UK’s Private Plate Market Worth Nearly £290m a Year, DVLA Data Reveals

Private number plates generated nearly £289 million in a single year, according to new Freedom of Information (FOI) data.

Auction sales, fixed-price online sales, and plate transfer fees made up this figure in 2024/25, which was obtained as part of a request by premium automotive retailer Stratstone to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and highlights the UK’s obsession with private plates.

More than 9.4 million personalised registrations have been sold by the DVLA since the organisations began auctions in 1989, the FOI also disclosed, while almost half of the top 20 highest value personalised registrations were sold in the 2020s.

The Scale of the UK’s Private Plate Market

Another interesting aspect of the DVLA data is how the auction, fixed-price, and transfer fee channels each measure up.

Volumes of auctions have experienced a 35% increase, from the 12,977 sales recorded in 2015/16 to 17,527 sales in 2024/25. Revenue from auctions also almost doubled over the same period, from £24.7m in 2015/16 to £44m in 2024/25.

For the transfer fee stream – which applies when a personalised plate is moved between owners – this has grown 41% from £94.8m in 2015/16 to reach £133.6m in 2024/25.

This revenue boost suggests there’s currently a thriving secondary resale market across the UK, especially as this stream has consistently outpaced both auction and fixed-price revenue individually.

Figures from the FOI suggest that the DVLA’s fixed-price online sales market operates within a much tighter ceiling though. This is because the most expensive plate ever sold through that channel is HU57 LER– for £4,999 in September 2012 – and every other plate in the all-time top 20 each sold for exactly £3,999.

In contrast, 25 O is the most expensive plate sold at a DVLA auction, recording a hammer price of £400,000 in November 2014.

However, just like with the auction and transfer fee channels, total revenue generated from fixed-price online sales has jumped significantly from 2015/16 (£77.5m) to 2024/25 (£111m) – a 43% increase.

The Pandemic’s Plate-Buying Boom

One of the biggest spikes in private plate sales came during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The start of lockdown was the period that the DVLA’s fixed-price online sales channel witnessed its single largest year-on-year movement in the dataset, rising 55% from 393,237 sales in 2019/20 to 608,313 sales in 2020/21.

Revenue for auction sales increased from £30m to £35m across the same period too, while transfer fee revenue jumped from £106m to £121m.

The Huge Figures Associated with Auction Sales

The fact that 25 O is only three characters long and yet is the most expensive private registration ever recorded in the UK demonstrates that short private plates can draw high asking prices.

Adding to this point is how KR15 HNA is the only plate in the top 20 highest value personalised registrations which is set out like a standard registration, selling for £180,000 in May 2015.

Each of the top 20 private plates went under the hammer for six-figure sums, though 25 O sits more than £115,000 clear of the second most valuable plate ever sold – 1 D, which fetched £285,000 in March 2009.

There’s also a suggestion that demand at the premium end of the market has intensified in recent years, as nine of the top 20 highest value personalised registrations were sold in the 2020s.

However, 1 A sold for £160,000 in December 1989 – the first year DVLA auctions began – so it appears the market for premium plates has commanded serious money from day one.

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 pandemic figures showing that Brits bought more personalised plates than ever before are striking. Plus, the buoyant secondary resale market tells you that for many buyers, a personalised plate is an appreciating asset that’s as much an investment as it is a statement.”

        Data was obtained via a Freedom of Information request to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), reference FOIR13160, responded to on 13^th March 2026.

·         All auction figures represent hammer prices only and exclude buyer’s fees and VAT, which the DVLA does not hold separately.

·         Revenue data covers three streams: auction sales, fixed-price online sales, and cherished transfer and assignment fees.

·         2025/26 figures cover 1st April 2025 to 31st January 2026 only (10 months).

·         The full dataset and methodology are available at https://www.stratstone.com/blog/uk-private-plate-market/