Personal number plates
Discussion
Idle curiosity.
A while ago I read a comment on here that a large number of people have no interest in their car registration number. There are two reasons. They no longer understand the makeup of a car registration. They do not realise that the number in the middle denotes the age of the vehicle, nor the +5 in September.
The second reason is that the vast majority of vehicles are purchased on some form of continuing finance. Buy a car, drive it round for 3/4 years, take it back and swap it for another one. Why does it matter what the changeover date is.
Accepting the above, does this mean that the selling personal number plate industry is in rude health, declining, or fairly stable?
A while ago I read a comment on here that a large number of people have no interest in their car registration number. There are two reasons. They no longer understand the makeup of a car registration. They do not realise that the number in the middle denotes the age of the vehicle, nor the +5 in September.
The second reason is that the vast majority of vehicles are purchased on some form of continuing finance. Buy a car, drive it round for 3/4 years, take it back and swap it for another one. Why does it matter what the changeover date is.
Accepting the above, does this mean that the selling personal number plate industry is in rude health, declining, or fairly stable?
Edited by mtvessel on Thursday 18th December 12:31
I think some people do care about what number plate they have on their cars, there's usually a thread on here about have you seen X number plate yet.
I'm personally not fussed and don't pay much attention but that's just me haha.
Seems from a couple of private plate groups on FB that the market seems quite buoyant. Certainly plenty coming up for sale. I tend to like a private plate, not because it's for show but I think they can set off a car really nicely. Some are cringey though!
I'm personally not fussed and don't pay much attention but that's just me haha.
Seems from a couple of private plate groups on FB that the market seems quite buoyant. Certainly plenty coming up for sale. I tend to like a private plate, not because it's for show but I think they can set off a car really nicely. Some are cringey though!
Look at the DVLA auction of 'personalised' plates. https://dvlaauction.co.uk/ Generally monthly, with 2000 'new' registrations released on to the market. Pretty much all seem to sell. So that's 20000 new personalised plates per year. A nice little income stream.
. I guess numbers have always been my thing and I have a bit of fun with the numbering system(s).I've always been a bit of a plate geek (though nowhere near some of the guys on the various plates threads here, whose knowledge is seriously impressive), stemming from when I was a kid and would always try to make a word out of the last three letters (still do it some 30 years later!)
I reckon I've noticed an increase in private plates in recent years, though as posted above compared to the number of cars on the road it's still an insignificant number. I'm not sure if it's more I've noticed them since I got my own, kind of like how you notice more of the same car you drive.
I think a lot of people don't realise that you can pick up number plates really cheaply, if you're just looking for e.g. initials etc and not trying to make a word. My mate bought an A reg plate (year of his birth), the three numbers are his birth day/month and the letters are his initials. It's his perfect plate and it cost him, I think 250 quid on the DVLA auction; it's only special to him. I hear plenty of comments about them being a bit showy or flash, but since there's such a wide range of values attached to them it's not always the case. The vast majority of people simply don't care about number plates.
I paid a fair bit more than I was planning to for mine as I ended up in a bit of an annoying bidding war. It's as close to my surname as I could get it (format XXX #X where the x's are four of the five letters of my name, and the # is, unfortunately, not a decent substitute for the missing letter but the plate with 0 doesn't exist, and would likely costs many more thousands if it did). To me it's a bit of fun, and adds a bit of personalisation as I don't want to be tinkering with the look of the car in general.
As long as we have number plates I assume there will continue to be a decent market in personal ones.
I reckon I've noticed an increase in private plates in recent years, though as posted above compared to the number of cars on the road it's still an insignificant number. I'm not sure if it's more I've noticed them since I got my own, kind of like how you notice more of the same car you drive.
I think a lot of people don't realise that you can pick up number plates really cheaply, if you're just looking for e.g. initials etc and not trying to make a word. My mate bought an A reg plate (year of his birth), the three numbers are his birth day/month and the letters are his initials. It's his perfect plate and it cost him, I think 250 quid on the DVLA auction; it's only special to him. I hear plenty of comments about them being a bit showy or flash, but since there's such a wide range of values attached to them it's not always the case. The vast majority of people simply don't care about number plates.
I paid a fair bit more than I was planning to for mine as I ended up in a bit of an annoying bidding war. It's as close to my surname as I could get it (format XXX #X where the x's are four of the five letters of my name, and the # is, unfortunately, not a decent substitute for the missing letter but the plate with 0 doesn't exist, and would likely costs many more thousands if it did). To me it's a bit of fun, and adds a bit of personalisation as I don't want to be tinkering with the look of the car in general.
As long as we have number plates I assume there will continue to be a decent market in personal ones.
I've owned a few private plates, some bought at auction and I think the market is a bit awash with them to be honest. See what these sold for at auction in Novermber:
S20 HJR - £86 - https://angliacarauctions.co.uk/auctions/2729-01-N...
M50 JTW - £86 - https://angliacarauctions.co.uk/auctions/2729-01-N...
I should have bid earlier but it was £25 increments,
They are regularly on eBay for not much more than £100.
It costs £250 to buy the cheapest ones direct from DLVA inc. transfer. Their auctions are a rip off, they charge VAT and transfer fee for a number that's never been issued before!
As mentioned above, dateless ones fetch a decent price still::
35 DYC - £1438 - https://angliacarauctions.co.uk/auctions/2729-01-N...
Brightwells have plate sales regularly and mostly don't sell, people have been persuaded by brokers of their value and most are nothing of the sort. I won a T33 *** plate off eBay in 2021 for £106 including the certificate. Not had a car to put it on for a while though. And I got an S88 *** plate for £66 in 2024.
S20 HJR - £86 - https://angliacarauctions.co.uk/auctions/2729-01-N...
M50 JTW - £86 - https://angliacarauctions.co.uk/auctions/2729-01-N...
I should have bid earlier but it was £25 increments,
They are regularly on eBay for not much more than £100.It costs £250 to buy the cheapest ones direct from DLVA inc. transfer. Their auctions are a rip off, they charge VAT and transfer fee for a number that's never been issued before!
As mentioned above, dateless ones fetch a decent price still::
35 DYC - £1438 - https://angliacarauctions.co.uk/auctions/2729-01-N...
Brightwells have plate sales regularly and mostly don't sell, people have been persuaded by brokers of their value and most are nothing of the sort. I won a T33 *** plate off eBay in 2021 for £106 including the certificate. Not had a car to put it on for a while though. And I got an S88 *** plate for £66 in 2024.
We have 3 cars in the household, x2 daily drivers and my 44 yr old classic.
We have private plates on all three vehicles, nothing fancy, just all have meaning to us.
We leased cars through my wife's work for about 3 years and so 2 of them went on retention, we did change the cars every 6 months in fairness, so it would have been costly to keep putting them on and then taking them off, but I suspect even if they were kept for a year or two, we wouldn't have bothered.
We have private plates on all three vehicles, nothing fancy, just all have meaning to us.
We leased cars through my wife's work for about 3 years and so 2 of them went on retention, we did change the cars every 6 months in fairness, so it would have been costly to keep putting them on and then taking them off, but I suspect even if they were kept for a year or two, we wouldn't have bothered.
Never bothered with them but I did buy (for £250) a plate that has the 3 letter diminutive of my daughter’s name on it.
“Conveniently” the first four digits read MX54 and it just happens to reside on our ancient MX5.
I quite fancy one. Again at the cheap end. I’ve spied one I might put on retention if it’s still around in the new year….
(My BIL on the other hand has one worth a fair bit - it’s “XXX” format as an original A plate preceded by double digits)
“Conveniently” the first four digits read MX54 and it just happens to reside on our ancient MX5.
I quite fancy one. Again at the cheap end. I’ve spied one I might put on retention if it’s still around in the new year….
(My BIL on the other hand has one worth a fair bit - it’s “XXX” format as an original A plate preceded by double digits)
k that's an independent view speedking31 said:
Look at the DVLA auction of 'personalised' plates. https://dvlaauction.co.uk/ Generally monthly, with 2000 'new' registrations released on to the market. Pretty much all seem to sell. So that's 20000 new personalised plates per year. A nice little income stream.
a tiny % of the 2mill new car sales paulwirral said:
I didn t even know you could choose a new registration plate until a couple of days ago when the alpine dealer sent me a list .Registration plate mean nothing to me to be honest , this is the second new car I ve bought this year and I ll just take what it comes with .
Pretty standard with new cars as dealers tend to get allocated blocks of numbersGassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff