The most popular emoji plates during first year in Queensland revealed

Personalised emoji registration plates have been up for grabs in Queensland for a year and government data reveals which emoji was by far the most popular among drivers.

Since their launch on March 1 last year, 1601 Queenslanders have purchased an emoji plate, according to data from the Department of Transport and Main Roads.

Four new plate designs were released last week - featuring thumbs up, hug (pictured), star eyes and tongue out emojis. Credit: Personalised Plates Queensland - Facebook

The most popular was the sunglasses design with 718 sales, heart-eyes emoji was second with 324, 298 wink plates were bought, the laugh-out-loud emoji numbered 187 and smiley faces totalled 74.

Last Monday, Personalised Plates Queensland commemorated the one-year anniversary by releasing four new plate designs - featuring thumbs up, hug, star eyes and tongue out emojis.

"Market research showed these were the next most popular emojis among Queenslanders," a TMR spokesman said in a statement.

In addition to selling more than 1600 plates during their first year of availability, the price of emoji plates also increased by $10 during that time.

"In January, Personalised Plates Queensland increased the price from $475 to $485, following an annual price review of the recommended retail price which considered inflation, material costs and business costs," a TMR spokesman said in a statement.

As of January 31, there were 5,425,607 vehicles registered in Queensland, meaning an estimated one vehicle in every 3400 had an emoji plate.

Last year, PPQ said the idea of extending the range of emoji designs on offer was not a priority, because it was conscious of giving Queensland drivers "too many product options".

"The recent rise in popularity and use of the emoji is unprecedented," PPQ said in a 2019 statement.

"While we will consider adding to the range in the future, too many product options can cause 'creative paralysis' for customers.

"For this reason, we’re focusing on the most popular symbols for now."

The emojis are decorations, not part of the number plate, meaning drivers involved in an accident do not need to draw their emoji when exchanging details with fellow a motorist.

"The emoji characters will be part of the background plate design, not the five-character plate combination that forms a vehicle registration," PPQ said in a statement last year.

"This is similar to other theme plate products such as Brisbane Broncos and State of Origin, where the plate design and team logos are part of the plate background.

"The emojis will not be read by number plate recognition software."