Best and Worst Looking License Plates

License plates typically don’t match the color scheme of your vehicle. This is true especially if you like vehicles whose main color is something other than black or white. Often the colors of your car outright clash with the license plate. If you live in a state or province with an odd colored plate, there is not much you can do about this unless you purchase an affinity plate offered by your state or province. Affinity plates are often available in many color choices and themes plus they have the added bonus of directing the extra money you pay to fund the program or charity of your choice.

The only other choice you have if the color of your license plate truly clashes with your vehicle is to purchase a license plate frame. Getting rid of the dealer frame is a good first step as often it also clashes. Furthermore, the dealer license plate frame has marketing material on it. An elegant stainless steel plate frame or holder can also mute the stark contrast an offending license plate color might be causing by breaking the appearance of the color of the plate from direct contrast with the car. The frame itself will match your vehicle color and give the optical look of offsetting the license plate color.

Who are the worst offending states and provinces in terms of color of license plate? Our number one choice, or more aptly stated culprit, is New York. How they arrived at blue and gold as their main plate option we don’t know.  Maybe because it closely matches the colors of the taxis in Manhattan?

A USA Today poll in 2014 rated these states as the ugliest license plates: Virginia, Alaska, Michigan, Arkansas, Delaware. Delaware was right on the bottom and the story dug into how their plate design has not changed since 1960. Wow. Not only is the color scheme bad but the font set is truly outdated.

Let us know which states or provinces you think have the worst looking plate. As for the best our votes are for the Northwest Territories in Canada. How can you beat a plate that is cut in the shape of a Polar Bear?

Here’s the USA Today’s listing which was provided by carsinsurance.com from best to worst: