Ever seen a unique or novel number plate on a vehicle and wondered how much it was worth? Or have you ever considered getting a personalised plate but wondered whether you could afford it or not?
Well, some motorists go to great lengths to equip their vehicles with distinctive and exclusive plates. Most of the time, these registrations aren’t cheap and can even cost more than the car is worth.
Every year the DVLA hold auctions to sell thousands of 'personalised paltes', earning millions of pounds. In fact, in the 25 years the DVLA sales have been held, more than £2 billion has been raised for Treasury coffers by selling off these private registrations.
But what exactly are the most expensive personalised numbers plates ever to be sold in the UK?
The most expensive number plate ever sold by the DVLA in Britain is 25 O - bought in November 2014 by a Ferrari trader for £518,000. Prancing Horse collector and dealer Talacrest snapped up the rare registration for its 250 SWB once owned by musician Eric Clapton.
We should insert a note of caution here. The 25 O plate is the most expensive registration ever sold by the DVLA.
The murky world of Privately bought and traded plates are harder to determine. Check out the back pages of any motoring publication to get a flavour for the prices being asked for the more unusual or humorous registrations.
I have seen the registration number F1, which is owned by Bradford born business man Afzal Khan, advertised privately for as much as £10 million!
The highest prices achieved for number plates sold officially at DVLA auctions are;
1) 25 O - £518,000 November 2014
2) 1D- £352,000 March 2009
3) 51 NGH - £254,000 April 2006
4) 1 RH - £247,000 November 2008
5) K1 NGS - £185,000 December 1993
6) 1O - £170,000 January 2009
7) 1A - £160,000 December 1989