(Those two alone will likely get you a ticket if you try the common trick of just tossing your plate on your dash.) We can't cover every state's statutes, but in California, the state with the most cars, the vehicle code says a front plate must be:

(But by that rationale, why don't we have side license plates?) What the law says Having a front plate doubles the shots any of these cameras can use to get a make on your car.įront plates can also help the average person ID a car behind them in their mirror, or one that is otherwise only seen from the front, like a car turning across you in an intersection. Some cars are designed so that a front plate must be mounted smack over the grille of the car, looking ugly and disturbing airflow.įront plate laws come down to the needs of police, meter readers and, increasingly, automatic license plate reader cameras that are on official vehicles, at the borders of towns and even built into some smart home camera software.Front plates often don't carry registration stickers, so many drivers find them superfluous.Front plates tend to protrude a bit from the front of the car and get crushed and mangled in parking.

The Honda HR-V offers a clean, well-lighted place for a rear license plate. As a result the front plate usually looks tacked on. Carmakers seldom create a nice well for a front plate the way they do for rear plates.

Honda crv license plate bracket