Scalable ANPR for forecourt

What’s one of the toughest challenges forecourt retailers face today? Drive-offs, fake number plates, cloned vehicles, and repeat offenders. You’re already focused on running a busy forecourt — the last thing you need is the added worry of expensive ANPR installations and complex systems.

That’s exactly where NexPlate comes in. Built specifically for forecourt retailers, NexPlate makes ANPR fast, simple, and affordable. Instead of spending thousands with traditional ANPR providers just to get started, NexPlate brings the same core protection within reach — often at a fraction of the cost.

I’ve always believed that better engineering should lower costs, not raise them. That belief is what inspired this article — to show how NexPlate is helping retailers access smarter protection while saving significantly on installation and operational overheads.

Your options when it comes to forecourt ANPR:

Use a Traditional ANPR Provider

Traditional ANPR providers often come with high upfront costs, requiring specialised hardware and complex installations that can run into thousands per site. These systems are typically rigid, expensive to scale, and not always designed with forecourt-specific challenges in mind.

NexPlate

NexPlate is built specifically for forecourts that want effective ANPR protection without the heavy costs of traditional systems. It works seamlessly with existing CCTV infrastructure, making installation faster, simpler, and significantly more affordable. Designed by AI and image processing experts, NexPlate delivers real-time intelligence to help prevent drive-offs and reduce shrinkage. If you’ve been priced out of ANPR before, this is a smarter, more accessible alternative.

How NexPlate Saved £157,500 Across Our Live Site Network

When we set out to build NexPlate, we had a simple premise: forecourt operators shouldn't have to spend a fortune on ANPR just to stop fuel thieves driving off without paying.

The existing solutions felt designed for state ways or motorways — built for high-speed vehicles in very low light environments. But that's not the challenge forecourts face. Our environment is completely different: slower-moving vehicles, well-lit pumps, and the need for detailed vehicle identification at the point of fuelling. The tools simply weren't built for our world.

Three months ago, we began analysing cost data from installations across our growing network of 50+ live forecourt sites in the UK. All fully operational. All processing transactions daily. All catching drive-offs. And the numbers are telling us something quite interesting.

The cost comparison nobody talks about

Before these operators came to us, most had already been through the quote process with traditional ANPR providers. The figures they were being asked to pay ranged from £5,600 to £6,500 per site just for implementation.

We've crunched the numbers on what our sites actually paid versus what they were quoted elsewhere. Collectively, sites across our network have saved over £157,500 in upfront costs. That's an average saving of £4,500 per forecourt — roughly 82% less than the traditional route.

To put that in perspective, one independent operator told us the money he saved on implementation covered the cost of protecting two additional sites in his network. Another said it finally made drive-off protection viable for his smaller rural forecourt, where the business case simply didn't stack up before.

Why such a difference?

Part of it is how we've built the system. NexPlate works with good quality cameras from 4MP upwards — not expensive ANPR-specific hardware. If you've already got decent IP cameras installed, chances are they'll work. No proprietary kit. No forced upgrades to specialist equipment that costs thousands per unit.

Our pricing reflects the flexibility of working with existing infrastructure. Some sites have come onboard for as little as £0 where they already have complete hardware including screens and CPUs. Sites with existing cameras but needing display equipment typically pay between £200–£600. Even for complete new installations requiring CCTV cameras, tablets, and touchscreen monitors, costs range from £1,200 to £2,500 depending on the number of cameras needed.

What's crucial here is that the cameras we install serve a dual purpose — they function as your standard CCTV system for the canopy as well. You're not installing dedicated ANPR cameras on top of your existing security infrastructure. It's one integrated system doing both jobs, which means no future camera upgrades needed in the canopy.

But the real engineering is what happens behind the scenes. NexPlate uses advanced parallel processing, syncing in real time with DVLA data, FuelDriveOff.co.uk datasets, and both local and global intelligence sources. It's this combination of adaptability and sophisticated data processing that delivers results without the traditional price tag.

What we're seeing in the field

Our installations represent a diverse cross-section of the forecourt industry — ranging from busy motorway service areas seeing thousands of vehicles daily to small independent forecourts in market towns. All live commercial installations, not pilots or trials.

What's become clear is how the system supports forecourt staff with the right information: vehicle make, model, colour, MOT and tax status, even fuel type. It's about giving people the data to make informed decisions.

Where we go from here?

The consistent feedback from our installations is that it's made a genuine difference to shrinkage figures, and more importantly, to staff confidence. When your team has proper intelligence rather than just instinct, everything changes.

The wider point is this: protecting your forecourt from fuel theft shouldn't require enterprise-level budgets or force you to rip out perfectly good camera systems. The technology exists to do this properly, working with decent quality cameras you may already have, without the traditional price tag.

If you're running a forecourt and you've looked at ANPR before but couldn't justify the cost or the disruption of a complete system overhaul, it might be worth another look. The economics have changed. The technology has evolved. And our growing network of installations is proving it works.

We're learning as much from these installations as our clients are. And if the savings our analysis shows are anything to go by, we're onto something that actually works for the operators who've been priced out of this technology for too long.