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Call Us: 0800 689 4795Road Legal Shortened Number Plates
from £34.99
Shortened number plates are cut to the length of your registration rather than the full 520mm, with a 16mm margin between the characters and the edge on every side, so a short registration sits on a plate that fits it instead of a full-width plate with empty space at each end. We cut each pair to measure rather than picking from a fixed set of short number plates, unless you add a border, which is made to a set width. Any of our letter styles can go on them. Each plate is a reflective BS AU 145e plate 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
The registration is laid out in Charles Wright characters at the size and spacing the rules prescribe; those do not change on a short plate. We then cut the plate around the characters so that the margin on every side is 16mm, comfortably above the 11mm legal minimum, and apply the characters in the style you have chosen: printed, 3D gel, 4D 3mm, 4D 5mm, 4D gel, Outline, Hover, Shadow or Retro. If you add a border, small number plates are made to a set width rather than cut to the characters, so they will not be as short as a plain shortened plate. If you need a specific width to suit a recess or plinth, tell us in the special requests box when you order and we will cut to it, provided the margin stays legal.
Is it road legal?
Yes, when the finished plate meets BS AU 145e and the number plate regulations. The regulations fix the character size, spacing and margin, not the outside dimensions of a car plate; the standard covers the reflective plate itself, the single shade of black and the supplier mark. Every shortened plate we make meets both. Our guide to 3D and 4D number plate legality explains what the standard measures.
Other sizes
For a plate cut to the registration with angled ends, see hex plates. Full-size options are the standard 520mm × 111mm plate, the 4x4 square rear plate and the oversize rear plate.
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
Pick a letter style in the plate builder and select shortened as the size; if you need a particular width, say so in the special requests box. Proof of registration is required first (valid documents); postage is under delivery options. If the existing screw holes on your car fall outside the shorter plate, fit it with sticky pads.
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).