Marketing

Can a personalised plate grow your business? What the evidence says

By the Great Plates team · Updated 14 October 2026 · 11 sources

A tradie's van with PLUMBR on the back is a familiar sight on New Zealand and Australian roads. Owners swear by them. But does a plate actually win work? Here's what the research supports, what it doesn't, and how to get the most from one.

Vehicles are seen, a lot

The most-quoted figure in vehicle advertising is that a wrapped vehicle earns "30,000-70,000 daily vehicular impressions". 3M, a major supplier of vehicle wrap film, attributes it to a 2003 study by ARD Ventures ^[1]. The same 3M page cites Nielsen research from 2019 in which 64% of respondents said they noticed vehicle graphics ^[1]. Older figures credited to the American Trucking Associations, such as 91% of people noticing truck graphics, can't be traced to a published study with a date or method ^[2].

Treat these numbers with care. They are American, mostly old, and largely published by companies that sell vehicle graphics. But they all point the same way. People notice what's on the vehicles around them, and a plate sits at eye level at every set of lights.

We couldn't find an equivalent study for New Zealand or Australia. If you run a fleet and track enquiries, you could be the first to publish one, and we'd like to help.

Why short and unique beats clever and long

Professor Jenni Romaniuk of the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, who studies how brands are remembered, describes a distinctive asset as one that makes a brand look like itself "and not like others". She measures assets on two things: how many people link the asset to the brand, and how unique it is, warning that "the more you share it with others the weaker it is" ^[3].

A personalised plate is unique by law. Only one vehicle in the country can display it. Whether it becomes linked to your business depends on how often people see it next to your name, which is why plates and signwriting work better together than either does alone.

Length matters too. Psychologist Nelson Cowan's widely cited review concluded that short-term memory holds about four "chunks" at once ^[4]. Separately, the word-length effect shows people remember short words better than long ones ^[5]. A plate like BOSS or COFFEE is one chunk. A 12-digit phone number painted on a van door is several. That's an argument by analogy, not a tested result for plates, but it's a sound principle for anything you want people to recall after a glance.

Businesses that use plates

• KiwiPlates' general manager has named Red Bull, Lewis Road Creamery and Burger Fuel as brands using plates on company vehicles, and quoted a beauty business with the plate L1LASH calling it one of its best marketing investments ^[6]. KiwiPlates sells plates, so read that as a seller's account.
• Governments have noticed the demand. Western Australia launched BizPlates for business logos and messages in 2013 ^[7], and VicRoads now offers Business Plates carrying company names, taglines or websites, with plans to cut the minimum order from ten sets to five ^[8].

Choosing a plate that works for a business

1. Say the trade or the name, not a pun only you get. PLUMBR beats PLMBNG4U. If it needs explaining, it isn't working at the lights. When you list a plate on Great Plates, the site checks what it reads as, so you can see how others will read it.
2. Put it on the vehicle that's seen most. The work ute that's parked outside jobs all day does more than the director's weekend car.
3. Pair it with your name and contact. A plate makes people look. Your signwriting tells them who to call.
4. Use it everywhere else. Put the plate in photos on your website, quotes and social posts so the link between plate and business builds faster. Seller Studio makes ready-sized graphics.
5. Track it. Ask new customers how they found you, and add "saw your plate" as an option.

Is a plate an investment?

Some plates have climbed in value dramatically. NSW plate "2" sold for $689,000 in 2003, and NSW "4" made $2.45 million in 2017 ^[9][10]. But those are rare, low-number heritage plates in Australia. They tell you little about an everyday word plate. New Zealand has no published record of rising plate values. The MAORI plate, once owned by Kim Dotcom, drew no bids when it was relisted in 2018 ^[11]. Buy a plate because it's useful to you. Treat any rise in value as a bonus.

What about tax?

We couldn't find specific guidance from IRD or the ATO on personalised plates. Because a plate lasts indefinitely and doesn't wear out, it may be treated as a capital cost rather than an expense you can claim straight away, with any gain or loss dealt with when you sell. Treat that as a question to put to your accountant, not as advice. Be wary of tax tips online: most of what turns up in searches is about the UK.

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