Top 10 Most Expensive Number Plates Sold in the UK

The number plate M 1 was sold for a staggering £331,500.
M 1 adorned a Bentley, specifically a Flying Spur, marking one of the early entries on our list since its acquisition in June 2006. Its value has significantly risen over time, now reaching an impressive £1 million. To put it in perspective, its initial price of £331,500 could have purchased three Porsche 911 Carrera T coupés.

Acquired in March 2010, 1 S initially resided on a Rolls-Royce Phantom, matching its original £340,000 value. Over time, its estimated worth has nearly doubled, yet the DVLA reports it's presently unregistered on any vehicle.

1 D, acquired in June 2009 for £352,411, which interestingly aligns with the cost of a Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupé at that time. Currently affixed to a Bentley Bentayga, a vehicle priced at less than half of the plate's current value, it was originally auctioned by the DVLA. Despite its initial purchase, experts now estimate its worth at an impressive £500,000.

S 1, Scotland's inaugural registration plate from 1903, holds significant historical value. Initially owned by Lord Kingsburgh, an early Scottish car owner, it stayed within the family for generations. In 2008, an anonymous bidder acquired it, intending to use it on an old Skoda, although it's not currently registered according to the DVLA. Despite this, the plate has proven to be a wise investment, now valued at over £1,000,000.

Limited information is available about this extravagantly priced combination of letters and numbers, but it currently adorns a Bentley Continental GT, auctioned by the DVLA in April 2019.

The F 1 registration plate, acquired in January 2008 for £440,625, currently embellishes Afzal Kahn's Bugatti Veyron, associated with Kahn Design. Previously, it adorned a Volvo S80. While Kahn has expressed a willingness to entertain offers exceeding £10 million for the plate, he has not officially listed it for sale. In 2008, the amount Kahn paid for the plate could have purchased more than 15 BMW 3 Series cars.

A recent addition to the list, RR 1 was bought in September 2018, just shy of securing a top-three position in terms of price. Initially issued in 1925, it last changed ownership in the 1960s for £5000. Currently affixed to a Rolls Royce Phantom, the plate has proven to be a lucrative investment, with its current value surpassing £500,000, as reported by reg transfers.

G 1 held the title of the nation's priciest registration plate for just over a year until X 1 claimed the spot with a slender margin of £2500. Regardless, G 1 was purchased in September 2011 for a neat half a million pounds. Current estimates suggest that if the seller were to part ways with the plate today, they could potentially double their investment, reaching £1 million. As of the present, the DVLA database indicates that it is registered to a 2023 Land Rover Defender.

Securing the runner-up spot is the registration plate X 1. Details about the owner remain elusive, but DVLA records indicate its current attachment to a Mercedes CLA acquired within the past three years. The plate commanded a price of half a million pounds in November 2012.

Current estimates propose a nearly twofold increase in its value since the 2012 acquisition, now standing at £1,000,000. Any history of the plate gracing a BMW X1, if at all, remains undisclosed.

The registration plate 25 O is linked to the priciest car ever auctioned, the Ferrari 250 GTO. While the plate's £518,480 cost is overshadowed by the car's final bid of £30,750,300, it stands as the most expensive plate ever sold in the UK. The DVLA notes its current home on a more contemporary Ferrari, the LaFerrari hybrid hypercar.

Regtransfers, a personalized plate vendor, suggests that its value has appreciated, now estimated at £750,000.