Number plates with a green flash can be fitted to new or existing 100 percent zero-emission vehicles. In practice, this usually means electric cars, although hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles such as the Toyota Mirai are eligible as well.
Back in 2020, former Transport Secretary Grant Shapps became one of Britain’s first motorists to fit green number plates, making a trip to Halfords to buy new plates for his electric Tesla Model 3.
Fitted front and rear, the number plates have a green strip on the left-hand side that makes it easier to identify zero-emission vehicles.
They cannot be used for cars that produce any CO2, and are therefore not zero-emissions. This includes hybrids and plug-in hybrids, which have a petrol or diesel engine in addition to an electric motor.
What are the benefits of green number plates?
The aim of green number plates is to assist local authorities when rolling out Clean Air Zones and free parking for electric cars, as the vehicles will be easier to identify.
Making zero-emission cars more obvious may also encourage people to buy them. We might all recognise a Tesla, for example, but an electric Vauxhall Corsa-e looks very similar to the regular petrol version.
The government first floated the idea of green number plates in 2018, following similar schemes in Norway, Canada and China. It’s one of many adjustments as the country prepares for the 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars.
Green plates are not compulsory and automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras will still recognise an EV if you enter a Clean Air Zone such as the London ULEZ.
How can I get a set of green number plates?
Electric car drivers who want to fit a set of green number plates need to take their V5 document (vehicle logbook) to an approved registration plate supplier. This will prove the vehicle can use green plates. Click here to check if your car is eligible.
The British Number Plate Manufacturers Association (BNMA) says the green flash should be colour Pantone 7481c or very similar, between 40mm and 50mm in width, and reflective for 24-hour visibility. At the time of writing, a new pair of green number plates from Halfords will cost £36.
For more information on EVs, check out our sister website: Motoring Electric.
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Nonsense. This is virtue signalling or boasting. It conveys nothing else