A sigh of relief for Russian drivers of gray-import cars: it is now allowed to use a narrower, higher license plate that does fit in the small compartment at the back.
Until recently, the Russian government did not allow the use of such an American and Japanese model number plate. Owners of import cars with a too small ‘niche’ in the tailgate or rear bumper were therefore forced to screw a regular, European model number plate to the rear of their car. Since the license plate on the back must also be illuminated, this by definition leads to an ugly result via a complicated process.
The fact that Russia in particular did not come up with a license plate for this kind of import models before is striking. The eastern part of the country in particular is bursting with import models from Japan, a country that is known for having a lot of neatly maintained cars available.
The old situation
Instagram user Carl shows the problem well. Until recently, his red Lexus SC430 (incredibly beautiful – JL) drove around with a large number plate over the visibly too small compartment on the back. The smaller, square number plate has now been mounted and the Lexus looks much better.
Two sizes
Globally, there are roughly two car license plate sizes: the ‘European’ and the ‘American’ model. These sizes are not very strict, Japanese number plates, for example, are higher than American ones. Roughly speaking, however, it means that part of the world uses wide but low number plates and another part opts for shorter but higher plates. In a number of countries, such as the United Arab Emirates and Israel, users can choose one of the two formats at will.
In the Netherlands, cars in principle get the straight, wide ones, although they can be exchanged for a square model at will. This is a frequently chosen solution, especially for off-road vehicles, such as the penultimate edition of the Land Rover Discovery. Especially for import cars there is the so-called 18.2 plate, which is 21 centimeters shorter than a regular Dutch number plate. However, anyone who wants to be eligible must demonstrate that the illuminated ‘niche’ at the back is not suitable for the regular or square model. Similar restrictions apply in Russia: the new license plate format is only available for cars that are not suitable for the regular plates.
Photos: Instagram / scarl430z, with permission