Plate Builder

Please refer to our delivery information page.

We use the Evri delivery network via HubEurope, enabled by daily flights out of the Channel Islands to the UK.

Orders placed by 3pm are dispatched on the same day for weekdays. Any orders placed after 3pm on a Friday until 3pm on a Monday will all be dispatched on the Monday (excluding bank holiday). Production continues throughout, however our postal partners don’t offer pick-ups during weekends and holidays.

We offer an ‘Express’ next day delivery service (when ordered on a weekday), or an ‘Economy’ 2 working day service. Both methods are fully tracked. You will receive a tracking reference number for your order via email once your order has been received. Please contact us in the event that you haven’t received a tracking number, although please check your junk folder ahead of doing so.

Tracking information and the latest status for your order can be found here using your reference.

We also offer an additional super economy Royal Mail service which takes 3-5 working days and is un-tracked. We would only recommend using this service should cost be a significant factor and there is no concern over the delivery time. The tracker provided will only provide an update on the Royal Mail system upon a delivery attempt. That information can be found here.

Depending on the size and volume of plates ordered, they will be placed in a specifically designed envelope / bubble lined package with a thin film separator between plates in order to offer protection. An order label that states that the package contains number plates will be displayed in small font on the front of the package (a customs label), so it is best to be the first to the door if ordering as a present.

We endeavour to send out all orders placed on the day prior to 5pm, however due to the post pick up time variation, we can only aim to have all orders placed by 3pm sent out on the same day.

No. It is as simple as creating your design / plate within the plate builder, adding to the cart and proceeding through checkout. At no point is a copy of your identification or V5 documentation required.

ABS and Acrylic are both types of plastic. Acrylic is more brittle than ABS, and ABS is a bit softer than acrylic. ABS is typically very dark and Acrylic is typically transparent. In the context of (our) number plates, ABS is a hard black backing, pre-layered with a reflective film overlaying the plate, where our printed media is front applied over the reflective. Therefore the printed film (and therefore registration/design) is exposed on the front of the plate. Acrylic plates use a 3 layer manufacturing process, where the printed film/media is applied to the back of the acrylic plate and a separate reflective layer then rolled on the back of the film. You are therefore viewing the printed film through the transparent acrylic plastic, meaning that the film isn’t exposed. Although no contact at all is generally desirable, it means that if the plate is scratched or damaged, the acrylic takes the brunt of it rather than the film. Both are BSAU (UK road) compliant, so ultimately it is down to individual preference as to weigh up the cost vs quality balance.

Due to the quick service turnaround we offer, it can be very difficult to amend orders once finalized. This is as orders are printed upon order receipt during the working day. However, if you notice a required adjustment soon after placing your order, we are usually able to make changes if you contact us as soon as possible.

For show plates, Yes! You can opt to send us your image(s) by email once your order is placed. If a digital image exists – it can be printed onto a plate.

To do so, select the ‘bespoke design’ option from our homepage, or enable the ‘design required’ option (the last available option) within the plate builder, ensuring you are on the show plate tab (as any custom imagery means that the plate will be considered a show plate). Include within the comments field that you will email through your image as where as where it should appear on the design.

Please note that the image will appear exactly as per the file sent through and therefore the higher the quality / resolution, the better the quality of the final image will be.

We will issue you with a digital design proof/draft of the plate(s) for comment & suggested adjustments ahead of production. Nothing will be made without your prior approval to ensure your design is as expected.

Unfortunately, bespoke images are not permitted to be applied to road compliant plates, it is only those available within the badge options within that tab that are allowed.

Contact us for any clarity regarding the process and we will be happy to assist.

All payments are currently processed via PayPal, whether by debit/credit card or PayPal account. The process occurs in the background so it won’t be immediately obvious to the website user.

PayPal are known for their customer protection and customer service. Their user agreement can be found here

Yes. To do so, create each plate individually within the plate designer.

Therefore, select only the front or rear plate in the first instance, design the plate as required and ‘add to cart’. Once directed to the cart, you can then create the additional plate(s) by clicking the ‘build your plate’ at the top of the page and then ‘add to cart’ once designed. The additional plate(s) will be aggregated with all others in the checkout.

If you believe you have placed and finalised an order, but have not received a confirmation email, then please contact us, detailing your order for us to validate the order or investigate as necessary.

If you are dissatisfied at all, then please DO NOT ATTEMPT TO PUT THE PLATES ON YOUR VEHICLE. By doing this, you are accepting the plates as delivered.

Please ensure as to not dispose of the enclosed paperwork within the package. If you aren’t happy with your order or it wasn’t as expected, then please take a picture of your goods along with the attached paperwork and send it to admin@showplatemate.com. This will be picked up by the customer service team who will review your query and get back to you.

If you are unsure at all about your order, then please do not proceed. Contact us and we will walk you through the process to ensure that your requirements are met. Please note that orders with no design requirements follow an automated workflow, meaning that the plate will appear exactly as displayed within the builder as no human intervention is applied. It is therefore very important that you enable the ‘design required’ option to ensure your order is pulled from the automated workflow should you want a bespoke design or image.

You will need a drill & drill bit to fit plates using either our car or bike number plate fixing kits. Alternatively, you can use our sticky pads sets to allow a cleaner finish. One set of strips will fit a set of plates.
If drilling plates, remove your existing plate(s) and place them on top of your new plate(s), ensuring the surface on which you are doing so is clean. You should be drilling through the FRONT of the new plate(s) IF ‘REGULAR’ plates, or the BACK of the plates IF ACRYLIC. You can use the existing holes to act as a template for where to drill the new holes. Line up the plates and drill directly through them.
Using the screws provided, fix the new plate(s) to the vehicle. Place the appropriately coloured caps (dependent on the hole placement) over the screws.

You will need a drill & drill bit to fit plates using either our car or bike number plate fixing kits. Alternatively, you can use our sticky pads sets to allow a cleaner finish. One set of strips will fit a set of plates.
If drilling the plate, remove your existing plate and place them on top of your new plate, ensuring the surface on which you are doing so is clean. You should be drilling through the FRONT of the new plate IF a ‘REGULAR’ plate, or the BACK of the plate IF ACRYLIC. You can use the existing holes to act as a template for where to drill the new holes. Line up the plate and drill directly through.
Using the screws provided, fix the new plate to the vehicle. Place the appropriately coloured caps (dependent on the hole placement) over the screws.

We supply double sided sticky pads in strips of 10 tabs. 5 pads is more than sufficient for each plate and therefore 10 is enough for a set.

Ensure to remove your old plate(s), clean the area sufficiently and ensure the area is dry ahead of fixing your new plate(s).

Peel each tab off individually, keeping the covering on one side and apply to the back (reverse) of your plates. Once you have the amount you require on the plate, you can remove the other side of the covering to expose the adhesive. Then place your plate appropriately in / over the plate bracket and apply pressure in the areas where the pads have been placed for 20-30 seconds.

A show plate is a plate where the design does not conform to road legal standards and therefore is not appropriate for fixing to a vehicle intended for road use.

The plate builder will not allow the design to go outside of the UK road compliant criteria if you remain within the ‘Road compliant’ tab of the plate builder. Switching to the ‘show plate’ tab will drastically open up the design options available to the plate(s).

Show plates have multiple uses such as photo shoots, car dealership displays, race days, exhibits or even for door signs or decoration. We are able to make number plates to your desired requirements using different fonts, badges, textures, slogans, colours etc. however, it is the ultimate responsibility of the customer to ensure the plates are used appropriately as some ‘show plate’ designs will not be legal for road use. The onus is on the customer to ensure that the design elements are met for the relevant standards should they wish to use them on the roads.

For show plates, Yes! You can opt to send us your image(s) by email once your order is placed. If a digital image exists – it can be printed onto a plate.

To do so, select the ‘bespoke design’ option from our homepage, or enable the ‘design required’ option (the last available option) within the plate builder, ensuring you are on the show plate tab (as any custom imagery means that the plate will be considered a show plate). Include within the comments field that you will email through your image as where as where it should appear on the design.

Please note that the image will appear exactly as per the file sent through and therefore the higher the quality / resolution, the better the quality of the final image will be.

We will issue you with a digital design proof/draft of the plate(s) for comment & suggested adjustments ahead of production. Nothing will be made without your prior approval to ensure your design is as expected.

Unfortunately, bespoke images are not permitted to be applied to road compliant plates, it is only those available within the badge options within that tab that are allowed.

Contact us for any clarity regarding the process and we will be happy to assist.

Yes. To do so, create each plate individually within the plate designer.

Therefore, select only the front or rear plate in the first instance, design the plate as required and ‘add to cart’. Once directed to the cart, you can then create the additional plate(s) by clicking the ‘build your plate’ at the top of the page and then ‘add to cart’ once designed. The additional plate(s) will be aggregated with all others in the checkout.

Due to the quick service turnaround we offer, it can be very difficult to amend orders once finalized. This is as orders are printed upon order receipt during the working day. However, if you notice a required adjustment soon after placing your order, we are usually able to make changes if you contact us as soon as possible.

This will depend on the jurisdiction in which you intend to use the plates on your vehicle. For the UK, details can be found on the UK government website here – https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vehicle-registration-numbers-and-number-plates.
Headline points are that there should be a single space entered between registration blocks e.g. AA51 AAA – A51 AAA – AAA 51A – 51 AA 51.
The font used should be either ‘standard’, ‘3D domed’ or ‘4D laser cut’ and should be black. A left badge is permitted but should be a blue area identifier such as GB Scotland/Wales/Ireland/IOM. A slogan is not allowed on legally designed plates, neither is a background image. BS (British standard) details should be displayed, including the makers details in the place of a slogan. Please ensure that your order is how you want it (according to the generated image) as our production system is linked directly to the website order files.
The ‘road compliant’ tab of the plate builder restricts the customisation options to only those permitted within the legislation. The ‘show plates’ tab should be selected to allow further customisation.

If you are unsure at all, then please contact us and we will provide further clarity.

If you require road compliant plates, the only options available to you are those selectable from the badge options within the road compliant tab of the plate builder.

If you are looking for something more customised, such as a different badge background colour, flag, stock image, text or otherwise, we offer the web’s most unique bespoke badge creation process through the show plate tab. Click the left/right badge option within the builder and select / search our library of stock badges, or scroll to the ‘build custom badge’ option at the bottom and follow the process. You even have the ability to copy the badge you have created from one side to the other side. A blog post will be published to guide you through the process.

Finally, should you want a completely bespoke badge such as a digital image that you have, you can select the ‘design required’ option (within the show plate tab) and explain in the notes field that you require a custom badge. Then email your badge file to us at the following address – admin@showplatemate.com.

Simply select any of the stock ‘electric vehicle’ (green backed) badge options from one of the available badge fields. The left badge ensures the plates, and therefore the vehicle, are officially recognised as an electric vehicle. The badges are available for both road compliant and show plates.

If you are unsure at all about your order, then please do not proceed. Contact us and we will walk you through the process to ensure that your requirements are met. Please note that orders with no design requirements follow an automated workflow, meaning that the plate will appear exactly as displayed within the builder as no human intervention is applied. It is therefore very important that you enable the ‘design required’ option to ensure your order is pulled from the automated workflow should you want a bespoke design or image.

The road compliant tab of the plate builder restricts the customisation options to only those permitted within the legislation and will therefore include the required BS details. The show plate tab should be selected to allow further customisation or if you would like the BS details to be omitted, however the plate(s) would then be classified as show plates.
There is a specific field within the show plate tab that adds / removes the BS details. Please pay specific attention to this before completing your order, as if the BS details aren’t included within the design, they will not be included within the final design.

The BS details are the UK legal requirement details that are required to be included on British Standard (BS) compliant number plates. They include the small text in the bottom right (the related British standard legislation identifier) and the plate maker details as the slogan (text beneath the registration). Without them, the vehicle is at risk of failing the MOT.

The ‘road complaint’ tab of the plate builder restricts the customisation options to only those permitted within the legislation. The ‘Show plate’ tab should be selected to allow further customisation.