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Number plate keyrings: acrylic, PVC or metal?

PlateFob, 30 October 2026

Number plate keyrings are commonly made from acrylic, PVC or metal. Acrylic is a hard, light plastic. PVC is a plastic that can be made soft and bendy, so a soft PVC keyring feels a bit like rubber. Metal is heavier in the hand than either plastic. Which one suits depends on the feel you want and on what you want on the back.

The short answer

• Acrylic: light and rigid, with a printed or layered plate.
• PVC: soft and flexible, with a rubbery feel.
• Metal: heavier, with a polished or coloured finish around the plate.

Acrylic keyrings

Acrylic is the everyday name for PMMA, the clear plastic sold as Perspex or Plexiglas (Wikipedia). Perspex cast acrylic sheet has a density of 1.19 g/cm3 (Perspex data sheet). That is about half the density of glass, and the plastic can be laser cut from sheet with a very clean edge (Wikipedia).

The plate can be done in more than one way. The reg may be printed on the acrylic or on a layer behind it, or made with raised letters in the style of a 4D show plate. Some acrylic keyrings are double sided, with the white front plate on one face and the yellow rear plate on the other. The listing should say which you are getting.

PVC keyrings

PVC comes in rigid and flexible forms. Adding plasticisers makes it softer and more flexible, and PVC accepts so much of them that its properties range from a rigid solid to a soft gel (Wikipedia).

A soft PVC keyring bends and has a slightly rubbery feel. If you want it to look like the plate on the car, look closely at the lettering in the photos before you buy.

Metal keyrings

Casting is one way to make a metal keyring. Die casting forces molten metal under high pressure into a mould, and most die castings are made from non-ferrous metals such as zinc, copper, aluminium and magnesium (Wikipedia). A cast part can then be polished, plated or painted.

Metal is heavier than either plastic. Aluminium, for example, has a density of 2.70 g/cm3 (Wikipedia), more than twice that of acrylic, and denser metals weigh more again. A metal keyring of the same size as an acrylic one feels noticeably heavier on the keys.

The plate on a metal keyring can be printed straight onto the metal, set under a clear dome, or printed on enamel. Ask how the plate is applied, because that decides how it looks up close.

What to check before you buy

Whatever the material, these details tell you more than the photo does:

• The size in millimetres. Plate keyrings vary a lot, and a small one makes a seven-character reg hard to read.
• Whether the back has anything on it, and what: the rear plate, a few words, a photo or nothing.
• How many characters fit, and whether the font looks like the one on UK plates.
• How the plate is applied: printed, layered, raised or under a dome.
• Whether it is made to order with your reg or sold ready made.
• What the seller says about postage and timing, in writing.

How we make ours

At PlateFob we make a cast metal fob, 67.1 x 14.3 x 5.5 mm, in chrome, gold or black. Each side has a shallow recess filled with white enamel, and the plate is printed onto that enamel. The front carries the UK reg, up to seven characters in the plate font, with a side flag if you like.

The back is the part you choose. It can carry the yellow rear plate, a few words in a font you pick, your handwriting, a photo, a map of a place that matters with a date, or a voice message of up to 30 seconds that plays when they scan it with their phone camera.

One fob is £19, or £25 with a voice message or map on the back. Any two are £35, £37 with one voice or map back, or £39 with two. Gold or black adds £3. Every fob comes in a gift box, postage is £2.99 for one and free for two or more. Orders are not open yet: you can build one in 3D now and leave your email.

If you are buying it as a present, our gift ideas pages cover new drivers, car lovers and more, and the guide to gifts for car lovers under £30 has other ideas for the car-mad.

Questions

Which is better, acrylic or metal?

It depends on what you want. Acrylic is light and looks like a small plate. Metal is heavier and comes in finishes such as chrome or gold.

Are PVC keyrings the same as rubber ones?

They feel similar. Soft PVC is made flexible with plasticisers, so a PVC keyring bends and has a rubbery feel, though it is a plastic, not rubber.

Is acrylic the same as Perspex?

Perspex is a trade name for acrylic, the plastic PMMA. Plexiglas is another (Wikipedia).

Can a number plate keyring be used on a car?

No. It is a keyring, not a number plate, and it cannot be used on a car.

How big is a PlateFob?

67.1 x 14.3 x 5.5 mm, cast metal, with the reg on the front and your choice of back.