Number Plate Light

Yes you do need a number plate light for an MOT. Whether it has to be white I dont know but probably.

 

No. Pretty sure you need it on a bike too. Hell, they fail you if you dont have a bleeding reflector on the bike.

 

sure do.

 

Aye you need one and another bloody pitfall is make sure its shielded so as it is just reflecting onto the plate.

A lot of plate lights these days are 4 or 5 bare LEDs or LEDs in a clear plastic case. If you don't shield them you will fail the MOT for showing a white light to the rear (Fnaarrr Fnaaarrr) and that's a no no too.

You could also get pull from your local friendly constabulary if they are in particularity alert form

Below is an example of what I'm referring too

 

Has anybody actually ever been stopped for not illuminating their plate though??

 

No you don't - my old zx6r didn't have one so I rang the mot test centre before hand and they said I did not need one.

 

You just need a red reflector

 

Well I'm not going to get into a ding dong with anybody several of the web pages detailing the test say its required. But there is still the Daylight exception notice where you don't need any lights or can tape them over.

Far as I'm aware its necessary if you have lights as part of the bike setup. Testers vary enormously, if it was me I'd ring them up and ask the actual garage that's doing the testing. So much stuff is failed by one guy and passed by another and often testers will fail you for stuff that's not part of the test.

I suppose if you don't ride at night its not really an issue. I imagine riding a bike at night on an unlit road it be pretty obvious on a bike with a high rear light and the plate a good distance below it. But no I have never been stopped for no plate light but I have nearly had an MOT fail for a "white light to the rear".

I'll get ma coat

 

I had a bike pass without a plate light. It didn't have any lights at all though, that might have made a difference.

 

Thought the red reflector only applies to bikes of a certain age?

 

If you have a rear light, you'll need some form of plate lighting either from that light or from a separate one, there are plenty available. If you have no lights at all you don't need a numberplate light, just a rear reflector. Interestingly, I have a rear light and numberplate light on the Guzzi, but no reflector of any sort, but it still passed.

 

If you Google this subject you get different opinions and stories. I'm going from my own experiences from having the same issue and talking to the mot tester. Call a couple and see what they say.

 

Put one on for mot. take it off afterwards. all risk mitigated.

 

mine failed mot with blown bulb, as a car tester i would say it had to be illuminated.

 

well there you go.

 

Fancy that.









Still leaving mine on.

 

just had a look at the vosa site. not a mention of no plate light. cool i am gonna take the bulb out next time and try again.