Sales of personalised car number plates have more than doubled over the past ten years, according to new figures released by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). The data, obtained by the BBC, reveals more than 1.2 million transactions in 2024, up from about 500,000 in 2014.
This surge is fuelled by two primary sources: plates bought directly from the DVLA—some of which can cost under £50—and those traded privately, where sought-after combinations can fetch hundreds of thousands of pounds. Industry experts say private plates are increasingly viewed as investments, with a notable rise in registrations never even making it onto a vehicle before being resold.
In the last financial year, the DVLA raised £276 million for the government through personalised registrations. The agency keeps a watchful eye on market trends and releases attractive combinations to maximise revenue. However, it withholds any combinations deemed potentially offensive or in poor taste.
Meanwhile, second-hand registration plates change hands through private auctions, online dealers and social media groups. The number of transactions for plates already in circulation has almost tripled since 2014, reaching around 800,000 in 2024. That figure includes sales and any official changes to ownership details, such as name or address updates.
Rob Nicholls, a finance director from Exeter, has snapped up a few plates in recent months, selling some on at a profit without ever fitting them to a vehicle. “They do seem to be increasingly popular,” he told BBC Radio 4’s You and Yours. “Is there a value? Yes. Can it increase in value? Yes. I’m probably going to buy more because it’s an interesting, tangible asset.”
Nicholls believes that while personalised plates can be purchased for sentimental reasons—perhaps displaying a name or special date—many buyers now view them strictly as assets.
For 17-year-old enthusiast Noor Dar from Manchester, part of the appeal is deciphering clever number-and-letter combinations. “It’s all about image,” he says. “You have collectors who focus on cherished plates, but then you also have a younger generation more interested in the message they display, rather than any potential resale value.”
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Platforms like Facebook and Instagram have helped cultivate a community of enthusiasts who swap ideas, display recent purchases and even trade plates privately.
Mark Reynolds, sales manager at the private dealer Plate Hunter, says the market’s diversity—options range from as little as £25 to six-figure sums—has helped broaden its appeal. “We sold KS1 for £285,000 just before Christmas,” he says, noting that such high-profile sales are not uncommon when the plate matches a buyer’s initials or a particular phrase.
In the 1990s, the DVLA began to capitalise on the enthusiasm for personalised plates by releasing a wide array of unused combinations to the public. It now maintains a bank of more than 60 million registrations.
Despite the boom, veteran collector and self-described “number plate nerd” Neal Bircher warns that not every combination will generate profit. Neal, who has been assembling plates for his entire adult life, has amassed around 220, most of which he is willing to sell. He points out that, while there was a spike in interest during the Covid-19 era—likely due to people having more disposable income and free time—profits are far from guaranteed.
“Plenty of people dabble, but it’s easy to be stuck with plates that don’t sell,” Bircher says. “I’d advise caution. There’s money to be made, but it’s not always straightforward.”
With the market continuing to thrive, personalised registrations remain both a sentimental purchase for some and a potentially lucrative investment for others—though success, as in any speculative market, is never certain.
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Personalised plate boom: drivers and investors snap up unique registrations