)

I get a regular publication called 'FBHVC news' and I noted a few months ago that in a report of a meeting of the FBHVC with the DVLA it was stated that the B/W number plate dates were now linked to the 'Historic' taxation dates.

I questioned this because it didn't seem right as the reflective plates were introduced as a safety feature - I can remember it. I got this response:

Hi Rob,

Thank you for your email to our Secretary which has been passed to me

You are not alone in expressing surprise or doubt regarding the statement from DVLA that black and white/silver number plates are now permitted on vehicles first registered before January 1975. We have checked this out and it is correct although, as you say, it has received no publicity.

There will be a fuller explanation in the next FBHVC Newsletter and I quote in part from it here -

“The previous Regulations on the display of registration marks had only ever permitted vehicles manufactured before 1973 to use black and white number plates. However, the changes to the law in 2001 which introduced the new (and current) number plate format, directly linked the pre 1973 vehicles with those which were in the historic tax class (which had the same dates). This meant that when the changes to the historic tax class dates were announced in recent Budgets, this had the unintended consequence of amending the display Regulations to allow additional vehicles to display black and white plates.”

Regards,

Ian Edmunds
DVLA Liaison
FBHVC


I will post more on this later (today?) however I think there is a mis-understanding and that's why I haven't posted anything before. I think (just me not anyone else yet) that the 'exempt' vehicles mentioned in documentation are invalid carriages and not 'tax exempt' vehicles - but I need to do some more investigation.

As an aside to this, number plate manufacturers are 'in the dark' too however one manufacturer said that he would think fitting them on a 240Z was not a big problem anyway and doubted if anyone would question it.

Steve if you are carrying reflective plates you are admitting that you know you are breaking the law, wouldn't you be better saying you bought the car with B/W plates and plead ignorance?
 

johnymd

Club Member
Just spoke with the DVLA who confirmed catagorically that there are no changes to the date of black and silver plates being displayed. They confirmed that it is still 1st jan '73 and is not in any way linked to historic vehicle taxation.
 

SeanDezart

Well-Known Forum User
I love this:unsure: - the UK becomming more like France ie contradictory and hypocritical....yo'all need to detach yourself from the continental shelf and flee before it gets worse.:lol:

Over here any car over 30 years old PROVIDED that it is classed as an historic vehicle ('collection') can legally run with B/W plates.

But if your +30 yr old classic car has a normal 'V5', you must run white and white reflective plates....to be legal. There is no 'rolling age'.

In practice, everyone runs about with B/W plates and never stopped or questioned by the Police unless they want to sniff around the car 'cos they like it !:thumbs:
 

SKiddell

Well-Known Forum User
Rob Gaskin said:
Steve if you are carrying reflective plates you are admitting that you know you are breaking the law, wouldn't you be better saying you bought the car with B/W plates and plead ignorance?

Its better than trying to argue with plod as that never ends well.
 

Rob Gaskin

Treasurer
Staff member
Site Administrator
The thing is it was the DVLA who informed the FBHVC! That is what prompted my email to the FBHVC and suspicion.

I'm currenytly trying to find 1A(1) of Schedule 2 to the Act (b). :eek: Can you understand now why I haven't posted anything yet?

Ok I think it's this and it hasn't been updated since the last budget. If it gets updated and the number plate rules still link to it then it then yes B/W on Historics????

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1994/22/schedule/2
 

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johnymd

Club Member
I rang them again to try to get the info in writing and the reply I got was:

"we just check on our website to answer any questions from the general pulic so you can print it of the web if you want it in writing"

So basically the answers I got from DVLA only represent whats on the web and may be out of date if the site hasn't been updated.
 

chrisvega

Well-Known Forum User
There will be a fuller explanation in the next FBHVC Newsletter and I quote in part from it here -

“The previous Regulations on the display of registration marks had only ever permitted vehicles manufactured before 1973 to use black and white number plates. However, the changes to the law in 2001 which introduced the new (and current) number plate format, directly linked the pre 1973 vehicles with those which were in the historic tax class (which had the same dates). This meant that when the changes to the historic tax class dates were announced in recent Budgets, this had the unintended consequence of amending the display Regulations to allow additional vehicles to display black and white plates.”

Regards,

Ian Edmunds
DVLA Liaison
FBHVC[/B][/I]

So what was the fuller explanation in the next FBHVC newsletter then Rob as you said it was first mentioned a few months ago ?
 

Rob Gaskin

Treasurer
Staff member
Site Administrator
I think you'll find schedule 2 referred to is from page 12 of the doc I linked.
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2001/561/pdfs/uksi_20010561_en.pdf

i.e. schedule 2 of display of registration marks regulations, rather than vehicle excise duty.

Jon, yes that's where I looked but it doesn't tie up - I spent ages on this to find an 'Act' and not the 'regulations'.

So what was the fuller explanation in the next FBHVC newsletter then Rob as you said it was first mentioned a few months ago ?

Now included here.
 

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Rob Gaskin

Treasurer
Staff member
Site Administrator
My thoughts:

In the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994 Schedule 2, Exempt Vehicles, Old Vehicles, 1A(1) states that:

Subject to sub-paragraph (2), a vehicle is an exempt vehicle at any time if it was constructed before 1st January 1973.

This is out of date following budget changes to re-introduce the rolling-year situation i.e. pre 75 cars now .

So as was stated earlier in the Thread the number plate regulations state that the pre 73 situation applies for B/W plates unless as stated in Regulation 18 the vehicle is exempt from tax as Schedule 2 1A(1) of the Act.

So if the Excise Act is updated to reflect the current rolling situation and the regulations aren't changed then B/W are ok

So the DVLA must be embarrassed about the 'cock-up' and not publising it. Therefore the staff don't know it either.

Police won't know either so it's a mess! I reckon the loophole will be closed off.
 
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SKiddell

Well-Known Forum User
Thats so flakey it should be coloured yellow and called Cadburys

I wouldnt like to try it in court and good luck trying to explain it to your local traffic ociffer when he's just pulled a 12 hour shift and his chips are cold
 

johnymd

Club Member
Would they be embarrassed about this cock up? After all, it just means that cars over 40 years old can display black plates if they want. Does it really make any difference to the DVLA that some people are now allowed to go and buy new plates?
 

johnymd

Club Member
plod may use this as an excuse to pull you over but are they going out of their way to nick someone because their '73 classic car was built a couple of months too late to legally display them. I think most police would consider they had better things to do and just not bother.
 

johnymd

Club Member
I happened to be following a Nissan Navara tonight with black and silver plates and great big font. They may look at this a little different but a 73/74 car? I think not.

Blimmey....multi posts........must be Don withdrawal issues!!!! HaHaHa LOL.
 

datsfun

Club Member
I happened to be following a Nissan Navara tonight with black and silver plates and great big font. They may look at this a little different but a 73/74 car? I think not.

Blimmey....multi posts........must be Don withdrawal issues!!!! HaHaHa LOL.

Did it have UK registration? If so most likely not road legal...although I recall sometime back one could get Guernsey or Jersey issued number plates and transfer them over and have black n silver plates
 

johnymd

Club Member
They were UK plates on a 2009 UK car but he had just had some made to look nicer on a silver and black truck.
 
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