MPs in call for MOT crackdown on ‘ghost’ number plates

10 December 2025  

MOT testers could be enlisted in a crackdown on ‘ghost plates’, in a move to overhaul the UK’s outdated and poorly regulated number plate system that is fuelling crime, according to a parliamentary inquiry.

The All Party Parliamentary Group for Transport said in a report released on December 9 that more than 34,000 suppliers provide the UK’s number plates “out of factories and bedrooms up and down the country”.

These suppliers operate with no background checks and very little oversight, and have been found to be selling illegal products designed to evade detection on the roads, the report said.

“Even more concerning, some suppliers, who are required to handle customers’ sensitive personal data and identification documents, have been found with serious and violent criminal records, and multiple fraud offences.”

The MOT provides an annual opportunity to test a vehicle’s safety and roadworthiness and could also be used as an opportunity to enforce that plates meet strict regulations, said the informal group, which includes members of both houses of parliament.

Car tax evasion

Non-compliant plates should result in an automatic MOT failure and consideration should be given to an amnesty period for drivers to fit a compliant plate ahead of any fines.

The group is also calling for a standardised design of registration plates, with security features to bring the UK up to international standards and banning the use of 3D and 4D plates.

According to estimates from the Department for Transport, since the removal of the tax disc, which increased reliance on registration plates to check and enforce tax status, car tax evasion has increased to the tune of £650 million in 10 years, or closer to £1 billion according to research by the University of Southampton.

“Rogue drivers can exploit weaknesses in the ANPR system with ease, buying plates for less than £10 online, with no questions asked,” the group said.

“Very simple measures, like plastic film, appear reflective to ANPR cameras, which rely on infra red light, and render a plate unreadable.

“Raised digits made of gels or plastics can cause ANPR misreads by either appearing see-through to infra-red light, or creating shadows that distort images of the plate. These are known as ‘ghost’ or ‘stealth’ plates. In ANPR footage, those plates show up as white or yellow rectangles, or have certain characters missing or obscured.”

The RAC said it was backing calls for urgent action, “because we believe no one should be able to drive a vehicle that’s invisible to enforcement”. 

Photo from Redspeed International showing how a ghost plate looks. One image is taken with Redspeed’s Sentio Ghost camera and one with a regular enforcement camera.