Number plate cloning: what it is, how to spot it and what to do next

Number plate cloning is when someone copies your registration, has a set of plates made and fits them to another car. Every fine, charge and speeding notice that car picks up lands on your doormat. Thousands of drivers a year find out the hard way, and the route to clearing your name is slow. This guide explains how cloning works, how to tell if it has happened to you, and the fastest way to stop the fines.

1 in 15

vehicles may be carrying modified or non-compliant plates, including cloned, ghost and stealth plates (APPG for Transport Safety, December 2025)

90 million

number plate reads a day across more than 18,000 ANPR cameras, all of them relying on the plate being genuine

34,000

registered number plate suppliers in the UK, many of them unaudited, on a one-off £40 registration fee

2 to 3

cloning victims a day contact RegHunters to change their registration and stop the fines

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Replace a cloned plate from £25 plus VAT Skip to what to do if you have been cloned

What is number plate cloning?

Number plate cloning, sometimes called car cloning or vehicle identity theft, is the copying of a genuine registration number so it can be displayed on a different vehicle. The cloner does not need to touch your car. They only need your registration, which is visible to anyone who walks past it, sees it in a car park or spots it in a photo online.

The typical pattern is simple. The cloner finds a car that matches theirs in make, model and colour, often by browsing used car listings. They note the registration, have a set of plates made, and fit them. From that moment, every camera that reads the cloned plate assumes it is your car. Speeding notices, bus lane fines, Clean Air Zone and ULEZ charges, parking penalties, toll evasion and congestion charge notices are all sent to the registered keeper of the genuine vehicle. That is you.

Cloning is a growing problem. Around 13,000 cases a year are now reported in England and Wales, up from roughly 4,000 in 2018, and Transport for London has seen cloning cases in the capital rise by 64 percent in three years. The real figure is almost certainly higher, because many victims only find out months later, when the first fine arrives.

Why do people clone number plates?

Fuel theft. A car on cloned plates shows as taxed, insured and MOT'd, so it looks legitimate on the forecourt camera. The driver fills up and leaves, and the bill follows the genuine registration.
Dodging charges. ULEZ, Clean Air Zones, the congestion charge, tolls and low traffic neighbourhood cameras all bill the registered keeper. A cloned plate makes those charges someone else's problem.
Avoiding points and fines. Speed camera notices go to the keeper of the plate, not the driver of the car.
Hiding from the police. ANPR is one of the main tools police use to track vehicles linked to crime. A cloned plate breaks that trail, which is why cloning shows up in everything from burglary to organised crime.

Cloned plates, ghost plates and stealth plates: what is the difference?

You will hear all three terms in the same breath on the news, and they are often lumped together as illegal number plates. They are three different tricks, and only one of them makes you the victim.

Cloned plates

A real registration belonging to a real car, copied onto a different vehicle. The plate itself is readable and may even have been made legally. The problem is that it is on the wrong car, and the genuine keeper picks up the consequences.

Ghost plates

A plate treated with a reflective film, gel, spray or cover that bounces infrared light back at the camera. To the human eye it looks normal. To an ANPR camera the characters blur or vanish, so the car is never logged at all. Ghost plates are illegal to sell and illegal to display.

Stealth plates

A broader term for any plate deliberately altered to confuse cameras: non-standard fonts, spacing tricks, tinted covers, tilted mounting or characters doctored with tape or a marker pen. Some are crude, some are sophisticated, all of them fail the legal standard for a UK number plate.

The legal position. Every plate on a UK road must meet British Standard BS AU 145e, with black characters in the standard font on a white front plate and yellow rear plate, made from reflective material. Displaying a plate that does not comply can mean a fine of up to £1,000 and an MOT failure. Ghost and stealth plates fail on the material. Cloned plates fail because the registration does not belong to the vehicle, and using one to evade enforcement is fraud. The December 2025 parliamentary report proposed checking plates at every MOT, higher fines and seizure powers for repeat offenders.

Why is number plate cloning so easy?

The system that is supposed to stop cloning dates from the Vehicles (Crime) Act 2001. Since January 2003, anyone selling number plates has had to register with the DVLA, check a buyer's identity and their right to the registration, and keep a record of every sale. On paper that means a plate can always be traced back to who made it and who bought it.

In practice, registration costs £40, once, per premises. There are around 34,000 registered suppliers, many working from small units or homes, and the parliamentary inquiry found little evidence of background checks or routine audits. Unregistered sellers operate openly online. The physical plate carries no security feature of any kind, so a fake made on a kitchen table is indistinguishable from a genuine one. The British Number Plate Manufacturers Association told MPs this year that the UK and Ireland are the only countries in Europe with no security features in their plates and no traceability through the supply chain.

None of this is new. A working group set up by the Surveillance Camera Commissioner produced nine recommendations back in 2020. The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Transport Safety repeated the call in its December 2025 report, Ghosts on the Road, and manufacturers have written to the roads minister backing full implementation. Six years on, the recommendations remain largely unimplemented, and the government's Road Safety Strategy has so far promised consultation rather than change.

The nine recommendations still waiting since 2020

From the ANPR Independent Advisory Group's working group report, commissioned by the Surveillance Camera Commissioner.

Built-in security features within the plate itself
Restricting the supply of raw materials, with tracking to show where a plate was made
Formal licensing of manufacturers, with independent certification of materials
A higher annual fee to fund proper checks
Formal licensing of suppliers, with new eligibility criteria
Digital tools so suppliers can verify a buyer's right to a registration online
Clear, consistent guidance for suppliers and the public
Higher penalties and simpler prosecution routes
Joined-up policy between DVLA, police and government

Manufacturers have already designed a plate with a laser watermark, a holographic QR code and a concealed tamper-evident chip, in the same way a bank card is protected. Police have agreed to trial it.

Has my number plate been cloned?

There is no alert and no register you can check. Almost every victim finds out the same way: a letter arrives about something they did not do. These are the signs to take seriously.

Fines from places you have never been Parking tickets, bus lane fines or Clean Air Zone charges from a town or city you did not visit on that date.

A Notice of Intended Prosecution A speeding or red light notice for a time you were somewhere else, or for a road you do not use.

ULEZ, toll or congestion charges Charges from Transport for London, Dartford Crossing or a regional Clean Air Zone that do not match your journeys.

A letter about unpaid fuel Forecourt operators and debt recovery firms chase the registered keeper when a driver fills up and leaves without paying.

Contact from the police Officers asking about your car's whereabouts, or a stop at the roadside because your registration has been flagged.

An unexplained insurance change A premium jump at renewal, or an insurer querying claims or incidents you know nothing about.

Look at the photograph before you do anything else. Most penalty notices come with a camera image, or you can request one. Compare it with your own car in detail. Cloners match make, model and colour, but they rarely match everything.

Check the wheels and alloys, the grille, roof bars, tow bar, tinted windows, dealer stickers, dents and scratches, parking sensors, badges and trim level. A different wheel design or a missing tow bar is often enough to show two different cars. Every distinguishing feature you can point to strengthens your appeal, so photograph your own car from all four sides now and keep the images dated.

What to do if your number plate has been cloned

There is no single body that sorts this out for you. Each fine, charge and notice is issued by a different authority and each one has to be dealt with separately. The steps below are in the order that protects you fastest.

Report it to the police and get a crime reference number

Call 101 or report online through your local force. Give your registration, make, model and colour, and the details of any notices you have received. You will be given a crime reference number. This is the single most important piece of paper in the whole process, because every appeal you make from now on will lean on it. Ask the police to add a marker to your registration on the Police National Computer, so that officers who stop the cloned car know to check it.

Notify the DVLA

Write to the DVLA at Swansea SA99 1AR or use the contact form on GOV.UK, quoting your crime reference number. The DVLA can add a note to your vehicle record. It will not stop notices being issued, because the cameras and councils still see your registration, but it puts the cloning on the official record and supports your appeals.

Appeal every notice, individually, in writing

Do not pay a fine for an offence you did not commit, and do not ignore it either. Ignoring a Notice of Intended Prosecution can lead to points and a prosecution for failing to name the driver, which is how victims end up in court. Respond to each notice before its deadline, state clearly that your registration has been cloned, quote your crime reference number and include your evidence.

Useful evidence: the camera image next to a photo of your own car showing the differences, proof of where you and the car were at the time (work records, receipts, dashcam footage, a parking app history, phone location data), and confirmation from the police. Keep a log of every notice, who issued it, the deadline and what you sent. Some authorities cancel quickly. Others do not, and you may need to take it to a tribunal or wait for a court date.

Change your registration and cut the cloned plate loose

Reporting and appealing deals with what has already happened. It does nothing about tomorrow's fines, because the cloned car is still out there on your number. The only way to stop new notices reaching you is to stop being the keeper of that registration.

When you assign a different registration to your car, your old number comes off your vehicle record and returns to the DVLA. The cloned plate is then linked to no vehicle and no keeper, so anything the cloner does from that point has nowhere to land. It does not need to be a fancy plate. A cheap private plate from RegHunters starts at £25 plus VAT, we handle the DVLA assignment for you, and you will have a new V5C with your new registration. You then need a set of physical plates from a registered supplier, and you should tell your insurer the same day.

Two honest caveats. Changing your registration does not cancel notices already issued, so keep working through step three. And a new registration can in theory be cloned too, so keep an eye on your post. Neither is a reason to wait. Every week on the old number is another week of fines to appeal.

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Tell your insurer and keep everything

Let your insurer know your plate was cloned and give them the crime reference number, so that nothing the cloned car does ends up on your claims history. Update them again with your new registration. Keep the whole file, crime reference, appeal letters, responses and photographs, for at least a couple of years. Notices sometimes surface months after the event.

Why waiting for the system to fix it does not work

Cloning victims featured in national news coverage this week described the same experience: dozens of notices from several different councils and enforcement bodies, each one needing its own appeal, with some authorities accepting the evidence and others refusing it. Several were still carrying penalty points months later and waiting for a court or tribunal date to have them removed. One victim was being pursued by seven separate boroughs at once.

The reason is structural. There is no central cloning unit. The police record the crime but rarely have the resources to trace the cloner. The DVLA can note your record but cannot stop notices being issued. Every council, camera partnership and toll operator runs its own appeals process, and the burden of proof sits with you every single time. Motorway and trunk road cameras have no way of telling a clone from the genuine car.

That is why the practical advice from the trade, from motoring organisations and from many police forces is the same: report it, appeal what has already arrived, and get your car onto a different registration as quickly as you can. Each of those steps is within your control. Waiting for the cloner to be caught, or for the law to change, is not.

RegHunters and cloning victims

Two or three people a day now contact RegHunters because their plate has been cloned and they want off the old registration. It has become one of the most common reasons anyone buys a cheap plate.

"We are seeing cloning victims every single day, and the story is always the same. They have done nothing wrong, the fines keep coming, and nobody official is able to make it stop. Moving their car onto a new registration is the one thing that ends it. It costs less than a tank of fuel and it takes the target off their back."

Jon Kirkbright, Sales Director, RegHunters

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How to make your plate a harder target

You cannot make cloning impossible, because your registration is on public display every time you drive. You can make yourself less convenient to copy.

Blur your plate online Cloners trawl used car listings and social media for clear shots of registrations on cars like theirs. Cover or blur your plate in any photo you post or list.

Open every letter The earlier you spot the first notice, the fewer you will have to appeal. Deadlines on penalty notices are short and missing them costs more.

Photograph your car Dated photos of all four sides, the wheels and any marks or accessories give you instant evidence if a camera image ever needs disputing.

Use tamper-proof screws Cloning does not need your physical plates, but plate theft does, and stolen plates are the quickest route to a clone. Security screws cost a couple of pounds.

Buy plates from a registered supplier A registered supplier checks your right to the registration and records the sale. That paper trail is part of what protects you if your number is ever questioned.

Check a used car before you buy Make sure the VIN on the windscreen, the door pillar and the V5C all match, and that the registration on the V5C matches the plates. A cloned car bought in good faith can still be seized.

Number plate cloning: your questions answered

Do I have to pay fines caused by a cloned number plate?

No, but you do have to challenge them. Fines are issued to the registered keeper automatically, and they will stand unless you appeal with evidence. Pay nothing, ignore nothing, and respond to every notice before its deadline with your crime reference number.

Will changing my registration cancel the fines I already have?

No. Notices already issued still need to be appealed individually. Changing your registration stops new ones arriving, because the cloned number will no longer be linked to you or your car.

How much does it cost to change my registration after cloning?

Cheap private plates at RegHunters start at £25 plus VAT, and we handle the DVLA assignment. You will also need a new set of physical plates made up by a registered supplier once your new V5C arrives. The DVLA does not issue a replacement registration for cloning on request, which is why most victims go down the private plate route.

What happens to my old registration?

When a new registration is assigned, your old number is removed from your vehicle and returns to the DVLA. You can pay to keep it on a retention certificate, but if it has been cloned there is little reason to. Once it is off your record, it belongs to nobody, and the cloner is driving around on a number that no longer leads anywhere.

Can my new registration be cloned as well?

In theory yes, and there have been cases where a persistent cloner copied a victim's replacement plate. In practice it is rare, because cloners are looking for any convenient match rather than for you specifically. Blurring your plate online and keeping an eye on your post is enough for almost everyone.

Is number plate cloning the same as number plate theft?

No. Theft is when your physical plates are taken off your car. Cloning only needs your number, which can be copied from a photo or a glance in a car park. Stolen plates are often used to clone, so if yours are taken, report it and treat it as a cloning risk straight away.

What is a ghost plate and is it illegal?

A ghost plate is a number plate treated with a coating, film or cover that reflects infrared light so ANPR cameras cannot read it. It is illegal to sell and illegal to display, carries a fine of up to £1,000, and will fail an MOT. The government is consulting on tougher penalties, including vehicle seizure.

Can the DVLA tell me whether my plate has been cloned?

No. There is no register of cloned plates and no way to check in advance. The DVLA only knows once you tell them. Unexpected notices are the only reliable warning sign, which is why opening every letter matters.

Ready to move your car onto a fresh registration?

Cheap number plates Thousands of road-legal plates from £25 plus VAT, the quickest way off a cloned registration. Dateless number plates No age identifier, so they can go on any car and hide its age while you are at it. DVLA number plates explained How registrations, assignment and retention work, and what the DVLA does and does not do. How buying a plate works From choosing a plate to your new V5C arriving, what happens at each step and how long it takes.

RegHunters is a recognised reseller of DVLA registrations and is not part of, or affiliated with, the DVLA or DVLA Personalised Registrations. This page is general guidance for cloning victims and is not legal advice. If you have received a court summons, seek advice from a solicitor or your local Citizens Advice.

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