🐎
HRSPWR — on a Ford Mustang
Simple, direct, and accurate. A Mustang owner with zero ambiguity about their priorities. Widely photographed at car meets across the US.
Perfect MatchSources: AAMVA North America vanity plate survey; individual state DMV annual reports.
🧠 Wordplay Masterclasses
These plates are so good they're basically a literacy test. You'll stare, squint — and then groan out loud when it clicks.
LMAOCalifornia
Timeless. Universal. No notes.
404California
On a broken-down car. Plate not found.
OBEYNew York
Spotted on a police cruiser. Unironically.
NVRLT8Florida
Owner reportedly always late. Friends confirm.
CTRL ZCalifornia
Tech worker's silent wish. Undo everything.
Y THOTexas
The question we're all asking. Constantly.
👔 Occupation Pride
Lawyers, doctors, engineers — some professionals can't leave work at the office. Instead, they park it on their bumper.
⚖️ Lawyers
- LITIG8
- SO SUE ME
- IOBJEKT
- IMASHRK
- NOTGILT
- BILL HRS
- NEGOT8
🩺 Doctors
- EYESUR
- KDNEYDR
- MOLARS
- WHEELMD
- DOCTR
- RXONLY
- CEREC I
💻 Tech Workers
- CTRL Z
- 404
- NULL PTR
- GIT PUSH
- BUG FXR
- DEV NULL
- STACK OV
🏗️ Engineers
- TORQUE
- TENSILE
- OHMS LAW
- 3SIGMA
- FAILSAFE
- CAD CAM
🎓 Teachers
- TCH KDS
- XPLN IT
- MRSMITH
- NO LATE
- GRDR
- PBKS
💰 Finance
- BULL MKT
- HEDGE IT
- YIELDZ
- ROI PLZ
- SOLD HI
- CASH COW
🗺️ The Vanity Plate League Table
Which US states are most obsessed with personalised plates? Ranked by the percentage of registered vehicles with a vanity plate. Virginia leads — by a mile.
| # | State | Vanity Rate | Plates Registered | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 | Virginia | 16.19% | ~1.07 million | |
| 🥈 | New Hampshire | 13.99% | — | |
| 🥉 | Illinois | 13.41% | — | |
| 4 | Nevada | 12.73% | — | |
| 5 | Montana | 9.80% | — | |
| 6 | Maine | 9.70% | — | |
| 7 | Connecticut | 8.14% | — | |
| 8 | New Jersey | 6.80% | — | |
| 9 | North Dakota | 6.50% | — | |
| 10 | Vermont | 6.10% | — | |
| 🔻 Last | Texas | 0.50% | — |
Source: AAMVA / Stefan Lonce North America vanity plate survey. Virginia total from state DMV data.
⚡ The EV Owners' Club
Electric vehicle owners have turned their plates into a second bumper sticker. These are the most creative EV vanity plates documented on public roads.
WATT ISThe existential EV question
NEVR2L8Never too late (to go electric)
TREHUGRSelf-aware tree hugger
NOOILZNo oils here, thanks
BIOHZRDOn a Prius. Ironically.
SILENTBecause it literally is
GONABL8On a car charging station fan
AMPD UPCharged and ready
KWHORERange-anxiety sufferer
VOLTS WGNOn a Volkswagen EV — naturally
HIOFICRSpotted at traffic stops…
IMRIGHTOn a Tesla. Shocking, we know.
🚘 Plates That Match Their Cars
The best vanity plates are the ones perfectly matched to the vehicle they're on. These pairs are simply too good.
🍋
LEMON — on a well-used Citroën
A UK driver's brutally honest assessment of their own vehicle. The car reportedly broke down on the way to the DVLA to register the plate.
Self-Aware🏎️
CLICHE — on a black Ferrari
Spotted in Beverly Hills: a bald man driving a black Ferrari convertible with a blonde passenger, plate reading CLICHE. Peak self-awareness.
Meta🐢
2FAST4U — on a Toyota Prius
A 2006 Prius doing 52 mph on a motorway, plate reading 2FAST4U. Photographed by at least a dozen passing motorists.
Ironic Legend🛻
RUST — on a 1987 Ford pickup
An older Ford pickup, colour technically described as "oxidised red", sporting a plate that simply states the obvious. The truck has become a local landmark in rural Montana.
Honest👮
OBEY — on a police cruiser
A New York City police officer with a custom plate reading OBEY. Whether intentional or not, it's arguably the most on-brand plate ever issued by the state.
Unintentional Genius🚫 DMV Rejections: Class of 2024
Every year, state DMVs publish their rejected vanity plate applications — and they're gold. Texas rejected over 2,300 plates in 2024 alone. Here are some of the most entertaining.
HOKTUAH
HOKTUAH
The 2024 viral meme inspired 13+ applications in New Hampshire alone between July–August. Every single one was rejected.
Meme ReferenceKDNAPPR
KDNAPPR
Illinois. Applicant presumably thought this was funny. The Illinois Secretary of State did not. First on their 2024 most-notable rejections list.
Illegal ReferenceGONZO
GONZO / KERMITT
Tennessee rejected multiple Muppets-inspired plates in 2024, including GONZO and KERMITT. Presumably a copyright / trademark issue.
Copyright / BrandBUT MAN
BUT-MAN
Oregon DMV rejected this superhero homage in 2024. It's unclear whether the applicant was a Batman fan or had a very specific self-image.
Ambiguous ContentL8R LSER
L8R LSER
Texas rejected this cutting farewell message in 2024. The DMV classed it as "alarming, threatening, or offensive to a reasonable person."
OffensiveFARTIN
FARTIN
Oregon, 2024. Among 78 plates rejected for "referring to a sexual act or bodily function." The applicant may have been called Martin.
Bodily FunctionSources: Illinois Secretary of State 2024 rejected plates; Oregon DMV 2024 annual report; Texas DMV 2024 rejection data; New Hampshire DMV reports.
💡 Things You Didn't Know About Vanity Plates
Some genuinely odd facts buried in the history of personalised plates.
🐴
Kentucky's horse plate sold over 2 million copies
The blue and white horse-themed specialty plate is the most popular custom plate design in the entire United States — with over 2 million sold. No vanity text required; just horsey vibes.
State Record📊
Virginia drivers are 32× more likely to have a vanity plate than Texans
Virginia's 16.19% vanity plate rate versus Texas's 0.5% is one of the most extreme statistical contrasts in American motoring culture. Nobody knows exactly why.
Statistics🔢
The number "1" is the most valuable vanity plate in the world
Abu Dhabi plate "1" sold for $14.3 million USD in 2008. In the UK, single-digit plates like "1 A" and "25 O" regularly sell for hundreds of thousands of pounds at specialist auctions.
World Record🕳️
The NULL plate cost one programmer $12,000 in fines
California driver Droogie chose NULL thinking the DMV system would ignore a null value. Instead, every ticket with a blank plate field got assigned to NULL — and all those fines landed on him.
True Story