How to make money from number plates

Marc Crosby 30th Jul 2020 17 Comments

Reading Time: 8 minutes

You actually can make money from number plates – it’s not just a big, fat pose!

Personalised number plates are becoming increasingly common. Many celebrities boast having one, such as Alan Sugar (AMS 1) and Vinnie Jones (100 VJ), but ordinary people like you and me are cashing in on the craze too.

In January 2006, £254,000 was paid to the DVLA for the number plate 51 NGH, and in March 2009 a staggering £352,000 was paid for the number plate 1D. These number plates are worth much, much more now.

So how exactly can you make money from number plates? Find out in our guide:

• Why number plates?
• What number plates to buy?
• Be careful
• Where to buy number plates?
• How much would you expect to pay?
• How to keep your number plate safe
• The top 5 most expensive number plates in the UK
• Where to sell?

 

Why number plates?

You can make money from number plates because they hold and increase in value as each one is unique.

Realistically you’re unlikely to find an interested buyer for a randomly assigned registration mark (that’s the usual reg plates that we get with a car).

However, if you purchase a short plate number, one that has a special significance or one that is dateless then you may make a profit from it in the long-term.

Short plate numbers are massively popular now so, if you’re clever, you could make money.  Last year the sale of personalised number plates raised a record £102 million for the Treasury. According to the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority), almost 335,000 registrations were sold over the past year, more than four times the total in the mid-1990s

 

What number plates to buy?

When you’re buying a number plate with the intention of making a profit you should think like a buyer. Remember, your goal is to make money from number plate sells. Ask yourself:

• What is it about that number plate that would make a buyer interested? Number plates that read as words are incredibly popular and are likely to be a good investment. For example Pope John Paul II had the number plate VIP 1 on his popemobile, which then sold for £285,000. Admittedly it’s unlikely you will make as much as the pope but number plates like that are a good investment because, chances are, someone will be willing to pay good money for the word you have.

• Alternatively, you can take a punt and buy a plate with popular initials. Many people are often willing to pay a fair bit of money to have their initials plastered on their number plates. This is obviously more of a risk, you have to hope that you will find the right buyer, but the return can be good. Just avoid buying a plate with uncommon initials like the letter X, because this will make it harder to make money from the number plates resales (unless it’s something like XXXX or 4X or XTRA – the sort of combinations that novelty plate buyers would like).

• Short number plates are a good bet although they are expensive to acquire, and at DVLA auctions there will usually have a high reserve price.

• Dateless number plates, with up to four numbers and three letters, are also highly desirable, but, again, to buy one new you will need to go to a DVLA auction.

It’s important to be aware that when the number plate has an age identifier, (for example 62 indicates 2012/13), it cannot be used on cars registered before that date.

It’s also important that the spacing and letters have not been edited in any way as this is illegal and could lead to an unexpected fine!

Likewise, it’s good to know that offensive number plates will get banned. As much as you want to be unique, take care not to go for unsuitable names that have sex intonations, vulgarity or awkward words.

 

Be careful when buying number plates

When buying, make sure the seller has a genuine V750 certificate of entitlement or V778 retention document, and that it’s signed by the person whose name is at the top of the certificate.

Only the people named on one of these documents can assign the number plate to their car. Be aware there is an £80 transfer charge if a seller is transferring his number plate from his car to yours. If you want to make money from number plates, you need to include this cost on your price

To transfer a number plate both vehicles must be DVLA registered, available for inspection and have an MOT certificate.

Both buyer and seller must also complete a V317. If you do not plan on using the number plate on your car, you must pay to retain the registration number. It costs £25 to have the nominee on the retention document changed.

 

Where to buy number plates?

If you want to make money from number plate resales, you can buy them directly from the DVLA Personalised Registrations website at any time. The most valuable number plates, however, are likely to be sold at a DVLA auction, which are held six times a year.

Each auction has 1,500 desirable number plates for sale, each with a reserve price, where you can bid amongst number plate enthusiasts for a brand new registration number. Find out where and when the next auction will be held here.

If you can’t find the number plate you want on the DVLA website you can contact the DVLA directly and make a request. If the number plate is available, then it may be offered at a future DVLA auction.

Similarly, eBay has a large Cherished Number Section with an active community of number plate sellers and there are many specialist websites that sell personalised number plates, including:

• Plate-Trader.com
• Regtransfers
• Newreg
• Nationalnumbers

All these sites are reputable, and most of them are members of the RMI Cherished Numbers Dealers Association.

Alternatively it could be worth looking through your local paper and free advertising sites to see if anyone is selling.

When buying a number plate, make sure you do a price comparison with similar plates on the market. This way, you will get a fair deal and also make money from number plates on your resale mission. Also note that if your car is scrapped whilst the registration number is assigned to it then the number plate is lost and unrecoverable.

How much would you expect to pay for a number plate?

If you want to make money from number plates, you should get the right price in the first place.

How much you might pay will vary according to how desirable the number plate is. On the DVLA website prices start from £250. For example if I search for a number plate with my own initials, MC, prices range from £399 for the number plate V222 MCC, to £999 for MC02 ABE. At the real top end of the price range, the number plate MC 9 would set me back £57,495 at newreg.co.uk!

It might sound easier and cheaper to change your name by deed poll to match your licence plate rather than the other way round, but registration marks can be excellent investments.

For example, in the mid-nineties, the number plate 1 SAJ was sold for £3,300. Its value today is estimated to be £30,000. Not a bad return made from selling number plates!

 

How to keep your number plate safe

Although all number plates risk getting stolen for car cloning, special number plates shouldn’t be any more vulnerable than a standard number plate as there are checks in place to ensure criminals cannot make money from number plates by selling them on.

Criminals who stole your number plate would require either the retention document or the certificate of entitlement or, if they were trying to transfer the number plate, then their car would have to be DVLA registered, available for inspection and have an MOT certificate. Thankfully this makes it difficult for would-be criminals.

However if you are concerned that your eye-catching number plate might draw unwanted attention, why not invest in making your plate theft proof? Companies like Secureplate use patented technology to keep your number plate safe.

It’s important to notify your insurer of any changes to your number plate as your plate must correspond with their documents. It also gives you protection in the event of your car being stolen, as it will allow you to try and claim back/make money from your number plates. This shouldn’t cost you any extra, however.

Remember, if you’re not going to be using your number plate on your car and want to store it, you will need to put it on a retention document, which costs £155 for three years.

 

Where to sell your number plates and make money?

All the sites you can use to buy number plates you are also able to use to sell them. These include eBay, and:

• Regtransfers
• Newreg
• Nationalnumbers

To make money from number plates, ensure the company making you an offer is buying it for stock or is offering to sell it for a commission.

Whilst it will take longer to get your money, if the company advertises it on their website for a commission, it may well get you more money from your number plates than a company which offers to buy the number plate outright.

You can also advertise in local papers and on free advertising websites such as gumtree. Advertising will help you make money from number plates by getting out your message to potential buyers.

Look around at similar number plates to the one you are selling and price sensibly to make sure you can sell for a tidy profit. Regtransfers.co.uk offers a free valuation service.

Once you have found a buyer, make sure you have cleared funds before handing over your certificate and transferring or assigning the number plate.

 

The top 5 most expensive number plates in the UK

See, we told you, you can make money from number plates. Check these out:

VIP 1 – This was bought by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich in 2006 for £285,000. Two years earlier the plate had been sold for just £62,000.

S1 – This was originally on a car owned by one of Scotland’s first car owners Lord Kingsburgh in 1903. It was bought by an anonymous bidder in 2008 for £404,000 who said it would be put on an old red Skoda.

F1 – This was bought in 2008 by Bradford businessman Afzal Khan for £440,625. Three years ago he turned down a £6 million bid to buy it.

 

And here are the top five

5th: RR 1 -This was sold in September 2018 at an auction by the suspected owners, Bentley Motors, at Bonham’s Auction. It went for £472,000. It is now valued at an estimated £500,000.

4th: G 1 – This was auctioned in Sept 2011 for £500,000 and is attached to an Aston Martin. Its current value is estimated to be £1,000,000.

3rd: X 1 – This was bought by an unknown person in Nov 2011 for £502,500. According to DVLA it was put on a Mercedes Benz Elegance and its current estimated price is £1,000,000.

2nd: 25 O –  This one was bought by Ferrari dealer John Collins in 2014 for £518,000. It is now on a Ferrari 250 SWB once owned by Eric Clapton and is worth £10million.

1st: 1 – The highest price paid for a plate is for this one at £7.25million. It was bought by Abu Dhabi businessman Saeed Abdul Ghaffar Khouri in 2008. Goodness knows what it’s worth now!

 

Further information on how to make money from number plates

Before you get cracking make sure to take time to read the government’s instructions about buying/selling personalised plates as this clearly outlines all the legal information you need to know to keep you safe.

With the above knowledge, you can now easily make money from your number plates.