How your dirty car can cost you money

If you’re like me and really hate cleaning your car (!) you may be motivated to keep at least part of it neat if you know you could be fined up to £1,000. Now, I’m not saying you could get charged for having a dirty car – I’m ashamed to admit mine has been known to be offensively grimy – but you can get in trouble for having a mucky number plate amongst other things.

Your licence plate tells the police where and when the vehicle is registered and allows Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras to do their job. Making sure the registration number is legible is a legal requirement. If it’s hard to read or covered in dirt, you could be stopped and fined anything from £100 to a grand on the spot. Not only should your number plates be clean, but they also need to be made from reflective material. The front plate should display black characters on a white background, while the rear plate should display black characters on a yellow background, and neither should have a background pattern. 3D and 4D lettering is allowed as long as it doesn’t compromise readability. 

But, it’s not just your registration plate that can get you in trouble. The Highway Code states that drivers must take special care to maintain their car and ensure it’s working properly, stating “lights, indicators, reflectors and number plates MUST be kept clean and clear.” It’s amazing how dirty your lights can get, how much this can impact your vision in the car, and how visible you are to others on the road. Many modern cars have built-in headlight washers – they spray your lights at the same time as your windscreen. However, generally, this only removes loose dirt, so it’s best not to depend on them. You can clean your lights simply by wiping with warm water, or you can buy dedicated cleaning kits. You can even clean your headlights with toothpaste! If you’re worried about causing damage, head to your local garage. Your indicators and reflectors are just as important and also need to be kept clear. Be aware, if you’ve tried everything to clean your lights and they are still cloudy, discoloured or faded, it may be time to replace the bulb, or even the headlight unit itself. A garage will be able to advise you on this. 

Of course, this blog post doesn’t cover everything you can be fined for on the road – a quick Google search will open your eyes to so many things you can get in trouble for if you’re not careful. But perhaps it has made you think twice about putting off cleaning your car again!