Motorcycle and Motorbike Number Plates
Enter your reg and our builder sets the two line layout, 64mm characters and legal spacing for you. Choose a finish, upload your documents and we make your plate.
What you need to know
The builder selects the motorcycle rear format and presents a two-line preview for your registration.
Motorcycle and Motorbike Number Plates
Order a road legal motorbike number plate for any UK motorcycle, scooter, moped or trike. Enter your registration in our number plate builder and our motorcycle number plate maker sets the two line layout, 64mm characters and legal spacing for you. Choose your size and finish, upload your documents, and we make your rear plate to BS AU 145e, ready to fit to your tail tidy or number plate hanger.
Two line 9 x 7 inch (229mm x 178mm) plates as standard
64mm characters, the size the law allows on motorcycles
Standard, 3D gel and 4D finishes in single shade black
Every plate stamped with BS AU 145e and our supplier mark
Build a Motorbike Number Plate in Four Steps
Enter your registration. Key in the registration from your logbook. The builder splits it across two lines and applies the Charles Wright font at 64mm, so the layout stays legal. Buying the bike second hand? Run a free number plate check to make sure the reg belongs to that bike.
Choose your size and finish. Pick the plate size that fits your hanger, then a standard, 3D gel or 4D finish, a border and an optional flag.
Upload your documents. Photograph your ID and your V5C or other entitlement document on your phone and attach them. No plate goes into production without both.
We verify, make and post. After verification your bike plate is cut, printed, stamped with the supplier mark and BS AU 145e, then posted out with any fixings you added.
Motorcycle Number Plate Rules for UK Bikes
Motorcycle plates follow the same core law as car plates, with three differences that catch riders out: where the plate goes, how the characters are laid out and how big they are.
Rear plate only on motorcycles and motor tricycles first registered on or after 1 September 2001. A front plate is not allowed on these bikes.
Bikes first registered before 1 September 2001 may also carry a white front plate, but do not have to.
Characters are set on two lines, with the first four characters on top and the last three below for a current format registration.
Black characters in a single shade on a yellow reflective plate, in the Charles Wright font, with no background pattern.
The plate must carry the supplier name and postcode and the BS AU 145e mark, and be lit by the rear number plate lamp at night.
Our guide to UK number plate rules covers the full display law, including flags and identifiers. The official summary sits on GOV.UK.
64mm Characters: The Legal Motorcycle Character Size
Regulation 14(3) of the Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001 allows each character on a motorcycle, motor tricycle or quadricycle plate to be 64mm high instead of the 79mm used on cars. Every measurement scales down with it:
Measurement | Motorcycle (64mm) | Car (79mm) |
|---|---|---|
Character height | 64mm | 79mm |
Character width (except 1 and I) | 44mm | 50mm |
Stroke width | 10mm | 14mm |
Space between characters | 10mm | 11mm |
Space between groups | 30mm | 33mm |
Vertical space between lines | 13mm | 19mm |
Minimum margin | 11mm | 11mm |
These figures are fixed. Squeezing characters closer or trimming margins to fit a smaller plate makes the plate illegal, which is why the builder locks the legal character spacing for every motorcycle plate.
Motorbike Number Plate Sizes
A current format registration such as AB12 CDE needs a plate about 228mm wide and 163mm tall to hold 64mm characters on two lines with legal margins. That is why 9 x 7 inches (229mm x 178mm) is the standard UK motorcycle plate.
9 x 7 inch (229mm x 178mm): fits every current format registration and most bike hangers
Larger two line sizes: for trikes, touring bikes and quad bikes with a wider mounting area
Smaller plates: only legal when a shorter registration still fits with full size characters and margins
Mini plates in 7 x 5 or 8 x 5.5 inches cannot hold legal characters for a current format registration. We sell them as show plates for off road and display use only. Every format with measurements is listed in plate sizes in mm.
Custom Motorbike Number Plates: Styles and Finishes
Custom motorbike number plates are road legal when the characters stay single shade black and the plate meets BS AU 145e. See 3D gel plates and 4D plates for how each finish is made.
Style | How it is made | Rear plate |
|---|---|---|
Standard printed | Flat printed characters under clear acrylic, the lightest option for a bike hanger | £13.49 |
3D gel | Domed resin characters with a raised, glossy edge | £17.49 |
4D 3mm | Solid acrylic characters 3mm deep, cut by laser | £18.49 |
4D 5mm | Solid acrylic characters 5mm deep for a bolder profile | £19.99 |
4D gel | Acrylic characters topped with a resin dome | £22.99 |
You can add a border and a legal flag with its national identifier, covered in flags and national identifiers. Electric motorbikes with zero tailpipe emissions can carry the green flash. Every other finish, from borders to badges, sits under custom number plates. We do not make ghost, tinted, two tone or patterned road plates for bikes.
Number Plates for Scooters, Mopeds, Trikes and Quad Bikes
Vehicle | Plate rules |
|---|---|
Scooters and mopeds | Treated as motorcycles: one rear plate on two lines if first registered from 1 September 2001, with 64mm characters allowed. |
Motor tricycles | Same as motorcycles: rear plate only if first registered from 1 September 2001. A trike with a car style body can follow either the car or the motorcycle layout. |
Quad bikes on the road | Front and rear plates. 64mm characters are allowed when the quad has a maximum net engine power of 15kW or less and weighs no more than 400kg unladen (550kg for goods vehicles). Larger quads use car size characters |
Fitting a Motorcycle Plate: Hangers, Fixings and Lighting
Bike plates take more vibration than car plates, so screw fixings with rubber or nylon washers hold better than adhesive pads alone. Fit the plate upright, square to the rear of the bike and clear of the tyre, and check the rear number plate lamp lights the whole plate.
If you fit a tail tidy, make sure it holds a full 9 x 7 plate without cutting or bending it, and that the lamp is still in place. Add number plate fixing kits at checkout, and read how to fit number plates for drilling, alignment and hanger fitting.
Documents You Need for a Motorbike Number Plate
A registered supplier must check two documents before making any plate: one that proves your name and address, such as a driving licence or a recent utility bill, and one that proves you are entitled to the registration, such as the V5C, the green new keeper slip or a V750 certificate. Upload both in the builder. Our guide to the documents you need lists every accepted document.
Why Riders Order Motorbike Number Plates From REGUP
A DVLA registered number plate supplier checking documents on every order
64mm characters, two line layout and spacing set automatically, so a bike plate cannot be built illegally
Mini and novelty sizes kept off the road plate range, so you never buy a plate that fails the MOT
A UK vehicle data company: run a stolen vehicle check on a used bike before you buy and plate it
Preview your plate free before you order
Registered in Scotland, company number SC836719, 24 Fleming Avenue, Clydebank, G81 1AJ
Motorcycle layout review
The preview helps you choose a finish. REGUP reviews the final layout, documents and selected specification before road-use production.
Frequently asked questions
Does the motorcycle page select the correct layout?
Yes. It starts with the motorcycle vehicle type and rear plate option selected, subject to current catalogue availability.
Do motorbikes need a front number plate?
No. Motorcycles first registered on or after 1 September 2001 must only display a rear plate. Bikes registered before that date may carry a front plate but do not have to.
What size is a UK motorbike number plate?
The standard size is 9 x 7 inches (229mm x 178mm). It is the smallest common size that holds a current format registration on two lines with 64mm characters and legal margins.
Are small motorbike number plates legal?
Only if the characters, spacing and margins still meet the legal measurements. Mini plates such as 7 x 5 inches cannot fit a current format registration legally, so they are show plates for off road use. A non compliant plate can fail the MOT and bring a fine of up to £1,000.
What character size do motorcycle number plates use?
Motorcycle plates may use 64mm characters that are 44mm wide, with a 10mm stroke, 10mm between characters, 30mm between groups and 13mm between the two lines. Cars use 79mm characters.
Can I have 3D gel or 4D characters on a motorcycle plate?
Yes. Raised gel and acrylic characters are legal on a bike plate when every character is one solid shade of black and the plate carries the BS AU 145e mark. Any two tone, tinted or ghost finish fitted since 1 September 2021 is illegal.
Can my motorbike have black and silver number plates?
Only if the bike was built before 1 January 1980 and is in the historic vehicle tax class. See metal and pressed number plates for classic bike plates.
Do scooters and mopeds need the same number plate as a motorbike?
Yes. Road registered scooters and mopeds follow the motorcycle rules: a single rear plate on two lines with 64mm characters if first registered from 1 September 2001.
Can I put a private registration on my motorbike?
Yes. A private registration can be assigned to a motorcycle as long as it does not make the bike look newer than it is. Once the DVLA confirms the assignment, order the plate with your V5C or V750. Read private number plates explained for the process.
How much does a motorbike number plate cost?
A motorcycle plate is a single rear plate, so it costs less than a car pair. Printed plates are the cheapest finish and raised gel or acrylic finishes cost more. Your total, delivery included, appears in the builder before checkout, and our guide to number plate costs compares suppliers.