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Front License Plate Options

What front license plate option did you select?

  • 1. No front license plate. (Not required where I live.)

    Votes: 5 5.5%
  • 2. No front LP. (I live on the wild side.)

    Votes: 26 28.6%
  • 3. Tesla OEM or aftermarket LP bracket (attached to front bumper w/adhesive or screws).

    Votes: 13 14.3%
  • 4. Easy-On/Off LP holder. (E.g., Slipstream, Quick Bandit, SnapPlate, OttoShield, etc.)

    Votes: 31 34.1%
  • 5. Connected by bolts & clamps directly to the grillwork. (E.g., The Law, Teslaxus, etc.)

    Votes: 4 4.4%
  • 6. License Plate Replica Wrap (to front bumper).

    Votes: 8 8.8%
  • 7. Other.

    Votes: 4 4.4%

  • Total voters
    91
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tps5352

Active Member
Supporting Member
There are a number of helpful discussions about front license plate (LP) alternatives. For example:
Thank you for those.

This is intended to summarize current information. It’s at the start of a new thread so that data can be updated, corrected, or removed as needed. Although my interest is in the Model X, I chose the Model Ǝ location because, let's face it, this is where the largest audience is.

The number of LP holder options probably stems (a) from the perceived lack of a satisfactory OEM Tesla option and (b) due to varying regional regulation and enforcement protocols. As a result (like something out of Harry Potter) Tesla drivers appear to fall into one of four camps:
  1. They operate freely where no front LP is required. (The lucky ones.)
  2. Some casually risk official censure from the authorities. (The wild ones.)
  3. Not looking for trouble, this group seeks a permanent front LP fixture. (The resigned.)
  4. Envying the geography or pluck of Groups 1 and 2, respectively, these folks take advantage of an easy on-off front LP holder option. (The mavericks.)
All joking aside, there is a valid reason to avoid marring the front of an expensive vehicle with hard-to-remove adhesive or screw-holes. Yet who doesn’t want to avoid inconvenient and embarrassing (at best) or expensive (at worst) citations from parking and law-enforcement officials?

I admit to having a couple of favorites on the list. But I have no axe to grind with, am not receiving any compensation from, and I have no customer relationship (yet) with any of the manufacturers or distributors of these products. Instead, I see ingenious attempts to deal with a difficult engineering challenge—i.e., the unaccommodating Tesla front bumper. I purposely left off one other column--"Possible Concerns." Those can be discussed below, or have already been covered in other threads.

Let me know if I've missed an option. I've seen some clever homemade, DIY remedies. And there is at least one other wrap- or sticker-like license plate image product on the market. But I remain unclear as to its legal status. The one I listed has so far received California DMV and Highway Patrol tentative approval.

As with any purchase, buyers need to give careful thought to what it is they want to achieve versus what the products actually provide (not just what they claim to provide). Unfortunately, we often cannot really know those things until after buying, installing, and using the product, by which time it can be too late. So warranties are good things, is what I am saying. And so, too, are Forums.

I will gladly revise the table to address mistakes and omissions. But please be prepared to prove a contrary claim—e.g., provide a Web reference or valid information source.

Front License Plate Holder Comparison Table
 
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Good effort.

Don't forget below additional Etsy-based offering by TeslaKingGoods (sometimes seen on eBay and Amazon as well)... very similar to the Teslaxus No-Hole product (pre-dates it actually) and also re-using the OE LP bracket, relocating it lower and avoiding any bumper skin screws or adhesive.

TeslaKingGoods
 
Good effort.

Don't forget below additional Etsy-based offering by TeslaKingGoods (sometimes seen on eBay and Amazon as well)... very similar to the Teslaxus No-Hole product (pre-dates it actually) and also re-using the OE LP bracket, relocating it lower and avoiding any bumper skin screws or adhesive.

TeslaKingGoods
Good information. I'll add the TeslaKing product. (I am unfamiliar with Etsy. I'll check it out.)

Is there any problem with reduced airflow with these LP holders that are positioned right in front of the lower grill?
 
None that I have seen, no issues down to -20F or up to +100F ambient temps.

Plenty of room between the plate holder and the active grill with air flowing past it and around it.

What is nice is the form of the stock bracket fits perfectly to hug the lower bumper lip, adding an extra 0.1 to 0.2 inches of protection (foam padding and all). Provides an early warning and sacrificial material before bottoming out.
 
None that I have seen, no issues down to -20F or up to +100F ambient temps.

Plenty of room between the plate holder and the active grill with air flowing past it and around it.

What is nice is the form of the stock bracket fits perfectly to hug the lower bumper lip, adding an extra 0.1 to 0.2 inches of protection (foam padding and all). Provides an early warning and sacrificial material before bottoming out.

I will definitely check this out. Thanks. I am getting a Model X, so hopefully it works just as well as for Model 3. At only $13 plus shipping, it is worth trying.
 
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...front license plate (LP) alternatives...

Update. I am still waiting for my new license plates from California DMV. Does anyone know on average how long it takes to get them after buying a new car in California? (Maybe Prison Industries has been slowed by Covid?)

Meanwhile, I decided to leave the front bumper bare, but to carry a mounted front license plate in the car's storage area to use in case I ever get a fix-it ticket. (Judging by the above survey results, I now suspect that this is what a lot of people in California and other applicable areas do.)

Since the Quick Bandit is not available (yet) for me (w/Model X), I settled on the Slipstream model from ThatGrin. I bought a used one on eBay (which I am also waiting for). Hopefully this solution will work.
 
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Good effort.

Don't forget below additional Etsy-based offering by TeslaKingGoods (sometimes seen on eBay and Amazon as well)... very similar to the Teslaxus No-Hole product (pre-dates it actually) and also re-using the OE LP bracket, relocating it lower and avoiding any bumper skin screws or adhesive.

TeslaKingGoods
Bumping this. Any issues six months later? Can’t beat this price.