Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to prohibit the manufacture, sale and fitting of flip plates and similar devices allowing vehicle registration marks to be obscured while a vehicle is in use on the road.

The law states that number plates must be displayed vertically and must be easily distinguishable in normal daylight conditions. It is an offence to either obscure a vehicle registration number or fail to display a number plate in accordance with the legal requirements. Both offences carry a penalty of up to £1,000.

In its Road Safety Strategy published on 7 January 2026, the Government set out its vision for a safer future on our roads for all. As part of this, the Department for Transport is reviewing motoring offences and has sought views on the introduction of penalty points and vehicle seizure for the offence of being in charge of a motor vehicle with an incorrect/altered/false number plate. The consultation closed on 11 May and responses are being considered.

While there have been no specific discussions on flip plates, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is also working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council and other government departments to improve the identification and enforcement of number plate crime.