4D and 4D Gel Number Plates

Our 4D laser number plates give your registration solid, raised black characters that stand off the plate. Type your reg into the number plate builder, choose 3mm, 5mm or 4D gel, and we cut each character from black acrylic, bond it to a BS AU 145e plate and post it out ready to fit. Every 4D plate we make is a road plate, not a show plate, so the depth you choose never costs you an MOT.

• 3mm and 5mm laser cut acrylic, plus 4D gel in both depths

• Characters in one solid shade of black, as the law requires

• Front and rear pairs or a single plate

• No glitter, neon edge, tinted or carbon background road plates

1. Type in your reg. Enter the registration shown on your logbook. The builder renders it in raised characters with the correct font, size and spacing, so you see the finished 4D look before you pay. Checking a car you plan to buy? A free number plate check confirms the reg against the vehicle record.

2. Pick your depth and finish. Choose 3mm, 5mm or 4D gel, then the plate size, border and any flag. Price updates as you change options.

3. Attach two documents. Add a photo of your ID showing your name and address and a photo of your V5C or another document that proves you can use the registration.

4. Cut, bonded and dispatched. Once the documents pass our check, the characters are laser cut, bonded to the plate and sent to you.

A 4D plate uses characters cut by laser from solid black acrylic sheet, so each letter has crisp square edges and real depth instead of a printed or domed surface. The depth you choose changes how bold the plate looks.

All four options are road legal on 4D car plates front and rear when the characters stay single shade black. Gloss and matte black acrylic are both single shade black characters.

Prefer a softer, glossy raised finish? See 3D gel number plates. For the full range of finishes, borders and badges, go to custom number plates.

GOV.UK confirms that number plates can have raised characters. Since 1 September 2021, every new plate must meet BS AU 145e, which tightened the rules that decide whether a 4D registration plate is legal:

• Every character a single shade of black, with no two tone, outline or shadow effect

• Characters that are not reflective and cannot be removed from the plate

• The Charles Wright font at full size, with legal spacing between characters and groups

• A plain reflective white front plate and yellow rear plate with no background pattern

• The supplier name and postcode and the BS AU 145e mark on the plate

The standard also added a near infrared contrast test so ANPR cameras can read the characters, explained by the British Number Plate Manufacturers Association. Our full guide answers are 3D and 4D number plates legal with examples, and the wider UK number plate rules cover everything else on the plate.

Glitter, sparkle, neon edge, coloured and two tone characters break the single shade black rule. Carbon and patterned backgrounds break the plain background rule. Ghost and tinted 4D plates fail on both counts, as our guide to ghost and tinted number plates shows. If you want one of these looks for a car show, order show plates for off road use only. On the road, an illegal plate can fail the MOT and bring a fine of up to £1,000, as set out in number plate fines and MOT failure.

The builder makes 4D plates in every legal size, from the standard 520mm x 111mm oblong to square 4x4 plates and two line bike plates. Character size and gaps never shrink to fit a plate, which keeps the legal character spacing intact on every format.

• Cars and vans: matching 4D pairs in standard or short oblong sizes. All sizes are listed in plate sizes in mm

• 4x4s and imports: square and oversized 4D plates, see oversized and 4x4 plates

• Motorbikes: a single rear 4D plate with 64mm characters, see motorbike number plates

Raised characters change how you fix the plate. Place screws in the margins or between character groups, never through a character, and use screw caps to finish them. Adhesive pads work well on a flat bumper recess and leave the face of the plate untouched.

Wash 4D plates with a soft mitt and keep a pressure washer lance at a sensible distance from the raised edges. Add number plate fixing kits at checkout, and see how to fit number plates for removing old plates and lining up new ones.

A 4D plate is a registered number plate like any other, so a registered supplier must see proof of your name and address and proof of entitlement to the registration before it is made. A driving licence and a V5C cover most orders. Our guide to the documents you need lists every alternative.

• A DVLA registered number plate supplier

• A 4D range built only from road legal finishes, so nothing in your basket fails the MOT

• Raised characters set to the legal font, size and spacing automatically

• Preview your plate free in 3mm, 5mm and gel before you commit

• Pairs or single plates, so a damaged 4D plate can be matched on one side

• Registered in Scotland, company number SC836719, 24 Fleming Avenue, Clydebank, G81 1AJ