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Call Us: 0800 689 47954D Number Plates (3mm Depth)
from £49.99
4D 3mm number plates use laser-cut 3mm solid black acrylic characters bonded to a reflective BS AU 145e plate. The characters stand 3mm off the surface: clearly a raised plate, without the heavier shadow line of the 5mm style, and the lowest-profile 4D depth we make. Sold as a pair (front and rear) for cars and vans, made in County Durham by a DVLA-registered number plate supplier. Order before 2pm on a working day with your documents approved and we make them the same day.
How it is made
Every character is cut on a laser, so the edges are square and the corners are sharp on every letter and digit. The characters are Charles Wright at the prescribed size and spacing and are bonded with a high-strength adhesive to a white front or yellow rear reflective plate carrying our supplier name, postcode and the BS AU 145e mark. The 3mm character is also the base for our layered styles: Outline, Hover and Shadow all start from it, and the 4D gel plate adds a gel dome on top. If you want more depth, see the 4D 5mm plate. Our 4D number plates guide compares every style.
Is it road legal?
Yes, when the finished plate meets BS AU 145e. The standard is about the plate as a whole, not the depth of the characters: Charles Wright characters at the right size and spacing, a single shade of non-reflective black, a reflective white or yellow background with no tint or pattern, and a registered supplier's mark. Every 4D 3mm plate we make is built to it. What stops a camera reading a plate is tint, a patterned background, a non-standard font or spacing, or damage, not raised characters. Our guide to 3D and 4D number plate legality goes through the rules, ANPR and infrared in full.
A proposed BSI amendment that would stop the production of raised-character plates was consulted on until 13 December 2025 and is still under consideration; nothing has been adopted, BS AU 145e:2018 remains the current standard, and 4D plates remain legal to make, sell and fit. We have not been told when any change would take effect or how plates already fitted would be treated, and we will say so here as soon as we are. Checked 8 September 2026.
Sizes
A standard car plate is 520mm × 111mm. This style is also made as a shortened plate cut to your registration with a 16mm margin, a 4x4 square rear plate, an oversize rear plate, a hex plate and, as the only 4D depth we offer on a bike, the 4D motorbike plate.
Care
Wash the plate with the car. A pressure washer is fine at a sensible distance; solvents and abrasive polish are not. See cleaning your 3D or 4D number plates.
Warranty
36 months against manufacturing defects, which covers the plate, the print and the bond between character and plate. It does not cover damage from fitting, impact or chemicals.
What to order
Select 4D 3mm in the plate builder and the size you need, motorbike included. The documents we can accept as proof of the registration are listed under valid documents; postage choices are under delivery options.
New to 4D? Read our guide to 4D number plates · Are they road legal?
All our number plates are:
BS AU 145e compliant!
100% Road Legal
Adds next-level depth to your plates
Safe to pressure wash
Doesn't fade in the sun
Professionally laser cut
Industrial strength adhesive bonding
36 month warranty
Orders will be manufactured from Monday to Friday.
Tracked 24: Your plates will be dispatched within 24 hours after you provide evidence of ownership of the registration. The Royal Mail aims to deliver these parcels the next day, so this is our quickest turnaround.
Tracked 48: Your plates will be dispatched within 48 hours after you provide evidence of ownership of the registration. The Royal Mail aims for a two day delivery timeframe on Tracked 48.
Tracked 24 and Tracked 48 both provide a tracking number, which we will email to you, so you will know where your order and your documents are at all times on their way back to you.
Please note we do not dispatch on a Sunday or during Bank Holidays so please adjust your expectations accordingly. We apologise for any inconvenience.
Please note that by law we include our company name, postcode and BSAU number on the plate. The font style for all our plates is Charles Wright which is the legal UK road font, compliant with the law. The DVLA confirm that three-dimensional characters are legal and compliant with road laws, this includes ‘4D’ number plates, as 4D is only an industry standard name, and they are still classed as three-dimensional.
When buying number plates online, the only way to operate fully legally is for the Registered Number Plate Supplier to see the original physical documents in person. If you aren't local to us in County Durham, you will need to send us the documents in the post. The process is simple and the steps to take are explained in depth after you have placed your order. Once we have received your documents, we will produce your number plates and return the documents securely along with the number plates, using a tracked postal service.
The standard UK size for number plates are 520mm by 111mm. Please note this will vary if you opt for a shortened plate option. Shortened plates are cut down to a unique size depending on the length of your registration. Unlike our competitors, we cut these to whichever size you require rather than using pre-made short plates. We produce them to have a 16mm margin on all edges of the number plate, which leaves a nice even clean finish to your plate. If you require a specific size, please state this in the special requests box after clicking purchase. Legally, your number plates cannot have a margin any less than 11mm.
Utopia Plates does not sell show plates, as they could be used on the road, even though the manufacturer may sell them on the basis that they will not be. To avoid this, we will not sell show plates (this includes tinted plates, blank plates or those with non-standard spacing). We will only produce fully road legal plates, with standard spacing (as it appears on your V5C).