Aluminum vs. Plastic License Plates

Ever wondered why every state in the U.S. continues to manufacture its official license plates from aluminum, despite the wide availability of plastic car tags today? On the other hand, auto dealerships often brand the cars for sale on their lots with custom auto tags made from plastic instead. Why the difference and which is better?

The reasons to choose one or the other are simple, and you’ll want to apply them to your own decision whether to buy custom license plates made from plastic or aluminum:

What purpose are you buying them for?
How should they look?
How long do they need to last?

Keep in mind: In general, you get what you pay for.

Plastic license plates

Plastic plates are cheaper to produce and purchase. That’s their advantage, of course. It comes with a tradeoff, though: Tag life for plastic car tags is less than for aluminum.

Can you live with that fact? Possibly. There’s an element of risk. Tag life claims for plastic don’t always hold up. As they age, plastic auto tags can crack, curl, and occasionally break. Tags that curl or crack look bad and project a poor image, while tags that break become unusable and have to be replaced. Nonetheless:

If the time horizon for your name identification effort is just a few years or less, and ensuring that your tag’s artwork (and your image) holds up over longer periods of time isn’t a primary concern, plastic car tags can be fine.

Example: Take the auto dealerships mentioned above. They primarily need license plates to advertise their business for the time period while cars are on their lot and being test-driven. Once the cars are sold, the car tags are often disposed of by customers. Here, it usually makes sense to go for the cheapest up-front price.

Up-front vs. true lifetime cost

Up-front cost isn’t everything, of course, and this brings up the true lifetime (or per-year) cost spent on the car tags. It’s equal to price divided by number of years that you’ll be using the license tags.

You’ll need to look at this if you’re buying custom license plates for long-term name identification and ongoing awareness, because here you’re looking at the economics of lifetime tag cost as opposed to up-front cost. If you’re a church, school or sports team, business, or other group, you often want your auto tags to continue promoting your organization for a number of years down the road. If your promotional plans are long-term, tag life will impact your frequency of tag repurchases and the effectiveness of your exposure to the public.

Aluminum license plates

Aluminum’s advantages stem from holding its integrity for longer. It doesn’t crack, curl, or break, and it won’t rust or corrode. Aluminum auto tags will last a minimum of 5–7 years and often longer. Up to 10 years or more is not unheard of.

Small cost difference vs. plastic over long-term. Aluminum does cost more up-front. When you need long tag life, however, there won’t be much difference in cost over the long run. You buy aluminum auto plates once, they last long, and it will be a long time before you have to buy again.

Reduced purchase frequency. Put another way: If you expect that your custom license plates may be out on the road promoting your organization for the better part of a decade or longer, if you choose not to buy aluminum, you will likely have to buy another set of car tags before that period is up. Consider here if it’s worth going through the buying — and possibly design and approval and promotional — process with your group all over again.

Is image important? Cost isn’t the only criterion, of course. Aluminum simply looks better. That’s important when the image projected by the tag is a priority. You get a glossy surface for a first-class appearance. They’re license tags you’ll be proud to own and point to, and they make your organization look better.

Fundraising considerations. If the auto tags will be used as a fundraiser, keep in mind you’ll be reselling them to members of your organization. This means the initial extra cost will be spread among numerous individuals who can absorb the up-front difference in cost fairly painlessly.

Summary: Best custom auto tags for the long-term

The above factors explain why all the U.S. states use aluminum auto tags. What about yourself? If you need custom license plates that:

project a first-class image,
stand up to the elements and last long, and
are economical over the long-term,

we aren’t shy about recommending that you buy aluminum. That’s what we sell, and you’re the type of customer we’re geared to serve.

If you’re looking at 50 license plates or more, our minimum quantity order, give us a toll-free call at 800-330-8247 or contact us by email with your organization’s logo, symbol, and/or information.

After that, your free design — created by experienced graphic designers — will be posted online for your review within just 3 business days. Then we can take things from there.