Accetturese

My car is quite old, and the number plates look tatty. I asked my local garage how much it would cost for a set of replacement plates and he said I would need to register the car and have a new targa issued - at a cost of over 300 euros!
Can this be correct?!?

philat98

It might be correct. According to this there is a fixed cost of around €100 plus the cost of the plates.
Halfords do replacement plates for about €40 so it is quite expensive.

calman014

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicl...lates_of_Italy

philat98

You could create an I SPY ITALIAN NUMBER PLATES with all that.
The cost of the plates from the Zecca dello stato was €80 back in 2016.
I shall take more care with my car after reading how precious the plates are. Here is a bit of DIY.

Accetturese

Yes, I am thinking a bit of black paint and some plastic spray!

philat98

There is a video of the factory manager at Foggia making plates that cost twice as much as anywhere in Europe. He proudly says the plates cannot be copied. I bet you can buy copies in Naples that cost less than those from the state factory.

modicasa

Yes, its not just a question of Halfords knocking out a copy. If your plates are illegible then you need new ones, which means a new registration number and a visit to the sbrigapratica. The plates themselves dont cost much, but once you have your new targa you need to tell your insurance, etc etc.

Accetturese

I can see replacement plates on offer on both ebay and amazon. Am I breaking some law if I buy a set of these and fit them? I do not see how that is so different to what the chap is doing in that diy video that Philat linked?

modicasa

Some people use black markers and insulation tape, but if they stop you you're in trouble.

tpw21

There are at least two cars near me that have had unofficial number plates on the front for a good few years now. It’s up to you how lucky you’re feeling though!

philat98

How do you know they are copies?

tpw21

They’re pretty obvious, the letters and numbers aren’t raised. The material is also different.