Are Private number plates a Good investment?
Generally speaking, they are a good purchase for many car owners as they tend to increase in price even as the vehicle depreciates in value. You can always sell your private number plate if you want or need to in the future .
It is very likely to fetch a higher price if sold in this way, so it's certainly an avenue worth exploring.
Can I sell my number plate back to the DVLA? No, It's not possible to sell your private number plate back to the DVLA. The DVLA sells cherished number plates, but only new ones. They won't buy back registrations that have already been issued to a vehicle.
Many people buy a private registration number to give their car a unique personal touch by using their name or initials, or to mark a special occasion such as a birthday, wedding or anniversary. Others like to display humorous plates, while businesses can use them as a marketing tool.
A private number plate should not be considered a vehicle modification and your insurer should not change your premium as a result.
Registration Number '1'
The astounding sum of £7.25 million is the highest price paid ever for a plate. Abu Dhabi property mogul Saeed Abdul Ghaffar Khouri snapped it up in 2008. He later commented: 'I bought it because it's the best number'.
If you decide to sell or give your private reg to someone else, you have to assign it to their car. You can do this online using the Personalised Vehicle Registration Service. If you prefer to do things by post, you need to send the DVLA: The log book of the car that will have the private plate.
New South Wales and Victoria have the highest value plates, mainly because of their longer histories and many buyers value them as pieces of art, said Boribon. A lot of these were once belonged to very prominent Australian families.
The vehicle's original registration number is usually reassigned to it automatically when you take off a private number. If your application is successful you'll be sent a V778 retention document and a new log book (V5C).
Can I keep my private number plate without putting it on another car? Yes. Once you've got the V778 retention document then you have the rights to that personalised plate for 10 years. Just bear in mind that, even if you're not using the plate, you still have to renew the V778 after 10 years.
Where is the best place to sell a private number plate?
Platehunter is the best place to sell a number plate and have it visible to thousands of people every day. We offer a FREE number plate valuation service that will give you an idea of your registrations value.
For some, a private plate is about showing off their vehicle. For others, it's more personal: representing something that means a lot to them or has some special significance.
DVLA number plates can make your car more attractive to thieves who steal the vehicles due to the perceived added value of the plate. Research from MoneySuperMarket revealed owning a personalised design could make you 50 percent more likely to have your vehicle stolen than others.
Selling a private reg plate
You can sell a personalised number plate you own privately or through a dealer. Although using a dealer will involve paying them a fee, it will take the burden of making sure the paperwork and financial transaction are all in order.
So when it comes to getting a new set of number plates, do you need to inform your insurer? When you are changing the registration on your vehicle - putting your private plate onto the car - you'll need to let your insurer know, so they are insuring the correct car on the road, and have a record of the vehicle.
Do I need to tell my insurer if I get a private number plate? It's important to let your insurance provider know you have personalised registration plates. This is because if your car is stolen and you have to make a claim, the insurance provider will become the legal owner of the car and its registration.
Just as if anything else on your policy changes, any insurance policy will need to be changed to ensure it's covering the new plate, and not still attached to the old one.
In 1985, BTR plc gained the "A 1" plate after it acquired Dunlop. The company's headquarters in Birmingham placed it on a Ford Granada. In 2000, the plate was bought by Jefri Bolkiah after its sale by Insignia Registrations alongside the plate, "1 A".
While it depends on one's criteria for rarity, many number plate aficionados consider the UK 25 O plate the rarest plate in the world. It's valued so highly because it matches up with the Ferrari-manufactured 250 GTO. It's currently fixed to a Ferrari 250 GTO that was once owned by rockstar Eric Clapton.
A Guernsey resident won the battle to buy the new (number-only) States of Guernsey registration, '007', in a recent auction. The buyer, who wishes to remain anonymous, bought it for a whopping £240,000!
Do registration plates go up in value?
The more buyers are interested in your registration, the higher the amount you'll receive for it. You may find you have many potential buyers competing to purchase your plate and this can drive up the selling price. The age of a number plate can also be an important aspect of how valuable a plate is.
Generally, selling your number plate with your car will increase the value of your vehicle, however this depends on how you sell your car. For example, if you're selling it directly to a buyer, you can price it however high you like, including the cost of how much you think your plates are worth.
If your business is a company it can write-off the cost of the number plate over a reasonable period, which the Taxman will normally accept to be up to 20 years.
Once the vehicle is sold on or scrapped, the DVLA rules are very clear…. you will lose your private number plate!
You should remove your registration plate when either scrapping or selling the vehicle and you wish to keep the registration plate. You should do this before you dispose of the vehicle.
You can put your private number on someone else's vehicle online or by post. After that, DVLA will send a replacement log book for the vehicle but with the new private number assigned to it.
Buying and selling number plates for profit is not a quick buck. You will need to have your money invested in the plate for perhaps a year or two before you can sell for a profit. Number plates are a luxury item don't forget, so they can also be affected by economic factors, such as peoples disposable income.
Stolen number plates are often used in attempts to sell stolen cars, for reckless driving, to fill up a vehicle with petrol and then drive away, to cover getaway vehicles for burglaries, or even for violent crime.
Obviously, private number plates can make a vehicle more distinctive and easily recognisable. What you may not realise is that this can help prevent your car from being stolen. Criminals don't want to steal vehicles that can be easily identified because it increases the likelihood that they will be caught.
Upon receiving the V5C you may legally display your new number plates on your vehicle. Before doing so, please remember to inform your insurance company of the change to your policy. Your road tax and MOT record will be updated automatically and the original expiry dates of these items will remain the same.
What happens to a private plate after 10 years?
You must renew your right to use your private (personalised) number every 10 years if it's not being used on a vehicle. If you got your private number before 2015, you must renew it more often - check your V750 or V778 document.
When the car has been re-registered under your new private number plate by the DVLA, you will receive replacement V5C Registration Document. You will not receive a replacement MoT Certificate, but the DVLA's systems are updated automatically. So just take your vehicle for MoT as usual.
So, the renewal fee has been removed, but how much does it cost to retain a personalised registration? £80. This price is set for both online and paper transactions, and if at any point you wish to add or change the nominee details, you are able to do so at no extra cost.
If the plate you are removing is a private plate, then it is often the case that the original registration the vehicle had will be returned to it.
You can make money from number plates because they hold and increase in value as each one is unique. Realistically you're unlikely to find an interested buyer for a randomly assigned registration mark (that's the usual reg plates that we get with a car).
The entire process can take between 4 and 6 weeks.
6 = G, B or O. 7 = T or Y. 8 = B, O or A. 9 = G or O. 11 = H, N or U.
This is to protect the car and seller from identity theft and plate cloning.
#12. The number '12' is a replacement for the letter 'R'. If you squint, the combination of the numbers '1' and '2' resemble the letter. For example, 'ROSY' can be '12 OSY'.
- Chevrolet pickup (full size)
- Ford pickup (full size)
- Honda Civic.
- Honda Accord.
- Toyota Camry.
- GMC pickup (full size)
- Nissan Altima.
- Honda CR-V.
What vehicle gets stolen the most?
No, It's not possible to sell your private number plate back to the DVLA. The DVLA sells cherished number plates, but only new ones. They won't buy back registrations that have already been issued to a vehicle. You can sell personalised number plates privately by finding a customer yourself or using a dealer.
Factors of a private number plate valuation
Your number plate valuation is determined by how desirable it is to other people, as well as how rare the plate is. Although every number plate is 'rare' (there is only one of each!), some are rarer and more desirable than others.
Once you've bought your personalised number plate, the DVLA will send you a certificate of entitlement (V750), which permits you to put the plate on your car.
It's rumoured that "NSW 6" changed hands privately for around the million-dollar mark. "NSW 1"or "Vic 1" are both known to exist. Legend has it that when "Vic 1" was released in 1932, there was heated argument between the police commissioner, the premier and the governor about who should have it.
Bond's number plates
A recent DVLA auction saw BMT 216C fetch nearly £6,000, and before that BMT 216B went for £14,000. In Guernsey, where plates with just numbers are permitted, 007 sold for £240,000!
Factors of a private number plate valuation
Your number plate valuation is determined by how desirable it is to other people, as well as how rare the plate is. Although every number plate is 'rare' (there is only one of each!), some are rarer and more desirable than others.
| # | Reg | Value * |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 O | £750,000 |
| 2 | X 1 | £1,000,000 |
| 3 | G 1 | £1,000,000 |
| 4 | RR 1 | £500,000 |
You can't sell them back to the DVLA, or a car's original registration for that matter, but you can privately sell your plates.
Motor trade plates show that a vehicle is being used temporarily for trade purposes. They are suitable for any vehicle that is temporarily in your possession; allowing you to drive without registering and taxing it first.
Who has 0007 number plate?
Apart from his catchphrase, where he repeats his surname twice, his '007' serial number is extremely famous as well, even among people who aren't fans of the movies (or books). Recently, Ashik Patel, a businessman from Gujarat, obtained a '007' numberplate for his Toyota Fortuner.
Around the world you'll find some absolutely ridiculous sums being placed on number plates – like Saeed Abdul Ghaffar Khouri from Abu Dhabi who spent £7 million on the plate “1” – so, what can you expect to see from the UK?
The Owner of the DVLA number plate F1 has reportedly been offered six million pounds for the fabulous registration number- enough cash to buy him 600 Ford Fiestas.