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Delicate Arch, ‘In God We Trust,’ the skier or something else? Which license plate is Utah’s most popular?

We wanted to know what Utah’s most popular license plate is, so we pulled the numbers.

(Utah Division of Motor Vehicles) Utah's three standard plates and the black-and-white specialty plate offered to drivers.

(Utah Division of Motor Vehicles) Utah's three standard plates and the black-and-white specialty plate offered to drivers.

When we posted a story last week about Utah’s new “America 250” license plate, readers didn’t hold back their thoughts.

About three dozen weighed in on sltrib.com, with one saying the new plate was “certainly ugly” while another liked the design but didn’t want to be mistaken for a Republican if choosing it. Over on Instagram, 150-plus others chimed in, with one leaving it simply at, “Ew.”

Well then.

[Read more: Utah has a new colorful license plate. Check it out.]

We also asked Instagram followers what their favorite Utah license plate is. Of those who took the totally unscientific poll, 63% said they preferred the colorful Delicate Arch plate, followed by 21% for the “Life Elevated” skier plate, 2% for the “In God We Trust” plate and 14% for “other.”

Naturally, we wanted to know what was the most popular plate in the state, so we pulled the numbers. Before you read on, test your knowledge with our quiz.

What is the state’s most popular plate?

The Utah Tax Commission issues license plates through the state’s Motor Vehicle Division. According to the commission’s numbers, specialty plates, like those for the Utah Jazz or Real Salt Lake, make up about 55% of plates issued in the Beehive State.

There is one wrinkle, though — that tally also includes off-road vehicles, and the category as a whole amounts to nearly 3.6 million plates.

But among Utah’s standard-issue plates — license plate designs that don’t come with an extra cost — the Delicate Arch plate is the most popular, accounting for nearly 1.2 million plates, or about 19% of vehicles.

The “Life Elevated” skier license plate takes third place and is on about 831,000 of vehicles, equivalent to about 13% of plates issued. Utah’s “In God We Trust” plate, meanwhile, is on about 766,000 cars, which translates to about 12% of vehicles.

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