# Efforts to Change US License Plate Style to European **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 11, 2014, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/efforts-to-change-us-license-plate-style-to-european/701037 "2014-10-11T14:28:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2014, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/efforts-to-change-us-license-plate-style-to-european/701037/41 "2014-10-12T08:12:28Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > Heh heh. If you had to drive a carload of young children over typical American-family-vacation distances, you would soon come to appreciate the appeal of having visually distinctive state license plates. 😃 Maybe so. Of course those distances don’t exist in the uk, but I think there is probably a different collective notion of what the plates are for. iMO, they exist to clearly and uniquely identify the vehicle. I’m sure there are people in the UK who would like them to be pink, or have flashing LEDs on them, or spell out their name, but largely, those people are idiots. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2014, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/efforts-to-change-us-license-plate-style-to-european/701037/42 "2014-10-12T14:30:20Z")
Just wanted to clarify that I was mainly speaking about the UK after having become a fan of the British show _ **Wheeler Dealers** _ they started running over here on The Discovery Channel. Many episodes feature them buying a classic car in America and shipping it back to Britain for restoration, and the plate mount size differences has come up. And I could have sworn that I’ve seen the mechanic Ed China replace UK plates by making them himself (could be mistaken though)… ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2014, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/efforts-to-change-us-license-plate-style-to-european/701037/43 "2014-10-12T14:37:45Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > And I could have sworn that I’ve seen the mechanic Ed China replace UK plates by making them himself (could be mistaken though)… Looks like that is illegal in the UK, as per [this website](https://www.gov.uk/displaying-number-plates/getting-number-plates-made-up): > [@UK Government](#): > > You can only get a number plate made up from a registered number plate supplier. ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2014, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/efforts-to-change-us-license-plate-style-to-european/701037/44 "2014-10-12T15:40:24Z")
I personally think it’s a non-issue, but after analyzing due to this thread, these are my thoughts (I’m in the US): Minor point #1: As we’ve added more characters over time, Euro plates do seem to more naturally accommodate them, US plates seem to be squishing the characters a bit to make them fit. Minor point #2: Regarding special colors and pictures per state (many states have multiple designs): I like this stuff, it’s interesting, not necessary but definitely a plus in my mind. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2014, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/efforts-to-change-us-license-plate-style-to-european/701037/45 "2014-10-12T19:48:43Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > Just wanted to clarify that I was mainly speaking about the UK after having become a fan of the British show _ **Wheeler Dealers** _ they started running over here on The Discovery Channel. Many episodes feature them buying a classic car in America and shipping it back to Britain for restoration, and the plate mount size differences has come up. And I could have sworn that I’ve seen the mechanic Ed China replace UK plates by making them himself (could be mistaken though)… > [@Schnitte](#): > > Looks like that is illegal in the UK, as per [this website](https://www.gov.uk/displaying-number-plates/getting-number-plates-made-up): There are exceptions for imported vehicles. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2014, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/efforts-to-change-us-license-plate-style-to-european/701037/46 "2014-10-13T00:04:25Z")
Yeah, it’s probably not a big deal. The European format does have somewhat larger and bolder lettering which may be readable at a greater distance. OTOH, the taller American format allows for the state to be printed across most of the plate above or below the number. In some areas of the US, a considerable amount of the traffic will be out of state. Before the states all had white backgrounds or started offering all these fancy alternate plate backgrounds, the color scheme and distinctive graphics helped identify the state of origin for a plate, too. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2014, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/efforts-to-change-us-license-plate-style-to-european/701037/47 "2014-10-13T13:21:39Z")
Of course, there is no one European format. Each country has its own style, which you can see [here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_registration_plates_of_Europe#List). It’s true that there is not the variety that you see with US plates. They lean more towards functional and businesslike, and don’t really afford opportunities for American-style whimsy. Nevertheless, they are different enough that you can soon identify most cars’ nationalities even without the country identifiers, which are not always mandatory on the plate. Yellow plates on the front? Dutch. Red numbers/letters? Belgian. That distinctive typeface, with badges in the middle? German. Etc. Some German car enthusiasts in the UK fit German-style plates for the authentic look. They risk a fixed-penalty fine by doing so, though. Others have German plates for show but use UK-regulation plates the rest of the time. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2014, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/efforts-to-change-us-license-plate-style-to-european/701037/48 "2014-10-13T15:26:09Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > Where are you getting this from? Yeah I was wondering the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![brad\_d](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@brad\_d](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brad_d)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2014, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/efforts-to-change-us-license-plate-style-to-european/701037/49 "2014-10-13T16:04:57Z")
Is it true that every US state has individually arrived at dimensions and mounting hole positions for their license plates, and _every single one of them_ chose the same ones without any federal influence? As far as I’m aware, plates from any US state can be bolted onto any car sold in the US market without modification (no mismatches of hole positions or plates that won’t fit in the bodywork recess - good luck fitting a European plate on [this car](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/Ford_Escort_LX_hatch.jpg)). It seems remarkable to me that every state would independently choose the same solution. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2014, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/efforts-to-change-us-license-plate-style-to-european/701037/50 "2014-10-13T16:15:43Z")
> [@dofe](#): > > Among some car enthusiasts in the US, the issue of front license plates has been the subject of argument because (likely due to the larger, or rather more rectangular size of the plates here) they tend to ruin the lines of a car (this was an especially bad problem with the Mazda RX8 and the Pontiac Solstice). I do remember wondering how your typical Pontiac would accomodate a front plate. It must have looked rather awkward. I’m annoyed that US hasn’t standardized which side of the car the gas cap goes on. It seems like the majority of cars have it on the drivers side, but a sizeble minority have it on the passenger side. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2014, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/efforts-to-change-us-license-plate-style-to-european/701037/51 "2014-10-13T16:58:25Z")
> [@brad\_d](#): > > Is it true that every US state has individually arrived at dimensions and mounting hole positions for their license plates, and _every single one of them_ chose the same ones without any federal influence? > > As far as I’m aware, plates from any US state can be bolted onto any car sold in the US market without modification (no mismatches of hole positions or plates that won’t fit in the bodywork recess - good luck fitting a European plate on [this car](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/Ford_Escort_LX_hatch.jpg)). It seems remarkable to me that every state would independently choose the same solution. Probably because the US car manufacturers simply manufactured them all with a certain size holder, which imposed the standard. The size was settled on when Americans bought far fewer imported cars. ETA: In fact, early on in automotive history, US plates weren’t all the same size. I would still guess that the manufacturers eventually imposed a standard. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2014, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/efforts-to-change-us-license-plate-style-to-european/701037/52 "2014-10-13T20:20:37Z")
From [Vehicle registration plate - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_registration_plate#Sizes) > [@](#): > > Earlier plates varied in size and shape from one jurisdiction to the next, such that if one moved, new holes would need to be drilled into the bumper to support the new plate. Standardization of plates came in 1957, when automobile manufacturers came to agreement with governments and international standards organizations. While peculiar local variants still exist, there are three basic standards worldwide. … Followed by a long list of the various sizes currently in use around the world. ---
**Author:** ![dofe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ba0ec/32.png) [@dofe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dofe)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2014, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/efforts-to-change-us-license-plate-style-to-european/701037/53 "2014-10-13T20:27:47Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > I do remember wondering how your typical Pontiac would accomodate a front plate. It must have looked rather awkward. Indeed. If you google “Pontiac Solstice Front Plate,” the first search result is a forum thread titled “[Front License Plate - Ugly, Any Suggestions?](https://www.google.com/search?q=pontiac+solstice+front+plate&safe=off&client=ubuntu&hs=gzn&channel=fs&source=lnms&sa=X&ei=1DQ8VKvBKJK7ogSBxoCYAw&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAA&biw=966&bih=955&dpr=1)” ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2014, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/efforts-to-change-us-license-plate-style-to-european/701037/54 "2014-10-13T21:39:15Z")
> [@yabob](#): > > In fact, early on in automotive history, US plates weren’t all the same size. I would still guess that the manufacturers eventually imposed a standard. I don’t know about all of them but I do know that some states settled on the current size very early in the U.S. I have a Massachusetts license plate from 1915 and a New Hampshire plate from 1923 on my kitchen wall right next to some more modern plates. The old ones are the same size as the new ones and could be mounted just fine on any American car you buy from a dealer today. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2014, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/efforts-to-change-us-license-plate-style-to-european/701037/55 "2014-10-13T21:52:59Z")
> [@Ximenean](#): > > Some German car enthusiasts in the UK fit German-style plates for the authentic look. They risk a fixed-penalty fine by doing so, though. Others have German plates for show but use UK-regulation plates the rest of the time. ‘Show Plates’ are a bit of a loophole in the whole control process - you can only get official UK reg plates from a licensed supplier (and you have to show proof of ownership of the vehicle etc) - but you can order ‘show plates’ from the internet without any credential checking - some of these plates look completely official (so the process could be used to obtain fake plates); others are rendered using fonts that are so decorative (e.g. Copperplate or some such) as to be essentially unreadable on a moving vehicle. The police will issue a fixed penalty if they notice it, but it seems like a lot of people must get away without being caught, as I see a fair few of these plates around. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2014, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/efforts-to-change-us-license-plate-style-to-european/701037/56 "2014-10-13T22:17:48Z")
Yes, it does seem to depend on the particular police officer. I’m not sure how well-versed your average copper is in the minutiae of number plate regulations. I have heard of people getting pulled merely for having embossed plates - that is, UK-specification embossed plates - on the grounds that they look “foreign” (UK plates being usually flat rather than embossed, of course). AIUI such plates are in fact perfectly legal. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2014, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/efforts-to-change-us-license-plate-style-to-european/701037/57 "2014-10-13T23:31:21Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > ‘Show Plates’ are a bit of a loophole in the whole control process - you can only get official UK reg plates from a licensed supplier (and you have to show proof of ownership of the vehicle etc) - you get your plates from a third party? Huh. at least in Michigan they’re issued by the state government (via the Secretary of State in MI, the DMV in other states.) ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2014, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/efforts-to-change-us-license-plate-style-to-european/701037/58 "2014-10-13T23:39:47Z")
Plates are typically supplied by the dealer and stay on the car for its life. I can’t help wondering, if it were the other way around, people would say something like “the GOVERNMENT issues number plates there? Typical Europe, the government interferes in everything.” ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2014, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/efforts-to-change-us-license-plate-style-to-european/701037/59 "2014-10-13T23:55:48Z")
> [@Ximenean](#): > > Plates are typically supplied by the dealer and stay on the car for its life. as with everything in this country, _it depends._ The dealer issuing plates is something of a more recent phenomenon in Michigan. Though really, they’re just a middleman since the plates are still made and issued by the state. Plus, that usually is only from new car dealers (and the used-car arm of a franchised new car dealer.) Independent used-car dealers still typically give you a paper temporary tag while you wait for the official plate from the state. > [@](#): > > I can’t help wondering, if it were the other way around, people would say something like “the GOVERNMENT issues number plates there? Typical Europe, the government interferes in everything.” to the average person, “small government” means “I don’t think the government should do any more for anyone that it already does for me.” ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2014, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/efforts-to-change-us-license-plate-style-to-european/701037/60 "2014-10-14T00:02:31Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > you get your plates from a third party? Huh. at least in Michigan they’re issued by the state government (via the Secretary of State in MI, the DMV in other states.) In many US states plates are manufactured and supplied by an agency of the state. But people go to licensed 3rd party commercial retailers to perform all the customer service activities of applying for registration, getting physical possession of plates & annual fee-paid stickers, performing annual registration renewals, etc. Likewise 3rd party commercial retailers handle driver’s license issuance and renewal on behalf of the state. SOME US states handle all these processes in government-owned or -leased buildings staffed with government employees. But I think those states are in the minority. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/efforts-to-change-us-license-plate-style-to-european/701037.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/efforts-to-change-us-license-plate-style-to-european/701037.md?page=4)