Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994 section 42

Not fixing registration mark

Section 42 creates an offence where a vehicle's registration mark (number plate) is not properly displayed, and sets out the penalties and available defences.

• It is a criminal offence if a registration mark is not fixed to a vehicle as required by law; the person responsible is whoever is driving the vehicle or, if it is not being driven, whoever is keeping it.
• The maximum penalty on summary conviction is a fine up to level 3 on the standard scale.
• A defence is available if the person had no reasonable opportunity to register the vehicle and was driving it for the purpose of getting it registered.
• A further defence applies to older vehicles manufactured before a prescribed period and used before registration, where the person had no reasonable opportunity to register and was driving the vehicle to or from an MOT-type examination.