The world’s most expensive number plates

The world’s most expensive number plates

Personalised number plates can be highly sought after, with people willing to pay enormous sums for their dream plate. While there are many affordable private plates for sale, there have also been some massive purchases over the years. Read on to discover the world’s most expensive number plates, as well as the most expensive number plates sold right here in the UK.

What are the most expensive number plates in the world?

#Registration platePriceYearLocation
1AA 9£7,620,1402021Dubai
2AA 8£7,497,7812022Dubai
3D 5£7,324,2072016Dubai
41£7,250,0002008Abu Dhabi
52£4,991,3802022Abu Dhabi
60 9£4,363,0002015Dubai
75£3,500,0002007Abu Dhabi
87£3,000,0002010Abu Dhabi
97£2,958,0572016Abu Dhabi
10W£2,421,0162021Hong Kong
110 9£2,379,7062015Abu Dhabi
129£2,153,8462008Abu Dhabi
132£2,061,8502017Abu Dhabi
1428£1,905,2352016Hong Kong
159£1,720,0002010Abu Dhabi
1628£1,616,0002016Hong Kong
177£1,583,3332008Abu Dhabi
1818£1,513,3722008Hong Kong
19NSW 4£1,500,0002017Australia
20II£1,346,5782016Abu Dhabi

The top 5 most expensive number plates


AA 9

The world’s most expensive reg plate goes to ‘AA 9’, which was sold in Dubai for £7,620,140 in 2021.

AA 8

‘AA 8’ was sold for £7,497,781 at Dubai’s ‘most noble numbers’ charity auction in 2022 to raise money for children, refugees and displaced people.

D 5

‘D 5’ was sold in Dubai for £7,324,207 in 2016 to Indian businessman Balwinder Sahni. The UAE is undoubtedly the place to be for expensive plates, as virtually all of the top 20 biggest sales have taken place there.

1

Abdullah Al Mahri purchased the prestigious reg plate ‘1’ for £7,250,000, making it one of the world’s most expensive number plates.


2

Perhaps not quite as prestigious as ‘1’, the fifth most expensive number plate is the number ‘2’, selling in 2022 for £4,991,380.

READ ALSO: E-Plates: Everything you need to know about new number plate technology

The most expensive number plate in the UK

Private plate Porsche - Right Reg

It’s not just abroad that private plates go for crazy high prices. Read on to discover the most expensive number plates in the UK.

25 O

The registration number ‘25 O’ sold in the UK for £518,480 back in 2014. It was purchased by the classic dealer and collector John Collins, and the plate references the famous Ferrari 250 TR and Ferrari 250 GTO.

X 1

In 2012, the plate ‘XI’ was sold for £502,676, making it one of the most expensive number plates in the UK. It was initially created in 1903 and is therefore considered a historic plate.

G 1

‘G1’ was the most expensive number plate in the UK for over a year when it was sold for £500,126 in 2011. It was purchased by an unknown buyer and is currently on an Aston Martin.

RR 1

Next up is ‘RR 1’, which was sold for £472,000 in 2018 and is one of the UK’s most expensive personalised number plates. It was previously sold for £5,000 in the 1960s, making it a great example of what a great investment private number plates can be.

F 1

The F1 number plate is one of the most famous number plates in the world. It was sold to British automotive designer Afzal Kahn for ‘£440,625’ in 2008.

Current asking prices

BMW private plate - Right Reg

Some of the world’s most expensive number plates are tipped to be sold for even more money in the future. Take a look at some of the current asking prices for a few prestigious plates.

MM

Current asking price: £20m

This Californian number plate is currently available to purchase for 5888 ETH (the crypto-currency Ethereum), along with a rare NFT, which is equivalent to around £20 million.

NEWYORK

Current asking price: £16.6m

A family has been in possession of the registration plate ‘New York’ for 40 years, currently attached to their Volvo V70. The plate and the car are on the market for £16.6 million.

F 1

Current asking price: £15m

Afzal Kahn’s ‘F1’ number plate has been available to purchase since 2018. The F1 number plate price was over £400,000 in 2008, but Kahn is currently asking for £15 million.

READ ALSO: What do I need to get number plates made?

How to get a personalised number plate

If you like the sound of your very own personalised number plate, you don’t have to spend millions to do so. There are some fantastic private number plates in the UK that are available for a reasonable price.

If you are looking for a great deal, either as a gift or a personal investment, you can also consider participating in DVLA number plate auctions. Plates are available for as little as £200, so it’s worth checking out.

How to sell personalised number plates

If you think you have a valuable number plate, you can easily see how much your number plate is worth and then get in touch to sell your number plate if you would like to organise a sale.

As you can see from the most expensive number plates listed in this article, the shorter number plates tend to be the costliest, but even if you have a longer number plate, it still has value.

READ ALSO: How to read UK number plates

If you need any advice when it comes to private plates, whether it’s buying or selling, get in touch with our private number plate experts for the latest advice.

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