Worst regions for number plate offences

Pressure is mounting on the government to crack down on illegal number plates as new figures reveal the regions of England with the highest number of offences in the last year.

Car insurance comparison site Quotezone analysed data from police forces across the country, highlighting thousands of reported incidents in 2024 involving illegal or non-compliant number plates – including ‘ghost plates’, which use reflective coatings to evade detection by speed and ANPR cameras.

The sharp rise in such offences has triggered renewed calls for stricter regulation and enforcement.

The use of non-standard characters, incorrect fonts, spacing, or sizing is considered an illegal number plate modification. Drivers caught with illegal number plates can be fined up to £1,000.

Drivers in the Humberside area recorded the highest number of illegal or non-compliant number plate offences in 2024, with 122 incidents per 100,000 people and a total of 1161 offences.

The data, obtained from police forces across England, also highlights several other hotspots. Norfolk reported 926 offences, that’s 99 per 100,000 people, followed by Greater Manchester with 2,791 offences, 95 per 100,000 people.

At the other end of the scale, motorists in Northumbria were the most likely to comply with number plate laws, with 60 offences recorded last year, just 4 per 100,000 people. Warwickshire also saw relatively few offences (65), while Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire each reporting just 90 offences in total across the year. 

The car insurance experts also quizzed police forces on whether they are actively conducting operations targeting illegal or obscured number plates. Some forces confirmed they are taking action, including Nottinghamshire Police Force who have recently equipped their Roads Policing Unit with equipment to assist in identifying ghost plates.

Quotezone CEO and car insurance expert Greg Wilson said: “Ghost number plates have surged in popularity across England, with some drivers using them to evade speeding penalties and other traffic regulations.

“The data gathered from police forces indicates that many motorists continue to flout the rules regarding vehicle registration plates, but recent calls for stricter legislation and harsher penalties could mean that offenders will soon face a more rigorous crackdown.

“Our research team reached out to police forces across the country to try and gauge the scale of offences related to obstructed or illegally modified vehicle number plates in their respective areas.

“Hotspots for illegal number plate activity include Humberside, Norfolk and Greater Manchester, whilst Devon and Cornwall, Thames Valley Police and Northumbria reported just a handful of offences per 100,000 people.

“As part of our research, we also sought to determine if police forces had dedicated resources to tackle the issue. Several councils confirmed they were taking action. For instance, Nottinghamshire Police have recently equipped their roads unit with specialised tools, designed to detect ghost plates.

“Drivers must remember it’s a legal requirement to have an easily identifiable number plate which is clean, not obscured and free from modifications, failure to do so could end in fines and penalty points.

“Even three penalty points could increase the driver’s car insurance premium by an average of 5%, rising to 25% for six penalty points. If drivers suspect they’re a victim of ghost plating, and have had their registration number stolen, they need to inform the police and the DVLA as soon as possible to try and avoid penalty points accumulating on the wrong licence.”   

Quotezone is one of the largest price comparison sites in the UK, helping over 4 million customers every year compare and find savings on car insurance.

Full data table from responding police forces in England:

 Methodology:

All police forces in England were contacted, police forces in Avon and Somerset, Dorset, Durham, Essex, Kent and Lincolnshire did not respond. City of London police force were not able to collate the data requested within the timeframe/cost threshold set out by the Freedom of Information and Data Protection Act Fees Regulations 2004.

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