Are Coloured Crystal Number Plates Road Legal in the UK?

The craze for cars is real. But with cars, there’s a new trend of trendy number plates also seen amongst people in the UK. While 3D and 4D number plates have been all the rage, there is a new following Krystal number plates seen lately.


However, the laws have recently changed. Many fancy number plates have been banned under the new laws in the UK. Are Krystal number plates legal in the UK? Are 4D gel number plates allowed? Let’s find out.


What are 4D Number Plates?


Before discussing the laws, let’s first understand what are 4D number plates. 4D number plates are somewhat a fancier upgrade of 3D number plates. 3D number plates are made with raised surfaces, whereas, 4D number plates are produced by laser cutting acrylic letters. The distinguishing quality between the two is that in 4D number plates, the letters are backed by a different background color giving them a realistic 4D look.


With the trend of customized number plates going on, there are several styles and finishes available in 4D gel number plates. These are becoming extremely popular amongst enthusiasts.


Are 4D Number Plates Legal?


With new laws in place, most people are left confused. Where some are convinced that 3D and 4D number plates or Krystal number plates are not legal anymore, others are taking time to understand the new rules and regulations. So what are the new rules?


According to the new laws passed by the DVLA, both 3D and 4D number plates are legal, however, to pass an MOT vehicle owners are required to abide by certain rules. The main reason for the change of rules is that many fancy finishes and customizations on the number plates hinder the ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) cameras from picking out the registration plates on moving vehicles. To maintain good visibility and enable the ANPR cameras to figure out the registration plates, new rules have been put in place.


According to these rules:



  • The character Height for number plates should be 79mm / 64mm.

  • Character Width should be 50mm (14mm for 1 or I) / 44mm (10mm for 1 or I).

  • Character Stroke must be 14mm / 10mm

  • Spacing between Characters must be 11mm / 10mm

  • Spacing Between Groups (Horizontal) should be  33mm / 30mm and vertical 13mm / 5mm

  • The character Font should be “Charles Wright”.

  • Minimum Outer Margins must be 11mm / 10mm.


Are Colored Crystal Number Plates Legal?


As mentioned above, characters in number plates are required to be road legal in the UK. Although technically Krystal number plates do not have any color and only reflect the color of the background. So, it is safe to say colored crystal number plates are road legal.


If you are looking for a number plate replacement due to the new laws, then Easy Number Plates are the service provider you need. We are registered with the DVLA so you can be assured that whatever you get with us is 100% legal. To discuss your requirement, get in touch with us.