Bike racks and your registration number
On the Škoda Enyaq and many other cars, a bike rack in use on the towbar covers the number plate on the boot lid. In the vast majority of countries around the world there are rules prohibiting covering the plate for any reason; the number plate must be visible and legible in all conditions. While there are exceptions, most European drivers probably don’t go to Utah and Michigan, for example, which tolerate number plates concealed by bike racks.
The little town of Rakalj is twenty kilometres from Pula, and from there it’s not far to the Vidikovac lookout point that offers stunning views of the nearby sea and beaches.
So the rules are clear: the number plate must be attached to the rack. However, there are some differences in the legislation here too, which can be illustrated by the example of Switzerland, for example. Until recently, that country did not allow the issue of a third number plate, so users of bicycle racks there had to mount the plate from the rear of the car onto the rack. Since March 2022, however, the authorities have allowed the issue of a third number plate. And drivers have a choice: either get a third number plate or use the existing one.
Drivers in most other European countries have a similar choice. However, there are some countries that may have different requirements (for example, three number plates are mandatory and moving them is prohibited), so always check before you travel. In Italy, for example, the bike rack must be accompanied by a warning plate in addition to the number plate. Austria requires its citizens to display a third red number plate on the bike rack. A few years ago, it was sufficient in some countries to display a home-made copy of the number plate on the bike rack – but that is no longer the case, and you can be fined for having a home-made copy, just as you can be fined for driving without a number plate on the bike rack.