Indiana BMV channels $12.9M from optional ‘blackout’ plate sales into five-year modernization plan

The Indiana Capital Chronicle reported the BMV began offering the optional “blackout” plate in August 2025. The agency says it has sold more than 380,000 blackout plates in the year since the design launched; a BMV spokesman, Greg Dunn, told the paper there are about 314,000 blackout plates currently on the road. The newspaper says those sales have generated $12.9 million toward a five-year BMV modernization plan and that pay raises are planned for many customer-facing employees.

The Capital Chronicle reports the blackout plate is a minimalist design with white numerals and letters on an all-black background and that the optional plate adds $45 to initial registration and to annual renewal fees. The article says the agency has purchased new payment machines that accept tap-to-pay and digital currency, added more 24/7 BMV Connect kiosks statewide, completed a systems review last year with recommendations, and is acting under an executive order from Governor Mike Braun directing a five-year modernization of BMV systems.

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