Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what changes he proposes to introduce in 2021 to the display and use of vehicle number plates and the information to be required or allowed to be displayed thereon; for what reason he plans to make each change; and if he will make a statement.

There are three changes to the regulations governing the display and use of vehicle number plates that will come into force in 2021.

Since 1 January 2021 it is no longer legal to display the European Union symbol on new number plates fitted to vehicles from that date. A GB sticker should be displayed on the rear of the vehicle when travelling abroad, but those vehicles which have both the letters “GB” and the Union Flag on their number plate do not need to display a separate GB sticker when travelling in the EU unless they are travelling to Spain, Malta or Cyprus.

Since 1 January 2021 it is also illegal to display an old style, pre-1973 black and silver number plate on vehicles recorded as historic i.e. vehicles that are 40 years old and over but were manufactured after 1 January 1980.

From 1 September 2021, it will also become mandatory for all new number plates fitted to vehicles to meet the revised technical standards contained in the British Standard for Retroreflective Number Plates (BS AU 145e). The new standard replaces BS AU 145d and introduces significant improvements to both the durability and readability of number plates.