During the summer season, Plates4Less, a division of VRM Swansea, noted an increase in inquiries about the legality of GB/EU flag number plates on British-registered vehicles traveling to Europe. The popular GB/EU flag combination is no longer available in the UK, leading to concerns among drivers about whether their plates are still legal.
Number plate expert, Antony Clark, explained, “With people going on holiday and realising that the old GB/EU plate no longer qualifies them to drive abroad, we’ve seen a rise in existing customers asking us if it’s still legal to use their number plates in the UK or worrying that they might fail their MoT.”
According to Antony Clark, if your vehicle remains in the UK, it’s not necessary to change your number plate, only to remove the GB/EU flag. He clarified, “While we are no longer allowed to supply new number plates with the GB/EU flag, it is still perfectly legal to drive with these number plates in the UK.”
UK number plates are subject to strict rules and regulations to ensure their legality, including font, spacing, and material specifications. Illegal number plates can result in fines of up to £1000 and may lead to MoT failure.
In the UK, you can still order legal number plates with a flag decoration on the left-hand side. Flags allowed on UK number plates include the Union Jack, the Cross of Saint George, the Cross of Saint Andrew, and the Red Dragon of Wales.
Antony Clark noted a shift in customer preferences regarding flags on private number plates after Brexit. He explained, “Before Brexit, 21% of our customers ordered an EU flag. However, in 2023, only 5% of customers ordered the UK flag. It seems that some people preferred the EU flag, not just because it made it easier to drive outside of the UK, but because they liked the design of it.”
For those planning to drive abroad, the requirements vary by country. Depending on the destination, you may need a UK sticker, new plates with a UK flag, or both. Additionally, some countries have specific requirements, such as carrying a warning triangle in your car.
Plates4Less advises motorists to always check the individual requirements of the country they plan to visit.