California Has Legalized License Plate Wraps

I don’t imply to toot my very own horn as a resident of California, however I’m going to anyway. Typically, as a state we do superior shit that actually doesn’t occur wherever else. That is a kind of occasions as an organization right here that may legally wrap your entrance license plate to your automobile. And it’s all state-approved.

In 2014, the State of California handed a invoice tasking the DMV to search out options for license plate mounts as a cost-cutting measure. That’s when License Plate Wrap rose to the problem and offered its bid to the state. The bid was accepted, and in 2015, the Huntington Seashore-based LPW wraps handed testing by the California Freeway Patrol, and the pilot program was launched with 28 autos in June of that yr.

Everyone knows that entrance license plate frames have been visually uglying the entrance fascia of autos for years. Automakers have not less than come to understand that too and in the previous few years, an rising variety of fashions have arrived in the marketplace with clear entrance bumpers to accommodate the legally-needed aluminum accent. With that, it looks as if the prime alternative for one thing like a wrap plate to be launched.

The preliminary pilot program resulted in early 2021 however has since been prolonged into 2023 by the state senate.

The way it works is pretty easy: you go to the LPW’s website and select from considered one of eight completely different license plate designs. Every design is a normal California license plate, from a daily plate to a veteran plate. You possibly can even select a number of the legacy designs like black and yellow or the coastal plate with a blue whale’s tail on it. After selecting a design, you enter your automobile info, license plate quantity, your deal with, and the automobile’s mileage. 4 to 6 weeks later, your plate wrap arrives within the mail with directions on find out how to set up it. Observe that the corporate recommends you solely use the wrap on autos with manufacturing facility paint or at least excellent paint high quality.

I additionally reached out to the corporate to get an concept of who’s buying or enthusiastic about these plate wraps. In accordance with an organization consultant, hundreds of individuals have been , and so they’re seeing “an increasing number of now on the streets.” LPW can be working to develop to different components of the nation, although they admit the pandemic has made that operation a sluggish course of.

Whereas having state approval is all properly and good, that doesn’t essentially imply native police departments and the state’s freeway patrol officers wouldn’t trouble autos they see with the wraps. I requested LPW in the event that they have been conscious of any cases of drivers being harassed over the wraps. Surprisingly, I used to be instructed it was not a problem—with even some departments reaching out to the corporate out of curiosity, together with West Valley California Freeway Patrol in LA County. LPW even mentioned some native dealerships have been giving their prospects the wrap firm’s info.

What kinds of prospects are shopping for up these plates? LPW shares that these wrap plates have gone on practically each mannequin of Tesla; different EVs like Lucid, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Kia EV6; and high-end supercars like McLarens. Principally, these are prospects who don’t wish to smash the look of their automobile with a license plate.

Getting a entrance license plate wrap from LPW will solely set you again $85 (other than the elevated registration charges the DMV will impose on you). However $85 doesn’t really feel like a nasty funding for one thing that can clear up the look of your automobile significantly.