I would say that most are not on the register however the plates are road legal where the font, spacing, BS stamp and manufacturer/postcode are all compliant.

If they look legal then you are at a very low risk of being pulled compared to the ones that are wrong font, wrong spacing & eligible etc.

I am not saying it's right, but I would prefer to see plates that look correct on a car.

I've got DubMeister pressed steel plates which have been great. You do have to send off documents for them but they are legal. I would get some better number plate tape though as the stuff from DubMeister didn't work too well for me. The plates were sent quickly though and documents returned safely.

I used to make number plates as part of my old job. Steel pressed plates are NOT legal. They have not been approved or impact tested. When the new law came in about 7/8 years ago, the way the plates where made changed, pressed plates were banned and that included the black and silver ones too. If you get plates from the net with no proof of id and they are std looking plates with a post code and the bsu mark, a copper won't know any better. If its a visa check point your screwed. The makers post code is registered, they also have to take details to input into vosa's database. So if they check you and check the number plates, and it comes back as no record then good luck. But life is a gamble lol.

Well this has turned in to a very interesting thread all because the OP asks about replacing his plates . EBAY plates that look legal but are not legal because the maker is not registered with DVLA, stamped plates that again look legal but are banned.

It would appear that a normal roadside check by the police would be OK if all looks legal (font, BS, postcode etc) but a VOSA check renders them invalid as they don't have a registered maker marked on them. In theory all the EBAY sellers should be reported for not being registered with DVLA?

Well this has turned in to a very interesting thread all because the OP asks about replacing his plates . EBAY plates that look legal but are not legal because the maker is not registered with DVLA, stamped plates that again look legal but are banned.

It would appear that a normal roadside check by the police would be OK if all looks legal (font, BS, postcode etc) but a VOSA check renders them invalid as they don't have a registered maker marked on them. In theory all the EBAY sellers should be reported for not being registered with DVLA?

Two things here;

Firstly, the responses to a relatively innocuous question have helped me immensely. I was just trying to ensure I got decent quality for a decent price, but now I am much more informed about the whole thing.

• Lesson 1 - assume nothing, ask everything, Briskoda will come to the rescue!
  

Secondly, there seems to be an assumption here that all the eBay sellers are not DVLA registered and, therefore, not producing legal plates. I know it makes it a bit of a minefield for the buyer, but there must be some legit sellers out there.

• Lesson 2 - do your research before going for the cheapest option!
  

Cheers to everyone who has responded so far.

Danny

Interesting info here

http://forums.pepipo...php/t73613.html

The MOT testers link is very interesting and the bulletin unless it's been superceded.

Some of the Ebay Sellers are registered, but the problem is with them not asking for documents. This whole piece of legislation only confuses the buying public, who may end up with illegal plates totally unintentionally. It does exactly zero to stop criminals obtaining duplicate plates. It's just ridiculous.