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Vehicle cloning reports to DVLA reach record high, RAC data shows
The number of drivers contacting the DVLA over penalties they believe were caused by vehicle cloning reached its highest level on record in 2025, according to data obtained by the RAC.
The DVLA received 11,402 such contacts last year, up 9% from 10,460 in 2024 and 93% above the 5,912 recorded in 2018. The figures cover drivers sent fines or penalties relating to a vehicle’s use that they said they did not recognise or were not responsible for.
Vehicle cloning involves another driver using a number plate copied from a different, similar vehicle, potentially allowing them to evade camera enforcement. The RAC said cloned vehicles are often chosen to match the make, model and colour of the legitimate vehicle, making them less likely to attract attention.
Drivers may only discover their vehicle’s registration has been copied when a penalty notice arrives at their home. They then have to dispute responsibility for an offence recorded elsewhere.
The RAC said number plate buyers are meant to provide suppliers with the vehicle’s V5C logbook and proof of identity and address. These checks are intended to confirm that the buyer is the registered keeper and entitled to have the plate made. However, it said illegal suppliers operate without checks and some legitimate suppliers do not consistently request the required documents.
The data on disputed penalties does not capture the full scale of number plate fraud, the RAC said. It is also concerned about “ghost” plates designed to be difficult or impossible for Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras to read.
The UK has about 18,000 ANPR cameras, which record around 90 million vehicle reads each day. They are used in enforcement covering speeding, red traffic lights, clean air and congestion charging zones, bus lanes, private car parks and “red X” motorway restrictions. Plates that defeat camera recognition make the extent of that activity harder to establish.
A report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Transport Safety, supported by the RAC, estimated that as many as one in 15 vehicles may carry modified, non-compliant plates, including ghost and stealth plates designed to avoid ANPR detection.
RAC head of policy Simon Williams said the rise in cloning reports was “alarming”, adding that it left innocent drivers having to prove they were not at the location shown in camera evidence.
“If number plate suppliers were carrying out all the checks they’re supposed to, it would be much harder for dodgy drivers to buy cloned plates in the first place,” Williams said. He said more action was needed to detect ghost plates, including wider use of handheld plate-reading devices by police, updated ANPR cameras and stronger security standards for plates and their manufacturers.
Williams also said some drivers may acquire plates without realising they are unreadable by cameras. He pointed to the plastic used in some raised 3D plates, saying steps were needed to ensure manufacturers used materials that cameras could read.
The RAC said the Government appeared to be considering tougher penalties for offences involving fraudulent plates, but argued that more could be done to prevent vehicles being cloned. It said weaknesses in the current system could allow dangerous drivers to avoid prosecution and leave fines and vehicle charges unpaid.
