Are customized licensed plates popular in Australia, and how can you get one?


Vehicle registration plates are a requisite feature for motor vehicles in every jurisdiction across the world. In Australia, this required component's issuance is governed by the state, territory, and Commonwealth governments. Australia's armed forces and the registration plate are intended to remain associated with that particular vehicle for the duration that it is registered and used in the territory or state. The different states and territories that make up the country have different license plate features such as the text and background colors and a serial arrangement format for these elements. A typical Australian license plate has text which often incorporates the state or territory’s name, its motto or slogan, numbers, and some imagery associated with the territory if necessary. However, many people are now opting for personalized or custom license plates in the country. In this case, the motor vehicle owner is nonetheless required to pay extra cash to have their personal choice of text or numbers used on their license plate. To learn more about custom plates Click here.

The different territories and states that make up Australia offer different tailored automobile registration plate plans for their vehicle owners. Some of these regions have a fee that has to be annually remitted by the owners to retain the tailored license plate. The cost of acquiring and maintaining the license plate varies depending on the design that one chooses. As earlier cited, Australians, like most other people, love customized license plates mainly to give their vehicles a distinctive finishing touch that stands out from others. These license plates are an ideal way to make one’s vehicle look unique from the rest. Many vehicle owners in the country love them because they give the impression of their ingenuity, exclusivity, and personality and make the vehicle generally look extraordinary. These personalized plates are often also called vanity plates and usually make use of just one’s names’ initials combined with numbers, one’s favorite tagline, or their business logos, as well as the use of exquisite colors such as gold or silver. The plates ought to have specific qualities that make them different from others. And once one pays for this tailored plate, they own it for life unless they decide to transfer its ownership to someone else or sell it. They can even move to a different jurisdiction within the country and still use the same plate. Private motor vehicles and motorcycles can be fitted with a personalized plate. Commercial vehicles such as hire cars, tow trucks, taxis, and public transport bus service vehicles can not be mounted with these license plates.

There are several ways through which one can acquire a vanity plate for one vehicle. There are online platforms where one can design their preferred plate and have it personally tailor-made for them or provide their contact and home details and the proposed content they would like to have on the plate. The plates will then be made and delivered as per the order. Not all types of content can, however, be used on the license plate. Often, messages that refer to drug use, violence, or terrorism, those that portray poor road safety messages, and those that make use of inappropriate innuendos either racially, religiously, or sexually cannot be accepted for use on the license plate. The same case applies to texts that misrepresent membership to an authoritative organization or agency or texts that are generally proscribed by authorities. These plates come in series from which one can choose. Such include Chinese zodiac series, custom series, design series, business plate series, Frangipani series, Euro series, metallic series, intense series, personalized series, name series, sports series, retro and vintage series, platinum series, and prestige series, among many others depending on one’s territorial jurisdiction as well as how much one would wish to spend on acquiring the license plate. Many reckon that using personalized license plates is far more beneficial among those who have embraced the trend. Custom plates, they say, present them with an opportunity to market themselves or their brands. These plates also highlight their originality, flair, and creativeness especially when they have the prospects of selling the vehicle in the future. There is also the benefit of keeping and exclusively using the license plate for as long as they have it registered and retained.

While the use of personalized license plates is a fad that is highly regarded, especially when one has extra cash to spend, there are factors to consider when adopting them. One is advised to develop a unique design and tag that stands out from the rest that others have previously used. The tag could be related to the person’s name, business, or even hobby. Abbreviations, initials, and acronyms of these names are ideal as combined with other elements, they are minimalistic yet distinctive. One also has to research on prohibition and other restrictions imposed by their territories or states so that they have a clear idea of the content they can use or not use in their license plates and the process of acquiring one. The reason for adopting the personalized plate should also be considered as well as the consequent costs to be met in the process. Often, for the custom license plate to be ready after making an order, it takes roughly two to four weeks depending on the dealer that one works and also the intricacy and meticulousness required in the design a client requests.