How much is my private number plate worth? Here’s how to find out

PRIVATE number plates have grown exponentially in popularity in the past few decades, with over 60 million registered in the UK.

While some private number plates garner attention for being rude or funny, others are in demand due to their eye-watering worth.

How much is my private number plate worth?

If you're wondering how much your private number plate is worth, it is easy to find out.

The Guide to the Value of Car Registrations in the UK uses a series of tables and star ratings to calculate the value of almost every combination of number plate there is.

The most expensive number plates represent rare and exotic cars and typically have very few characters. 

Some private plates are worth so much money that they actually cost more than the car they are attached to.

One of most expensive licence plates ever sold in Britain featured the characters "GB1" and was purchased in 2009 and for £325,000.

The license plate "X 1", meanwhile, was sold in 2012 to an unknown bidder and has been described as "exceptional and historic".

That plate was sold for an eye-watering £502,500.

How to sell a private number plate

The DVLA states that you can sell or give a private (personalised) number plate to another person but the number must be assigned to their vehicle before they can use it.

You can use a private number dealer or sell your number yourself.

If you choose to use a private number dealer, most will find a buyer, arrange payment and transfer the number to the buyer's vehicle.

If you have made the decision to sell your private number plate yourself, you will need to find a buyer and assign your number to their vehicle.

Motorists looking to assign their private number to someone else are advised to follow the steps provided on the DVLA website.

It is also important to note that if you’re selling your private number online, you should not share a scan or photograph of the V750 or V778 document, as someone other than the buyer might use it to put the private number on another vehicle.

What to do when you buy a private number plate

If you're looking to buy a private number plate there are a number of ways to do so.

You can buy new numbers from DVLA Personalised Registrations and DVLA auctions.

There are auctions across the country approximately five times a year where you can bid in person, by phone, in writing or online.

Alternatively, you can buy a private number from a dealer or from another person.

Most dealers will transfer the number to your vehicle for you but if you want to keep or assign the number yourself, the DVLA recommends asking the dealer if you can have the V750 or V778.

Once you've bought and paid for a private number, you will receive a V750 certificate of entitlement to prove that you have the right to put the number on a vehicle.

What number plates are banned by the DVLA?

In 2023, a new list of banned number plates was revealed.

Twice a year, the DVLA's senior members meet to scout potentially offensive number plate suggestions.

Number plates believed to "cause offence, embarrassment or are in poor taste" are denied and anything to do with violence, sex or discrimination is automatically banned.

As part of the new list, the DVLA banned more than 200 number combinations which use the numbers 7 and 3.

Some motors are using the combinations AN73 AND HA73 - believed to mean 'anti' and 'hate' respectively - to print unsavoury messages, according to Carwow.

Examples of these include AN73 USA and HA73 HRH.

The combinations TE73OR and TH73EAT have also been banned by the DVLA.