Vehicle cloning hits record high across UK

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 19 Oct, 12:01 · Archive

More than 11,400 motorists contested fines last year for offences committed using cloned number plates.

Vehicle cloning has reached its highest level, leaving innocent drivers facing fines for offences committed by fraudsters using cloned plates. More than 11,400 motorists contacted the DVLA last year after receiving penalty notices for incidents they did not recognise. Disputes rose nine per cent from 10,460 in 2024, and have nearly doubled since 2018 when 5,912 cases were logged.

Cloning occurs when a registration plate is copied and placed on a similar vehicle to evade speed and enforcement cameras. Many victims only discover their registration has been stolen when an unexpected fine arrives in the post. Suppliers must legally inspect a V5C logbook to prove ownership, but illegal operators continue to print plates without running checks.

RAC head of policy Simon Williams said the rise confirms that cloning has become 'the menace of modern-day motoring'. He added that if number plate suppliers were carrying out all checks they are supposed to, 'it would be much harder for dodgy drivers to buy cloned plates in the first place'. He noted that once fraudsters have copied someone else's plate, it is 'extremely unlikely they will be caught by the police' as they select similar vehicles in make, model and colour to avoid attention.

How it is being reported

• This number plate issue could see you fined for crashes you weren't inVehicle cloning hits record high as more than 11,400 motorists contest fines for offences committed by fraudsters on cloned number plates.Oxford Mail · 19 Oct, 11:50
• This number plate issue could see you fined for crashes you weren't inVehicle cloning hits record high as more than 11,400 motorists contest fines for offences committed by fraudsters on cloned number plates.Oxfordshire Guardian · 19 Oct, 11:50

In this story: DVLA · RAC · Simon Williams · UK

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