+44 1233 755983

Common Questions - About Number Plates

I do not have a standard oblong number plate; can you supply me with a different size plate?

We have in stock a vast range of metal and acrylic number plates, not just the standard UK car size oblong plate. We have on the shelf number plates for: Imports, Jaguars, TVRs, Rover 75s, Aston Martin DB9s & Vanquishes, Nissan 350zx, PT Cruisers, Lexus, Mazda Eunos, Daihatsu Copens, Square plates for 4x4s, Oversize plates for the Bentley and Rolls Royce owners, Din stamped German plates with D badge, plakettes (emission safety test & registration sticker), stadt badges (registration seal) and German font, French plates with the most popular French font and F badge, Metal USA plates with USA font , Off-Road Motor Bike plates and Car Show plates, Vintage Black and Silver plates , Tractor plates, stick-on (self-adhesive) number plates and shorter than standard road legal number plates for registrations shorter than 7 characters! Click our 'Plate Sizes' link on the left of the screen for a full list of plate sizes available. If you do not see the size number plate you require, we can have it specially made for you!

Do you take telephone orders?

We, at Craigsplates appreciate that some of you don't like ordering number plates online. Therefore, unlike many other sites, we are more than happy to give advice and take your order over the telephone. We have been a number plate manufacturer for over 11 years and pride ourselves on number plate knowledge! Please note that at times our telephone lines are extremeley busy, so if you are unable to get through first time, please try again.

Can I order just accessories through your website?

Yes of course you can! Click the accessories link on the lefthand side of the screen, choose what you want and add to basket. You then have the option to proceed to checkout or continue shopping.

Do you pre-drill number plates before despatch?

No, we do not pre-drill number plates as the holes are not standardised in any way. We recommend you stick your number plate on with either 1mm sticky pads or 6mm sticky spacer pads. If you wish to drill the number plates, you need to mask the plate (as you would a bathroom tile), use a 5.5mm high speed sharp steel drill bit (you can purchase one of these from our accessory section if you do not have one), and drill from back to front, on a piece of wood. If you are removing plates that have been drilled you can lay these over your new ones for the correct placing of the holes - make sure your old plates were on straight first though! It is also advisable not to drill too close to the edge!

How long do I have to cancel my order?

Number plates are bespoke items made specifically to order; they cannot be sold to someone else if you change your mind. We start work on your number plate the moment we receive your order so we can meet our deadlines. Therefore, if you wish to cancel, please either telephone or email us in order that we can process this. We will then credit your order, minus a £5.00 admin fee. This is to cover the costs of the order processing we will have already done. We strongly suggest if you have any queries or are uncertain of what you need, please you call us BEFORE placing your order, as full refunds cannot be given once work has begun.

Can I put my own badge or photograph on my show plate?

Yes you can - but only on show plates. We have a special badge you can choose in our platemaker called "own badge" and this notifies the platemaker to refer back for the image. You must then email us your image as your plate cannot be made until it is received. There are three file upload boxes you can use on our contact us page. However, if your image is a large one, over 1Mb (which is prefered) please use the email address that is on the confirmation email you receive from us once your order has been placed. We do not put our email address on our site due to the amount of spam emails received. The kind of file we prefer is a TIFF file as this is not compressed, however a decent JPG will also print well. If your image is a gif or small in size, it will not print well and may pixelate, therefore, if you are in any doubt please contact us.

Do you make flexible stick-on (self-adhesive) plates?

Yes we do. This type of plate is sold as a show plate as it is non-compliant with BSAU145d, in accordance with DVLA regulations. Our plates are reflective and we use the legal font (unless a different font is chosen). Bendy, flexible, stick-on (self-adhesive) plates are not made of solid acrylic and are more like a reflective sticker that can be placed directly onto the bodywork. You can only order this type of plate by specifying that you require a showplate during the order process. Click here for more information about these plates We sell two different sizes, standard oblong and square. If you require a different size you will need to pay a cut fee of £4.00.

Why do you want my telephone number?

If there is a problem with your order, or something that is not clear, we would like to be able contact you to make sure we fully understand your requirements. These details are NOT given to any third party.

Why can't I remove your slogan from the Platemaker?

Road Legal number plates must have the makers RNPS number, supplying outlet name and postcode and British Standard number on the bottom of the plate. This is a legal requirement. Our showplate platemaker allows you to type in your own slogan, but remember these plates are non-compliant and are NOT road legal number plates.

Are your number plates guaranteed?

All our number plates have a 12 month guarantee. If you have a problem with defective acrylic,or your pressed aluminium plate, please email us a picture of your defective number plate, together with your name, address, telephone number and plate details if they cannot be readily seen in full from the picture. We will then forward you a replacement plate. Plates that arrive faulty or damaged are NOT subject to warranty and must be returned for the fault to be assessed and replacement plates to be provided. Plates that arrive faulty or damaged should not be placed on a vehicle, as they will need to be returned. Please see returns policy under terms and conditions.

How quickly can I expect to receive my number plates?

Orders are processed, manufactured and despatched within FIVE working days. All hand made metal plates take 10-12 working days to make and are despatched first class

Do you make metal number plates?

We manufacture a whole range of Die-Pressed Aluminium number plates, from Classic (Vintage) plates (pre-1973) right through to modern yellow or white number plates with or without the Euro badge, Din Stamped German Plates with D band, plakettes, stadt badges and German font , French plates with the most popular French font and F band, Metal USA plates with USA font . Click here to see our range on our Classic Number plate site.

Do I have to have CRAIGSPLATES.COM LTD at the bottom of my number plate?

In order for your number plate to be compliant with DVLA and VOSA regulations we have to put reference to our manufacturing RNPS number and supplying outlet name and postcode on the bottom of your number plate. This law applies wherever you purchase your road legal number plate from. This will only be removed if you buy a sign (show plate) for off road use only.

Is it safe to enter my credit card details on your site?

Our site is fully secure linking with HSBC e-commerce to manage your transaction. You can verify this by checking for 's' in the URL bar (rather than http...you will see https) and some browsers will have a padlock icon in the bottom right of your screen.

I don't know what size number plates I need but do know the make and model of my vehicle. Can you tell me what size number plates I need to order?

No, number plates vary even on the same make and model. We urge all customers to measure the current number plates on their vehicle before ordering.

Why can't I purchase a LEGAL 3 line bike plate anymore?

September 2001 DVLA banned them. The only legal format now for a bike plate is a TWO line one. If you are still displaying a 3 line plate that was made prior to 2001 you will probably still pass an MOT providing your testing station knows what they are doing!! However, no new plates can be made from this date onwards in the 3 line format. If you have a registration that is 51 or younger over 3 lines, you will definitely fail!!

What is an import plate and can I have one legally?

Any vehicle that has been imported from outside Europe (i.e. doesn't have European Wholetype Approval) AND has a functional reason why they cannot display a normal UK size number plate, can display a smaller sized plate. The plate is smaller because it uses 64mm bike height font rather than the larger 79mm car height font.

Do you design badges?

If you want a badge putting on your show plate that is not shown on our platemaker, just contact us and we will do our best to design one for you. If it is just a matter of changing a background colour (e.g. changing the Euro badge from a blue background to a red one) there will be no extra charge. If it involves several hours of artwork, we may charge you our standard artwork fee of £14.99. All badges remain the property of Craigsplates and may be displayed on our website for other customers to use.

Can you do artwork on my show plate?

You cannot modify a Road Legal number plate in any way. Artwork can only be done on a show plate for off road use only. We have a special section in our showplate platemaker for you to enter your artwork requirements whilst placing your order. Please note artwork costs £14.99.

Why haven't I received my confirmation email?

Some ISPs such as AOL have very fierce spam/junk filters so if you are certain you have entered your email address correctly then it's worth checking your spam/junk folders for our email. If you still haven't received one, it may be that your order did not go through properly, please give us a call on 0871 288 4 288 to make sure everything has gone through OK. To prevent our emails going straight to spam add us to your address book. We do not send emails unless we are confirming your order or need to contact you for some reason.

Do you really sell registration numbers including a set of plates for £18.00 plus postage?

No we do not! When you go into our platemaker you are ordering number plates only. You should only use our platemaker to order number plates for a registration you already own. If you wish to purchase a registration number from us please click here

Can I have my order despatched to an address that is different to my card address?

Yes. There is a section for you to enter your delivery address but we still need your card address otherwise your payment transaction will not authorise correctly with our e-commerce providers. Please note the card address should be the address that your statement is sent to. We also do spot checks every day and call customers to verify card details in an attempt to crack down on fraud.

Can I order more than 1 set of plates?

Yes you can. Place your first order and then click the "Get More Stuff" button and continue with another order. Keep going in this way until you have ordered everything you need to and then check out.

My registration number is K4 REN can I remove the space? My registration number is M4 LAN, can I space it differently i.e. as M 4LAN?

I'm afraid you cannot remove the central space or move characters between groups on a Road Legal number plate. If you wish to do this for show purposes please order a showplate for off road use only.

How big should the space be in the middle of my plate?

The space in the middle of your registration must be 33mm on a road legal non-import/non-bike plate. If you add 2 spaces on a showplate it would be 55mm (this only applies for plain legal or 3D font), 3 spaces would be 77mm and 4 spaces would be 99mm.

Do you manufacture picture or name plates?

Yes we do. Our truckerplates site has many picture and name plates on it for you to choose from and personalise as an ideal gift idea (in the Other Category). We've also just started retailing US size Movie Plates too!!

Do you manufacture pre-1973 number plates?

We manufacture black and silver (or black and white) acrylic classic number plates AND black and silver classic pressed metal number plates. Click here to go to our classic number plate site.

If I enter my email address will I receive endless unwanted emails?

No. Craigsplates does not sell your information to any third party. We need your email address to provide you with confirmation of your order, to contact you if we are unable to contact you by telephone and to notify you when your order has been despatched.