Vehicle registration plates of Virginia

The U.S. state of Virginia first required its residents to register their motor vehicles and display license plates in 1906. , plates are issued by the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Front and rear plates are required for most classes of vehicles, while only rear plates are required for motorcycles and trailers.

Motor vehicle registration statistics
As of 2008, the DMV has 7,698,416 active registrations, 1,696,795 (22%) of which are special or personalized plates. One out of every ten personalized license plates in the United States is registered to a Virginia driver. The high take-up of vanity plates in the state is arguably due to the fact that, unlike in many other states, a personalized plate in Virginia costs just $10 more than a randomly-assigned registration plate. In 2008, 1,624,146 pairs of license plates were sold, with 831,361 of them being personalized plates.

1906 to 1972
In 1956, the United States, Canada, and Mexico came to an agreement with the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, the Automobile Manufacturers Association and the National Safety Council that standardized the size for license plates for vehicles (except those for motorcycles) at 6 in in height by 12 in in width, with standardized mounting holes. The first Virginia license plate that complied with these standards was issued eight years beforehand, in 1948.

No slogans were used on passenger plates during the period covered by this subsection.

Optional plates
Virginia offers 333 optional license plates. Most can be personalized for an additional fee.