UK private plate sales hit 289 million

The UK private number plate market has reached a value of £289 million per year, with demand for personalised number plates continuing to grow. According to figures from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), revenue has increased in all three areas of the private number plate marketplace.

Dealership group Stratstone obtained the DVLA data via a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, which shows that there are now enough personalised plates for almost one-in-seven of the UK population. Since the DVLA began the auction of cherished plates in 1989, some 9.4 million have been sold.

The market appears to be hotter than ever, with nine of the top 20 highest-value personalised registrations sold during the 2020s. Stratstone’s analysis examined the three main channels for selling personalised number plates: auctions, fixed-price sales, and transfers between private individuals.

The volume of personalised number plates being sold at auction has increased dramatically in recent years. Some 12,977 sales were recorded in 2015/16, but this jumped by 35 percent to 17,527 sales in 2024/25.

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Revenue from auctions increased still further in the same period, from £24.7 million to £44 million – a 78 percent uplift. By comparison, the DVLA’s own online fixed-price sales are more tightly controlled, with a set ceiling for the maximum price.

Fixed-Price Sales and Transfer Fees

Even fixed-price sales have witnessed a 41 percent increase in revenue between 2015/16 and 2024/25, rising from £77.5 million to £111 million. The transfer fee channel, used by private individuals to sell a number plate between themselves, has also seen a sharp rise in revenue.

Thanks to a buoyant secondary market for private plates in the UK, revenues from transfer fees have grown by 41 percent, from £94.8 million in 2015/16 to £133.6 million in 2024/25. Interest in personalised number plates has accelerated in recent years, with the coronavirus pandemic driving the biggest spike in private sales.

DVLA data shows that the start of lockdown coincided with the biggest year-on-year movement for its fixed-price online sales channel. Revenue from fixed-price sales soared by 55 percent, from 393,237 sales in 2019/20 to 608,313 sales in 2020/21.

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Most Expensive Sales

The most expensive sale of all occurred in 2014, with £400,000 paid for ‘25 O’ by John Collins, the owner of the Talacrest classic Ferrari dealership. With auction fees and VAT applied, the total cost came to £518,000.

A Stratstone spokesperson commented: “The data shows that the UK’s obsession with personalised plates is not just cultural – it’s a serious and growing market that’s quickly closing in on 10 million private plates. The buoyant secondary resale market also tells you that for many buyers, a personalised plate is an appreciating asset that’s as much an investment as it is a statement.”

For more information on the UK’s number plate system, visit the Wikipedia page. The ever-growing strength of the personalised number plate market means that many buyers are now considering these plates as a long-term investment that can appreciate over time.