Think about it: who hasn’t painted a picture of someone just by the car they drive?

Souped-up muscle car with mags, spoilers and tinted windows – rev-head, obviously. SUV with stickers of mum, dad and the kids on the back window – the family car. A cute four-cylinder from the 1980s in pretty good nick – little old lady who only drives to the shops.

Sure, these are generalisations, but a vehicle reflects one’s true self, so it’s not surprising that someone might want to add their own personal touch. Special number plates are one way to do it.

What are special number plates?

Remember the early personalised number plates with green characters on a yellow background?

Back when I first started driving in 1992, there was a mad Port supporter in my hometown who had PAFC81 plates. It was clear he barracked for Port because the Magpies were premiers in 1981.

Most of us have heard about personalised number plates, but they’re actually just one type of special plates available. All up, there are eight for motorists to choose from.

1. Custom
2. Personalised
3. R&S Series
4. Euro
5. Premium
6. Corporate
7. Numeric
8. Bike Rack

For more information on each of the plates, check out EzyPlates.

Special number plates come in all shapes, sizes and colours. Mix and match backgrounds and characters at your whim. There are all sorts of character combinations available as well. Prices – and one-off fees – vary depending on your preferred number plate.

Number plate do’s and don’ts

During the pandemic a car parked at the Adelaide Airport made headlines for its personalised number plates which were emblazoned with ‘COVID19’ in black letters.

After receiving complaints from the public, the Department for Infrastructure and Transport (DIT) put a block on the term and any variations.

This wasn’t the first time a number plate has come under scrutiny. Each year number plates are rejected on the grounds that they could be offensive to the public. This includes combinations of letters and numbers that might be:

• A known profanity
• A religious profanity
• A sexual reference
• Offensive to a religious group
• Offensive to a racial group
• Offensive or internet language
• Derogatory or offensive slang
• Contravening State or Commonwealth law
• Promoting poor road safety or violence or
• Inappropriate or offensive.

Basically, anything that might offend the community will be rejected.

When you apply for a special number plate, Service SA staff will check to see if it passes the litmus test. In the unlikely event an offensive plate is approved, it can still be cancelled at any time. In this situation, the offending number plate must be returned to Service SA.

Picking a special number plate

Every now and then, I think about getting a personalised number plate. If I were to buy one, it would have to mean something deeply personal to me.

Something like ‘BOY1DER’ – a nod to Batman character Robin the Boy Wonder who has been my favourite superhero since I was a kid.

I ran BOY1DER through the easy plate maker on the EzyPlates website. This search function lets you know immediately if your desired number plate is already in use.

Holy special plates – ‘BOY1DER’ was available! Even if your plate is available, your special plate still must go through the DIT’s checks and balances.

Special number plates are more than just fun and games. By purchasing one, you’re giving back to the community. The revenue generated from their sale goes into the Highways Fund, which contributes to the construction and maintenance of the road network and other road safety initiatives.

Nearly 10% of all vehicles registered in South Australia have special number plates, so this is quite a substantial investment.

Come to think of it, maybe I should get that BOY1DER personalised number plate. I probably should buy a car first. Wonder how much the 1966 Batmobile costs these days?