Should the
UK leave the EU without a Brexit deal, the so-called no-deal Brexit scenario, it’ll have an impact on UK number plates for those wishing to drive their own cars in the EU, particularly the hundreds of thousands that drive from the UK to France via the channel tunnel or Dover to Calais ferry crossings.
Manufacturers and supplying dealers in the UK have increasingly adopted the Euro plate design for newly registered cars which features the EU flag with the GB indentifier below. The plate design was intended to omit the need to display a GB sticker on your car if travelling into Europe in your own car. A common EU flag with he national identifier has become standard across the EU allowing frictionless travel across borders within the EU.
However, that is all set to change if the UK crashes out of the EU without a deal on the 29th March 2019. UK drivers will need to display the old style GB sticker on the rear of their vehicle (car and/or caravan) even if they have the GB indentifier on their numberplate.
Do I need to change my number plate to drive in EU?
If you do not wish to have a GB sticker, you can replace your EU number plate with a plate that features just the GB identifier but no EU flag.
Will Brexit number plate changes affect car rental?
If you'r renting a car in the EU, it will obviously have an EU numberplate, likely with the respective country code identifier under the EU flag depending on where in Europe you are renting a car. It will only have an impact if you rent a car from a non-EU member state like the UK (post Brexit), or
Switzerland and plan to take the car into the EU. In such circumstaces, you should notify the rental agent of your plans to take the car into the EU where a suitably number plated car (or GB sticker) will be provided. If the number plate on the car is not sufficient, you as the driver are responsible for correctly identifying the car and you should purchase a GB sticker and display it accordingly.
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