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written by Sam Greenspan

It’s quite refreshing when someone’s license plate really speaks to the truth.

A lack of self-awareness is among my biggest pet peeves. (Along with hypocrisy and the fact that there’s no keyboard shortcut to automatically insert a page break in Microsoft Word 2008 for Mac. Three very broad, universal pet peeves.)

So, in honor of people who are self-aware, I put together this list of 11 perfectly self-aware license plates. I’ve only ever done one license plate list on this website before (11 Spectacularly Nerdy License Plates), so we were due.

1 | 3 INCHES

Reason #1 to buy a Corvette. I wonder if the cleverness and adorably self-effacing nature of this license plate are able to compensate for its implication when he’s trying to pick up ladies.

2 | NOT COOL

In a twist, this license plate may be the ONLY way to actually make a minivan cool. Which throws us into an endless paradoxical loop. (And no, putting badass flame decals on the side of your minivan or having Xzibit install a fish tank and a Xerox machine in the back are not better coolifyers than this license plate.)

3 | SMUG

We have a smug alert over Washington! In my research for this list I found hundreds of photos of hybrids bragging about their mileage, footprint and eco-friendliness. This might be the only hybrid owner in the entire country who has any ability to be self-deprecating.

4 | MID LYPH

Reason #2 to buy a Corvette. The license plate is spot on… but I’m confused why this car is yellow, not red.

5 | WE POOR

This feels like an absolute chicken-egg situation — what came first, the “WE POOR” license plate or the bungee cord holding on the bumper where the license plate is supposed to be?

6 | MPG FAIL

Raise your hand if it crossed your mind that this one also could’ve appeared on my nerdy license plates list if “mpg” was referring to the video file format.

Thank you — yes, you and only you — for raising your hand.

7 | ITSOVER

Macabre, but fair. I hope this hearse isn’t used in too many funeral processions. Might be a little too real.

8 | HI DEBT

I’m not a car guy, but I’d go into high debt for a Ferrari. (Or is this person saying “Hi” to debt? Either way, at least we all know cars are really strong investments.)

9 | JONESES

Those money-flaunting Joneses are reason #3 to buy a Corvette. Phew, that’s a lot of Corvette reasons. It’s hard to KEEP UP.

(The same person who liked the “mpg” pun liked that “keep up” curveball too.)

10 | LFS GOOD

To be fair, the ironic self-awareness here only came into effect long after this person had selected their LFS GOOD plates. But how could this photo NOT be included? It’s a masterpiece.

(And yes, I’m using the Internet definition there, where irony means “anything even remotely coincidental.”)

11 | IM A CAR

Not just self-aware, but existential. This one gets the trophy.