PRESS RELEASE ·
New network aims to stop number plate cloning at its source
Protect A Plate launches the UK's vehicle registration verification network, calling on suppliers to verify every plate request before manufacture.
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Protect A Plate Press & Media Centre
Helping create a more proactive approach to vehicle registration security.
Protect A Plate is a UK vehicle registration verification platform created to help reduce opportunities for number plate cloning and vehicle identity fraud.
We believe vehicle registration security should be proactive, not reactive. Our technology provides an additional layer of verification by connecting vehicle owners, fleet operators and participating number plate suppliers through the Protect A Plate Verification Network.
Who We Are
Protect A Plate Ltd is a UK technology company focused on vehicle registration verification and helping reduce opportunities for number plate cloning.
The platform allows motorists and fleet operators to enrol vehicle registrations within the Protect A Plate Verification Network. Participating number plate suppliers can use the platform as an additional verification step when dealing with protected registrations.
When an enrolled registration is checked through the network, the platform can notify the registered account holder and record verification activity, creating an additional layer of visibility and accountability.
Protect A Plate does not claim that any single technology can eliminate number plate cloning. Our objective is to make vehicle registration misuse more difficult by encouraging proactive verification and greater collaboration across the automotive industry.
COMPANY BOILERPLATE
Protect A Plate is the UK's vehicle registration verification network. It protects drivers, suppliers, fleets and insurers from number plate cloning, fraud and misuse by verifying every plate request against a live register before a plate is manufactured — and alerting the registered owner instantly if their registration is ever flagged or reported stolen. The goal is a UK in which a cloned plate simply cannot be manufactured, because the industry itself refuses to be the weak link. ICO-registered and UK-based, Protect A Plate serves drivers, suppliers, fleets and insurers at protect-a-plate.co.uk.
Approved for publication. Please reproduce without amendment.
Our Mission — Proactive, Not Reactive
Too often, motorists discover that their vehicle registration may have been cloned only after receiving an unexpected speeding notice, parking charge, toll charge or other correspondence.
Protect A Plate was created around a different principle:
Why wait for vehicle registration fraud to happen before taking action?
Our mission is to encourage a preventative approach to vehicle registration security. We want motorists, fleets and responsible number plate suppliers to have access to technology that provides an additional verification layer and helps identify potentially suspicious activity earlier.
Our long-term ambition is to contribute to higher standards of vehicle registration verification throughout the UK.
The Problem, By The Numbers
Independently reported figures on number plate cloning in the UK. Each is attributed to its original source.
5,683
number plates reported stolen in 2024, up 68% since 2021
Source: DVLA
12,762
ULEZ charges cancelled in 2022 where cloning was identified
Source: Transport for London
64%
rise in cloning-related fine cancellations in London over three years
Source: BBC News
130+
officially registered suppliers found willing to sell cloned plates
Source: The Guardian, June 2025
Vehicle Registration Offences Review Bill Introduced by Sarah Coombes MP, 26 February 2025.
How Protect A Plate Works
1. REGISTER
A motorist or fleet operator enrols their vehicle registration.
2. VERIFY
Participating suppliers can check whether a registration is enrolled within the network.
3. NOTIFY
Where applicable, Protect A Plate can notify the registered account holder that their protected registration has been checked.
4. RECORD
Verification activity is recorded, providing an auditable history within the network.
Who Protect A Plate Is For
Number Plate Suppliers
An additional verification process when dealing with protected registrations.
For suppliersInsurance Industry
Exploring how registration verification could complement vehicle fraud-prevention and risk-management processes.
For insurersLatest News & Press Releases
Official announcements from Protect A Plate. Full text is published as indexable HTML — no PDF required.
Company Fact Sheet
Verified company details for citation. Please attribute to Protect A Plate Ltd.
- Company
- Protect A Plate Ltd
- Industry
- Automotive Technology / Vehicle Registration Verification
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Registered Office
- 2nd Floor, 5 High Street, Westbury On Trym, Bristol, England, BS9 3BY
- Primary Focus
- Vehicle registration verification and number plate cloning prevention
- Service
- Protect A Plate Verification Network
- Customer Groups
- Motorists, fleet operators, participating number plate suppliers and insurers
- Data Protection
- ICO-registered
- Vehicle Owner Subscription
- £4.99 per vehicle per month
- Fleet Subscription
- £4.99 per vehicle per month
- Number Plate Supplier Membership
- Free
- Website
- protect-a-plate.co.uk
Prices correct at the time of publication and subject to change.
Why Protect A Plate Was Created
Robert Blacker
Founder, Protect A Plate
Protect A Plate was founded around a straightforward question: can technology make it harder for someone to misuse another person’s vehicle registration?
The company was created to explore a more preventative approach to number plate cloning. Rather than focusing solely on what happens after a motorist becomes a victim, Protect A Plate is developing technology and industry relationships intended to introduce additional verification earlier in the process.
Robert founded Protect A Plate to stop number plate cloning at its source: cloning doesn't start on the street — it starts at the point of manufacture, where paper-based identity checks are demonstrably failing.
Protect A Plate is built around a simple principle: we want to be proactive rather than reactive. If technology and better verification can make vehicle registration fraud more difficult, then we believe that opportunity deserves to be pursued.
Media Assets
Approved Protect A Plate assets for legitimate editorial use. Please do not alter, recolour or reproportion the logo.
Primary logo — high resolutionTransparent background. For print and large-format editorial use.PNG · 1000 × 1000Primary logo — webTransparent background. For inline and on-screen use.PNG · 150 × 150
Available on request
- Vector (SVG/EPS) logo and brand icon
- Brand guidelines
- Approved product and interface screenshots
- Founder photography
Media Enquiries
Journalists, broadcasters, publishers and industry organisations are welcome to get in touch to discuss Protect A Plate, request an interview or arrange a demonstration.
Robert Blacker
Founder
- Media email
- info@protect-a-plate.co.uk
- Website
- www.protect-a-plate.co.uk
- Contact form
- Send a message via our contact form