Spotting a Virginia License Plate From a Distance

Some plates give themselves away with colors or graphics. Virginia works differently, and that’s exactly what makes it fun.

For me, Virginia is one of the easiest plates to recognize from a distance because of the font used for the plate number itself. The standard Virginia plate is fairly plain: a white background, dark blue characters, and “VIRGINIA” across the top. From several cars away, you probably can’t read the state name. But you don’t need to.

Virginia standard passenger license plate with white background and dark blue characters — Virginia’s standard passenger plate — plain at a glance, but the lettering is the giveaway. (Image: Virginia DMV)

Look at the Letters and Numbers

Virginia’s registration characters have a distinctive serif-style appearance. Look closely at letters like I, T, E, and F, or a number like 1. Those little strokes at the ends of the characters give the plate a different look from the cleaner, blockier lettering on many other states’ plates.

Close-up crop of the large dark blue letters and numbers on a Virginia license plate — A closer look at the big characters. Notice the small strokes at the ends of the letters and numbers — that’s the detail to train your eye on.

Once you learn the look, you can start recognizing Virginia without reading “VIRGINIA” at all. That’s especially useful when you’re:

several cars behind a plate
driving past a parking lot
looking across multiple lanes of traffic
too far away to read the state name

The Trick: Don’t Try to Read the State Name

When I’m looking for Virginia, I don’t start with the tiny state name at the top. I look at the shape of the big characters.

If I see a mostly white plate with dark blue lettering and those distinctive serif-style characters, Virginia immediately becomes my first guess. The distinctive lettering can make Virginia easier to recognize from a distance than plates that rely on small graphics or slogans. As you get closer, the blue VIRGINIA across the top confirms it.

One catch: Virginia offers hundreds of specialty plate designs, so this trick works best with the standard passenger plate and other Virginia designs that keep similar lettering.

Learn the Font, Not Just the Plate

Most spotting clues involve colors, slogans, or graphics. Virginia is a good example of why learning the lettering itself gives you another advantage.

Once you recognize it, Virginia becomes one of those states you can sometimes call before you’re close enough to read its name. Put the trick to use the next time you’re playing Spot the States.

More field notes from the road are on the way. Keep an eye on the guides page.