The Top Ten Most Expensive Number Plates

While you can pick up a great private plate from us for just £40, at the other end of the spectrum are plates for hundreds of thousands of pounds. A private plate is the ultimate motor accessory, and when money is no object, you’re going to want one that really stands out from the crowd. It’s amazing just how much money people will pay when they spot their ultimate plate for sale.

Here are some of the most expensive plates sold in recent years.

1 O

Short plates are always valuable and always do well at auction. This stunning plate was sold at an auction in Northamptonshire in 2009 for £170,000. It was a telephone bidder and their identity is unknown.

K1 NGS

This super plate raised £231,000 back in 1993. There was a bidding war for this one when it came up for auction, and it eventually went home with an Arab Sultan.

1 RH

This plate went for over 30 times the reserve price when it was sold in 2006. Robert Harverson just had to have it, as obviously it has his initials on it! He paid £247,000 for the plate.

51 NGH

The perfect plate for someone with the surname Singh, this plate went for £254,000 in 2006. Apparently it has featured in a video by Jazzy B!

VIP 1

Such a cool plate! It sold for £285.000 to Roman Abramovich, the owner of Chelsea FC. This number plate has some heritage, it was once used on the pope-mobile when Pope John Paul II visited Ireland in 1979.

M 1

This was apparently a very lavish gift for the buyers’ 10 year old son! He paid £331,000 for it in 2006.

 1 D

In 2009, Nabil Bishara paid £325,000 for this plate for his wife. I wonder if she’s a One Direction fan?

S 1

This is the first number plate ever to be issued in Scotland. It sold at auction for £404,000 and apparently the buyer has it on an old Skoda. Perhaps that’s all he can afford after spending so much on the plate!

F 1

The perfect plate for any Formula One fan, this plate was bought at auction by businessman Afzal Khan for £440,000. Rumour has it he has since turned down an offer of six million pounds for it!

25 O

To date, 25 O is the most expensive plate ever to be sold by the DVLA. It raised a massive £518,000. It used to belong to Eric Clapton!