The UK’s leading provider of motor accessory essentials, vGroup, is launching vPlate to coincide with the soon-to-be-introduced first regulatory changes to vehicle number plate design for 17 years to improve legibility. For the plates, the company adopted a new manufacturing process using sophisticated cutting-edge laser technology delivering improved durability, impact resistance and increased reflective performance.

“We have designed and launched a brand new product, significantly enhanced to meet the much more stringent regulations that has some real benefits to the market and end users. The manufacturing process for vPlate’s number plates is so significantly different to that currently used and we want to grow the vGroup brand, hence the launch of vPlate,” said James Nash, managing director, vGroup International.

vGroup International’s expansion plans coincide with the anticipated September 1, 2018 introduction of British Standard (BS) AU145e, which will replace BSAU145d and notably focuses on improving the readability of number plates.

vPlate’s new number plates are made from 3mm thick acrylic polymer featuring hermetically sealed edges ensuring they are abrasion and scratch resistant and deliver protection against bending, impact, abrasion, corrosion, solvents, weathering and extremes of temperature to prevent delamination and thus ensure optimum visibility while also being 50% more reflective. As well as all the benefits mentioned above, the vPlates are also in line with the forthcoming introduction of BSAU145e,

“The regulations are designed to improve the readability of vehicle number plates by ANPR and other cameras. We believe the law will be strictly enforced by the authorities – the police, the Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency and, on its behalf, MoT stations. We have also taken the opportunity to redesign vehicle number plates to both conform to the new British Standard and maximise lifetime usage,” said Martyn Nash, chairman at vGroup International.

Vehicle number plates must conform to British Standards or manufacturers can be fined up to £2,500 and/or be banned from supplying them. The penalty for driving a car with an illegal number plate is a fine of up to £1,000, plus an automatic MoT fail.