Indiana Just Made A License Plate That’s Cooler Than Your Whole Car
The new blackout plate launches soon and it’s already generating buzz for its clean design and limited availability across the state
https://www.carscoops.com/author/stephen-rivers/
by Stephen Rivers
Indiana’s blackout plate launches August 8 with a minimalist black-and-white design option.
Available for most non-commercial vehicles, including cars, motorcycles, trucks, and RVs.
Officials expect high demand, as similar designs have quickly sold out in other states.
Indiana residents have a new sleek blackout license plate to choose from. tarting August 8, the state’s Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) will offer a minimalist blackout license plate for a range of vehicles, including RVs, motorcycles, passenger cars, and trucks under 11,000 pounds. With this, Indiana joins a growing number of states offering similarly clean, monochrome plate options.
Read: Texas Is Finally Getting Rid Of Paper License Plates
The plate is about as classic and simple as it could get. It features a black background with a white outline and white reflective lettering. A disability-accessible version is in the works. Importantly, this isn’t a new standard plate but one that residents can pay a little extra for.
How to Get One
Those who want it before their current plate expires can pay a simple $9.50 replacement fee for it. Those getting a new plate will be subject to a $45 fee. Buyers can personalize them for an additional $45. Residents can get the plates at their local BMV branch, through a self-service kiosk, or even order them online. Notably, they can’t combine the blackout theme with other specialized plate designs.
Despite that, the state expects the plate to be a smash hit. Officials put on an event to celebrate the new plate and invited notable enthusiast vehicles. Those in attendance included a Ford Mustang, a Shelby Cobra replica, an International Scout SUV, a motorcycle, and a CanAm Spyder. There were even blackout-themed treats on hand.
Photos Indiana BMV
If this launch goes as well as it has in other places, the plates might sell so fast that the state runs low. That’s what happened in Iowa with an almost identical design recently. “Nothing has ever really been like this,” Iowa Department of Transportation official Paul Cornelius told the Des Moines Register. “We haven’t had any other plates that have been this significant and, I would say, have been this popular, this fast.”
Blackout Plates Are Trending Nationwide
Indiana is one of several states with a black license plate option. Some, like Kansas, Washington, Florida, Montana, and Arizona, have white accents. Others like Colorado, Tennessee, and California are available with a completely black background and only lettering in white. It seems that simple, elegant black is a design that just about everyone can get behind.
That’s not always the case. Oklahoma recently released a new standard plate after the public made it clear to officials that they wanted a different design. Sometimes the solution to good public design is simply to avoid overthinking it.
Photos Indiana BMV
