Why can't the DOT come up with a new shape for the US licence plates? This is an ancient design and wastes space and ultamately just ruins the looks of the MINI. The digits are in the center so just cut off the top and bottom and make it wider for the tags and state name. We only need 2 letters for the state anyway. Not one US vehicle looks good with these plates on the front. How long have we been using the current design? Forever! The Euro plates look much better. I realize there are costs involved for retooling but the states always pass the costs to motorists anyway. Even if it were a vanity plate option it would be worth it.

 

Sounds like you should write someone a letter, and maybe set-up a petition

I'd get it as a vanity plate option

 

It's been done before. I think Tennessee in '56 or '57 had a plate shaped like the state.

 

Not to all.

 

I feel the states should offer a euro style plate and have it as a nominal fee to upgrade to this shape. You can also upgrade and do vanity lettering from there. The states would get even more revenue if they did this indeed.

Only thing is making sure a euro size plate can fit in the front AND back. Some cars can't in back (even some BMW models have a more square opening rather than the euro trunk shape for the plates.

Good idea though for sure.

 

My plate is the shape of my state.

 

Texas is letting us vote on our next plate design this week. They gave us 5 choices but they're all the usual shape -- just different colors and pictures.

 

In Montana, we have about 40 different types of plates to choose from....They're all the same shape, just different organizations/areas of the state. All extra fees go to those groups.
I really don't think it'd be that much different to do something like this for a euro plate.

 

The government doesn't care what they look like.
But Arizona doesn't require a front plate, so that's half the problem solved. If you can get your state to drop the front plate, that would save resources (that should be the tactic, not aethestics).
Good luck!

 

It might be a little difficult to get a MD plate shaped like the state:

 

 

We do not use front plates in PA. I like it that way. No holes in my MINI's front bumper.

Luckily our State IS shaped like our plate ..... a big rectangle with some rough edges.

 

Going "Euro-plate" would be a lot more expensive than I think people realize. It would requite all new press and stamping equipment, some steel vendor will have to resize the rolls of metal the plates are stamped from, DMV websites edited and updated, law enforcement computer programs rewritten to include more than seven digits, etc.

It all might be one time only costs, but I can think of better needs for my tax dollars.

 

Standards are a good thing. Changing the shape of the plates for the 300 million vehicles on the road in the US, all the companies that sell plate surrounds, covers, tourist versions...it would cost tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars, for an aesthetic issue? I doubt it will happen.
Australian plates are the same shape as US ones. My home state of New South Wales introduced an optional "euro style" plate which is the same width as a regular plate but only 1/2 the height. They work well on sports cars and only need 2 holes. That might be an option for US states to try.

 

Back in 1983 I was stopped by a CHP outside Needles, CA for 'no front plate displayed' on my MGB. When I returned to CA I bolted the front plate to a light bar mounted under the bumper. Went to the local CHP office to get the 'fix-it' ticket signed off. I asked why we had front plates. 'That's so we can identify your car when it's coming towards us', was his answer. Ok, so the CHP and I are both doing 55mph coming towards each other on a two lane road. Closing speed 110mph. He's reading 3 inch high letters .

 

He was probably lying. The front plate has always been a convenient target for radar guns as it is reflective and, depending on the car, maybe the only vertical surface on the car.

You ever see a cop aim a radar gun? What do you think he's aiming at?

Dave

 

That's why I drive nekid (no front plate).

 

I got a fix it ticket a few years ago while parked in an unfamiliar area. I put on the front plate, paid the fee, got it inspected, then took it off again. I decided to keep a front plate on a few years ago because I figured I don't need a convenient reason to be stopped by law enforcement. I may be mistaken but I think the current plate dimensions are from 1925.

I think a vanity plate option is the way to go.

 

I think a Euro style plate would be cool on a MINI. The hatch and front bumper were designed for that size anyway.

 

Doesn't leave a lot of room for the environmental designs of many states.

 

I personally think plates should be plain anyway.

 

I like my Lake Tahoe plates.

 

I haven't seen that one. I always thought Colorado had a nice plate. Simple, yet still has a subtle graphic in the design.

 

I always wanted one of these when I was a kid:



Too bad I'd have to go back in time and move to Florida to get one.

Honestly I don't really understand all of the fuss about Euro style plates. Sure they're nifty, but only because they're different. If you look at the ones currently in use (at least the ones I remember seeing when I was in the UK two years ago) objectively they're pretty dull.