Blackout license plate sales blow past expectations and top 271K in first year

Call Minnesota’s blackout license plates a smashing success.

Just over a year ago, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS) sold its first license plate featuring block white letters against a black background. The agency had a modest goal of issuing 160,000 of the specialty plates by the end of the year.

DVS underestimated their popularity — by a lot. From Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, Minnesotans had snapped up 271,542 blackout plates, according to DVS data.

“We expected strong demand for blackout plates based on what we were hearing from other states, including Iowa,” said Vehicle Services Program Director Greg Loper. “Now, we clearly see Minnesota vehicle owners really like the look of the blackout plate.”

Not all of those plates are affixed to vehicles. About 15,000 of the blackout plates issued are no longer active, meaning they were swapped out when drivers upgraded to personalized blackout or other plates, changed their vehicle class (which requires new plates) or got new plates if their vehicle was in a crash and is no longer drivable. Still, as of the end of the year, 256,387 vehicles on the roads sported blackout plates, making them the most popular of the 123 specialty tags the state offers.

The Minnesota State Legislature gave DVS the authority to offer the blackout plates last year. The plates have proved popular in neighboring Iowa, where the state Department of Transportation, as of June 30, had issued more than 758,000 since their debut six years ago.

“I can’t stand that Iowa had them and we didn’t,” Gov. Tim Walz said in early January 2024 as he purchased a blackout plate at a DVS service center in White Bear Lake. He said car collectors and others like the nostalgic look of the plates. “There is a thing about them.”

Minnesota’s blackout plates begin with the letter Z followed by two additional letters and three numbers. But because of strong and growing demand, DVS has nearly exhausted its supply of the current alphanumeric convention. In the near future tags will appear in inverse order, with three numbers followed by three letters, said spokesman Mark Karstedt.

The sales of blackout plates have been a cash cow for DVS. Each tag sells for $15.50, the same price as a standard plate. Those who buy blackout plates also are assessed an annual $30 fee, with the money going to fund DVS operations. In 2024, DVS took in about $7.8 million from blackout license plates and other specialty plate sales. The money could be used for expanding locations where customers can renew tabs, like at kiosks at Cub Foods, or hiring more staff. But none of the money can be spent until the Legislature approves what it can be used for.

Last year, the state introduced eight other specialty plates. Of those, tags supporting the Minnesota Vikings were the highest selling at 5,787. That was followed by missing and murdered Indigenous relatives at 3,477; the Minnesota Wild, 2,305; the Minnesota Twins, 2,015; the Minnesota Timberwolves, 1,422; Minnesota United Football Club (the Loons), 666; the Lions’ Club International, 195; and the Minnesota Lynx, 165.

The $30 fee from specialty plates goes directly to the organization, or in the case of sports teams, to a charity chosen by the team.

DVS will roll out new plates in honor of the Rotary Club in the next few weeks. It will be the only new plate to be offered this year, Karstedt said.