If you have “general issue” license plates on your vehicle—the ones that come free with its registration—you get a plain white plate with TEXAS on top and a number randomly assigned by the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. It’s the first license plate in the U.S. to feature two, high-visibility security threads embedded into the plate sheeting, making it easier for police to spot legitimate plates.

But it’s still kinda dull. And many people prefer to pay extra for plates with more oomph, pizzazz, and personal expression. To handle these “specialty license plate” orders, TxDMV partners with MyPlates.com. 

So what did Texans pay for most in 2022 to bolt to their bumpers? MyPlates just announced the rankings. The top Texas plate with 19,000-plus sales was the retro Classic Black design, which has been No. 1 since its 2016 launch. Coming in second was the Lone Star Black design, followed by the Carbon Fiber plate design. Classic Black Silver and Small Star Black round out the Top 5 at No. 4 and No. 5.

Here are more specialty license plate favorites for Texans in 2022, according to MyPlates.com:

Top 3 State Charity Plates

1. Texas Parks and Wildlife – Monarch Butterfly
2. Texas Parks and Wildlife – Bluebonnet
3. Texas Parks and Wildlife – Whitetail Deer

Top 3 College Plates (In-State)

1. Texas A&M University
2. University of Texas
3. Texas Tech University

Top 3 College Plates (Out-of-State)

1. LSU
2. University of Oklahoma
3. University of Alabama

Top 3 Sports Plates

1. Dallas Cowboys
2. Houston Astros
3. San Antonio Spurs

My Plates says it offers more than 550 different specialty license plate designs, from Texas themes to sports, college, charity, and military plates.

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