I bought one of these plates for my plaid. Rationale for buying it is as follows:
1. My car is black with a black interior. I don’t mind the CA 1960 retro plate, but I’ve had one for a long time already. Plus, the ubiquity has resulted in them becoming a little played out, IMO. It’s a shame the DMV didn’t get enough votes to bring back the blue/yellow and others colors too—so we could have some variety. Regardless, I’d prefer something different this time, and RPlate is the only way to get black/monochrome, which would obviously go alright with a black car. I think it’s a very nice match. And seeing how much us enthusiasts pay to make our cars look good ($$$$ for PPF, ceramic coating, tints, wraps etc.), I think a few hundreds dollars for a different, nicer plate is absolutely justifiable. The plate area is one of the foremost points of visual interest on any car, and the options are very limited for making yours personal, and fitting it in with your colors. Honestly I think these plates makes a lot of sense—even totally ignoring the functionality—and I’m surprised so many here are settling for the basic, Civic-pusher take on the matter.
2. I’ll never use a front plate. Just won’t. Therefore, I think this plate will be useful, or possibly even pay for itself and/or save money, if it gets me out of a ticket or two in its lifetime. Of course, ignorance of the law isn’t a valid excuse and it’s quite possible to get a front plate ticket with one of these things. But as far as I can tell, having one of these plates gives you the best possible plausible deniability in going without a front plate. It’s a new thing, cops and users alike would receive more than ample forgiveness, for being unaware of exactly how they’re treated from the legal perspective. The relationship + discrepancies between what’s displayed on the RPlate and what’s displayed on the original, physical plates you presumably have is understandably going to change, as you modify the plate number, color, messages and etc.. Additionally, it’s a fancy, upscale piece of equipment and one might even assume that no front plate req. is one of the perks of having it (and it seems some people make that assumption and/or raise this question on discussion posts about it.). The fact that the Rplate doesn’t come with anything for the front and/or even address this question prominently all goes to supports this. Isn’t the idea of using this electronic plate plus a generic physical plate simultaneously sort of awkward, and perhaps defeating the appeal of the thing? I think the chance of cops either letting you go with a warning, or not stopping you in the first place is very high, with these things.
3. Anonymity when driving out of state. I’ve been lucky apparently, but one of my best friends who drives OOS frequently has had bad experiences with getting undue attention, simply for having a California plate. Being pulled over by police, having his car searched and/or attempted to be searched for drugs. I have heard tales along these lines from others, and trust that there isn’t more to his stories. But in the interest of avoiding situations like these—including social stigma FWIW, I can see the appeal to having a plate that doesn’t instantly identify me as a Californian. However, this point may be a double edged sword, in how it might draw more unwanted attention, by the simple nature of being a visually distinct plate. I can’t predict the outcome of this factor though, and figure it may be hit-or-miss in either direction.
In short, I don’t expect this plate to guarantee me a molestation-free driving experience. It may very well draw more unwanted attention to me—especially out of state. However, I’m only out of state occasionally. And the way I see it, this plate probably offers me the best chance out there, of getting away with no front plate for as long as possible. I don’t see an alternative scenario which gives me a better chance. And I believe it looks nice, on top of the other functionality/convenience.
Just my 2¢!
Even if it's not a fix-it ticket, paying the ticket is gonna cost less than a digital plate.
