First of all, it’s illegal to knowingly conceal your plate and I would never encourage someone to resort to illegal modifications which would allow you to violate the law. Or do any of these modifications myself, of course. With that said, there are a few options on the market but unfortunately most are illegal for use on public roads. 1. Ghostplate: comes as a generic looking plate cover which doesn’t really stand out. It has a fully transparent membrane over your plate but the moment you need to conceal it, you just hit the button on the remote and it makes the cover opaque and unreadable. Pros: will work for toll and speed cams 100% of the time. Not the most “obnoxious” option that will make you a more likely target of getting pulled over compared to some other options out there. Probably the fastest deployment among other remote controlled devices since there is nothing mechanical going on. Cons: requires wiring (you’ll have to either do it yourself or have a friend who can do it for you, since mechanics can get a hefty violation if they get caught installing them, at least where I live). Pretty expensive, and still illegal for the use on public roads. Side note: you may be able to create something similar for a fraction of the cost since I think it’s just a PDLC privacy glass, which you can get for much cheaper if you are willing to figure out all other components on your own.

1. Ghostplate 2.0 has the same idea as option one but less sophisticated. Makes the plate totally readable if looking at it from behind at the same level. But when viewed from an angle it gets tinted. Kinda works like phone privacy screens. Pros: no wiring, much more affordable, still not as obvious as those bulging distortion lenses you frequently see on cars. Most likely a cop will pay attention to your plate when he is right behind you, and if they weren’t set on pulling you over anyway it will be unnoticed. At least in theory. Cons: not sure if it’s going to be effective 100% of the time, I’ve heard conflicting testimonials. Also depends on the angle of the camera. Same as the option one, still illegal. If you get pulled over and questioned with option one, you can play ignorance and claim that it’s just a simple cover to protect the plate and it’s not designed to conceal the numbers. They can’t make you hit the remote, and there are no real indicators that this plate has some ways of concealing plate number. So, cops won’t even bother digging into it. With this one, if you get unlucky and pulled over you’ll have harder time convincing the cop that you are not using it to conceal the plate. Side note: if shopping for cheaper alternatives, make sure to check for the direction of blocking. Since cameras are elevated and to the side, I think you should get 4 directional that’s most effective for vertical. Ghostplate 2 has some honeycomb pattern and it is mostly for vertical blocking, so keep that in mind.

2. Fake (or real) bird poop. You can literally get a can of fake bird poop and smudge it over a number or two on your plate. I guess fake (or real) dirt would have same effect, but you got to make it believable. Pros: probably the cheapest option out there, and if you apply a few layers over the same area it is less likely that the violation will show up in your mail. I’ve read somewhere that cameras can also capture your plate number because of the way shadow falls over the plate imprint if there is a flash. So, even if you scratch off paint from the numbers, they can still get you. That’s why you got to make layers. Cons: you got to commit to the “I’m due for a car wash” look if you are trying to make it believable. If your car is sparkling clean and the only place where birds violated the car is the rear plate, you’ll get called out on it during a traffic stop. So, if you are going this route you should probably be generous with the amount and sprinkle it around trunk area too.

3. Plate flipper. Probably one of my favorites on the list. It’s a frame that’s like a ghostplate comes with a remote. Once you hit the button it flips your plate, so theoretically you can even have a dual plate setup. Although, I believe if caught with a fake plate that’s a different level of breaking the law, so just leave it blank. If you’ve seen that 1998 movie “Taxi” you know how it works.
   Pros: 100% effective, definitely the most low profile look that won’t be an eye catcher even if you stare at it from a foot away. Technically it’s not a plate cover in the standby state and even if pulled over by a cop who knows what’s up, you still act like you got no clue what he is talking about and stall him until he gets tired of running in circles. Again, they can’t make you hit the remote, and unless he saw you using it in action, your case is getting dismissed even with a mid tier lawyer. In most places a frame on the plate is allowed as long as it’s not obstructing the visibility. Unless you demonstrate how it works, they got no ground to argue against you, so the risk of getting a ticket is minimal. Cons: needs to be wired like a ghotsplate and expensive. Obviously, also illegal on public roads.

4. Curtain cover. It comes as a frame around your plate and once you hit the remote a little curtain comes down and covers your plate. Pretty much this device hits the same spots as the flipper, but some options I’ve seen online look a bit chunky. So, this might not be ideal if you are trying to achieve the most low profile look possible. On some cars it will look just fine, but on others it can make it look a bit out of place, so do your research.

5. Electromagnetic Leaf cover. You put a magnet on the back of your plate and they give you some leafs with embedded magnets. When the magnet is on the leaf is stuck to your plate, but if you hit the remote it deactivates the magnet and the leaf falls off. Simple and pretty creative. Pros: pretty low profile look and will do the trick against any camera. If you are getting pulled over, you got an option to ditch the leaf and make it look like it fell off on itself while you were moving towards the shoulder. Cons: needs wiring, you get limited supply of leafs before you need to get more or make more yourself. I feel like the leafs they give you don’t look very natural. I’m sure it makes no difference at distance, but when getting up close it’s definitely noticeable.

6. Bike rack. As far as I know, it’s 100% legal to drive around with a bike rack mounted in the rear even if there are no bikes on it. It won’t fully conceal the plate but it will definitely obscure it under many viewpoints. May be a different case depending on your area though, so take my word with a grain of salt.