The very British phenomenon of personalising number plates doesn’t seem to be abating, with the prices of bespoke plates rocketing in recent years, and even hitting six figure sums.
Auto Trader, the UK’s largest digital marketplace for new and used cars, has collated a list of the 21 priciest car number plates sold in the UK:
- 25 0 (£518,480)– This was bought at auction by a Ferrari trader who put on his rare Ferrari
- 250 SWB that was previously owned by Eric Clapton. To date, this is the most expensive plate that has ever been sold by the DVLA
- X 1 (£502,500)– The original sale price for this was a staggering £1million, however someone got a ‘steal’, paying just half that amount in 2012.
- G 1 (£500,000)– Adorned on an Aston Martin this number plate was sold in 2011, making it the most expensive plate in the UK at the time.
- RR 1 (£472,000)– Sold in 2018 to adorn a Rolls Royce, naturally, the plate ‘RR1’ was described as “one of the most special” registration plates in the world ahead of its sale at the Goodwood Revival.
- F 1 (£440,625)– Widely recognised for the world’s most popular racing sport, Formula 1, this plate is unlikely to ever leave the top ten of most expensive plates.
- S 1 (£404,063)– This was the first ever number plate issued in Scotland. It was bought in 2008 and placed on a Skoda, making it 10 times more expensive than the car itself!
- 1 D (£352,411)– One Direction must be waiting with bated breath for this to go back on sale after getting snapped up in 2009 by a property developer.
- 1 S (£340,000)– In 2010 this private reg was bought and placed on a Rolls Royce Phantom. It’s thought to have doubled in value since.
- M 1 (£331,500)– Multimillionaire, Mike McComb snapped this up in 2006, purportedly for his son’s 6th birthday.
- GB 1 (£325,000) – Sold in 2009, this plate sits on a Rolls Royce, embracing its British heritage. It’ll be interesting to see how much it’s worth post-Brexit!
- D 2 (£300,096)
- VIP 1 (£285,000)
- 1 BM (£285,000)
- V 1 (£275,000)
- S 5 (£270,300)
- GN 1 (£260,146)
- GS 1 (£258,775)
- 51 NGH (£254,000)
- 1 RH (£247,952)
- MS 1 (£235,000)
- MG 1 (£235,000)
Auto Trader’s Rory Reid says: “It’s always fun to live vicariously through the super rich and see how they’re spending their money with these lavishly priced number plates. For the rest of us who need something more affordable, there’re loads of deals on Auto Trader ahead of the March number plate change.”
