Dubai Private Number Plate Smashes Record Price Paid for a Private Plate
Many drivers choose to customise their car with a personalised number plate and, while there are private plates available to suit every budget, some people are prepared to pay huge sums of money for the right plate. But one driver has taken this to the extreme by splashing out an incredible £12 million for the Dubai registration number ‘P 7’.
The plate, which looks like just the number ‘7’ with the ‘P’ tucked away in a corner, was sold to an anonymous bidder at a recent charity auction in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The buyer offered 55 million Dirham, equivalent to £12 million, for it to make it the world’s most expensive personalised number plate, beating the previous record by almost £5 million.
The Most Noble Numbers auction is held in support of the 1 Billion Meals Endowment fund which aims to provide food for populations in underprivileged and vulnerable countries. The most recent auction in April 2023 raised more than £21 million for the charity from the sale of 555 rare personalised number plates.
After some fierce bidding, the ‘P 7’ plate became the star of the show. In many of the world’s cultures, the number ‘7’ is believed to be lucky, and a single-digit ‘7’ plate sold for almost £3 million in 2016. In this month’s auction, several wealthy buyers were keen to get their hands on the valuable plate which created an electrifying atmosphere during the bidding war.
Among the world’s most expensive registration numbers, the top nine places are held by UAE plates. Previously in the top spot was the number ‘1’ plate, bought in 2008 for 52.2 million Dirham (£7.2 million at the time) by a Dubai businessman. Other UAE plates which fetched seven-figure sums include ‘AA9’, ‘AA8’, ‘D5’, ‘5’ and ‘O9’. Most of these number plates cost far more than the cars they’re displayed on.
In the UK the price of personalised number plates hasn’t so far reached the same dizzying heights. The most paid was a mere £518,480 by a Ferrari dealer for the plate ’25 O’, although the much sought after ‘F1’ plate could possibly break the £10 million barrier if owner Afzal Khan sells it.
Rare plate owners in America are also trying to set records for the most expensive number plates. The California ‘MM’ licence plate is on sale for over $24 million, almost £20 million at the current rate. However, the plate is tied into cryptocurrency and NFT conditions. On the east coast, the New York licence plate reading ‘NEW YORK’ is on the market for $20 million. Sadly, the plate cannot be transferred from the 1998 estate car it’s displayed on - £16 million Volvo V70 anyone?
Reasonably Priced Personalised/Private Number Plates at CarReg
If your pockets aren’t quite deep enough to fork out an eye-watering amount of money for a personalised number plate, our database has millions of budget-friendly registration numbers. CarReg recently sold " P2 " for less than £1,000,000 then later the same month " 2P " both were purchased by the same client. Obviously it is very difficult to acquire private number plate like these and almost impossible to find a matching pair! If you would like to browse through our stock, simply use our convenient search feature to find your perfect plates.
