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Show off your rear plates, size required.
- Thread starter madda
- Start date
The problem has been discussed before.
Have a look here (but there may be more Threads)
http://zclub.net/forum/showthread.php?t=22735&highlight=rear+number+plate+size
Have a look here (but there may be more Threads)
http://zclub.net/forum/showthread.php?t=22735&highlight=rear+number+plate+size
datty240Z
Well-Known Forum User
Datty, I've measured up and that's the size I want to go for. Do you by chance remember who made it? Are you running a pressed metal one between MOTs?
They were made by Mike Wylie's in Belfast. He made both my yellow/white and my black plates. They're both plastic plates.
Dale
Club Member
your car was registered in August 1973. There is a lot of talk on the internet about the date of registration relating to black number plates. It is the date of MANUFACTURE that is relevant ie pre January 1973. Lets say your car was made in Japan in December 1972. By the time it left the factory and sailed around the world that used up 6 months. It then sat at the Datsun uk dealership for say at least 3 months before being sold and registered. Good case for claiming your car can sport black number plates.
Mine was registered in August 1973, so is on a 'M' plate and therefore arguably shouldn't be on black and silver plates, but, given how much better they look and how little it will be on the road, I don't much care about the legalities. Given what you have said above, I care even less
On that point, its all 100% legal now, so are you getting yours out again this year?
Gio
Well-Known Forum User
There are 2 issues here: 1) can I have black/silver plates at the rear and 2) can I use smaller-than-UK-legal digits so I can have a smaller plate.
1) Vehicles constructed (not registered, constructed) before 1.1.73 may display traditional style "black and white" plates i.e. white, silver or grey characters on a black plate. Lettering must either be 89mm or 79mm high.
2) Certain imported vehicles may be permitted to display number plates with smaller characters if a) the vehicle does not have EC Whole Vehicle Type Approval and b) the vehicles construction / design cannot accomodate standard size number plates. This lets you use 64mm heigh characters.
Remember, it is not the size of the plate itself that is set by the law, it is the font size and spacing that is set. If you have a short number (like mine) you don't have to have a plate that is long enough for a full size reg no.
If you want to be 100% legal, the smallest height for a traditional black/white plate with two lines is 11mm top margin + 79mm character + 11mm space + 79mm + 11mm bottom margin = 191mm or 7.5".
If your space is restricted (like in the rear bumper cutout for the JDM Z32) then that calc is 10 + 64 +10 + 64 + 10 = 158mm or 6.2"
Now a JDM plate is 13" x 6.5" (I believe other sizes too but not sure exactly) which is 330mm x 165mm so if you can justify the "cannot accommodate standard size" criterion, then you can legally (UK legal) have (and have MOT'ed) JDM size plates on your import (with the UK legal caption of who made them).
As it happens, if you use UK size letters on a JDM plate, that's NOT legal because your vertical spacing will be wrong.
I attach both the actual legislation and a DVLA guide (which is now almost impossible to find on the web). I carry a copy of both of these in the glovebox in case of plod / MOT not knowing the law. Not needed so far.
Also, here is the place I get mine from https://www.craigsplates.com/import-number-plates
1) Vehicles constructed (not registered, constructed) before 1.1.73 may display traditional style "black and white" plates i.e. white, silver or grey characters on a black plate. Lettering must either be 89mm or 79mm high.
2) Certain imported vehicles may be permitted to display number plates with smaller characters if a) the vehicle does not have EC Whole Vehicle Type Approval and b) the vehicles construction / design cannot accomodate standard size number plates. This lets you use 64mm heigh characters.
Remember, it is not the size of the plate itself that is set by the law, it is the font size and spacing that is set. If you have a short number (like mine) you don't have to have a plate that is long enough for a full size reg no.
If you want to be 100% legal, the smallest height for a traditional black/white plate with two lines is 11mm top margin + 79mm character + 11mm space + 79mm + 11mm bottom margin = 191mm or 7.5".
If your space is restricted (like in the rear bumper cutout for the JDM Z32) then that calc is 10 + 64 +10 + 64 + 10 = 158mm or 6.2"
Now a JDM plate is 13" x 6.5" (I believe other sizes too but not sure exactly) which is 330mm x 165mm so if you can justify the "cannot accommodate standard size" criterion, then you can legally (UK legal) have (and have MOT'ed) JDM size plates on your import (with the UK legal caption of who made them).
As it happens, if you use UK size letters on a JDM plate, that's NOT legal because your vertical spacing will be wrong.
I attach both the actual legislation and a DVLA guide (which is now almost impossible to find on the web). I carry a copy of both of these in the glovebox in case of plod / MOT not knowing the law. Not needed so far.
Also, here is the place I get mine from https://www.craigsplates.com/import-number-plates
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jaydeescuba
Well-Known Forum User
Nice one Gio
bluejon
Club Member
Thanks for this useful summary. DVLA have just granted me a year-appropriate J registration
to replace the existing Irish plates. So I need to source some black/silver plates. From the above though I don't see a solution to the rear plate.- UK standard rear plates do not fit (the currently fitted ones have been cut to squeeze in which looks daft)
- JDM plates do fit and can accommodate smaller UK font, but a JDM plate is white not black.
- US plates are too small vertically unless it had a frame border added and while mine is a US origin car, but I don't want US style plates, and would that even be legal?
But I can ask one obvious question too which is .. what size plate does an original UK car have on the rear ... anyone know or can show a picture ?
Last edited by a moderator:
highway star
Well-Known Forum User
I have a small rear plate. there's a picture in the gallery. Technically it's illegal coz it's black and silver on a '74 car, but the font size and spacing etc are legal. I've never been stopped over it and I just put yellow and white ones on for it's MOT