DVLA auction results
Every plate the DVLA has sold at auction since 1989 is listed in the DVLA auction results with the bid that won it. What you read there is the bid on its own. The buyer ended up paying more, because VAT, a buyer's premium and a set DVLA fee sit on top of it.
Search the DVLA auction results
The 100 highest of 33,332 sold lots. Type letters or pick a type to search them all.
| Registration | Type | Reserve or start | Hammer price | Auction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 LAM | Dateless | £1,200 | £156,010 | B279 |
| BEA 5T | Suffix (ABC 123D) | £350 | £111,120 | B283 |
| 52 O | Dateless | £2,500 | £102,010 | B276 |
| 101 O | Dateless | £2,500 | £91,020 | B272 |
| AVI 1 | Irish | £2,000 | £91,010 | B283 |
| 97 O | Dateless | £2,500 | £90,010 | B284 |
| 8 FU | Dateless | £2,200 | £90,000 | B274 |
| 48 O | Dateless | £2,500 | £85,210 | B286 |
| KSK 1 | Dateless | £2,400 | £82,010 | B283 |
| ELL 10T | Suffix (ABC 123D) | £300 | £80,810 | B276 |
| 1 VYR | Dateless | £2,400 | £75,990 | B284 |
| 95 A | Dateless | £2,500 | £71,010 | B274 |
| 3 FU | Dateless | £2,200 | £70,000 | B271 |
| 57 O | Dateless | £2,500 | £68,010 | B282 |
| 110 O | Dateless | £2,500 | £67,010 | B281 |
| 81 O | Dateless | £2,500 | £65,090 | B279 |
| 98 O | Dateless | £2,500 | £63,100 | B274 |
| 9 OAT | Dateless | £1,200 | £62,030 | B276 |
| 54 O | Dateless | £2,500 | £56,510 | B273 |
| OAS 1S | Suffix (ABC 123D) | £500 | £56,040 | B274 |
| TON 1S | Suffix (ABC 123D) | £500 | £51,020 | B278 |
| AR52 NAL | Current style (AB12 CDE) | £250 | £49,110 | B284 |
| DSK 2 | Dateless | £1,200 | £46,210 | B286 |
| SAM 1S | Suffix (ABC 123D) | £500 | £46,010 | B279 |
| 788 HS | Dateless | £2,200 | £45,610 | B286 |
| 9 XN | Dateless | £2,200 | £45,010 | B274 |
| 7 FU | Dateless | £2,200 | £42,510 | B273 |
| ATL 4S | Suffix (ABC 123D) | £350 | £41,110 | B280 |
| 849 T | Dateless | £2,500 | £39,450 | B282 |
| 80 LAW | Dateless | £1,200 | £37,510 | B281 |
| FER 12C | Suffix (ABC 123D) | £300 | £35,000 | B275 |
| 242 A | Dateless | £2,500 | £34,010 | B285 |
| 1544 C | Dateless | £2,500 | £33,670 | B270 |
| 1 WHD | Dateless | £2,400 | £33,260 | B283 |
| 505 O | Dateless | £2,500 | £31,510 | B283 |
| 250 OOO | Dateless | £800 | £31,050 | B281 |
| 66 OAT | Dateless | £1,200 | £31,010 | B271 |
| IG 63 | Irish | £2,200 | £31,010 | B284 |
| PO25 CHE | Current style (AB12 CDE) | £250 | £31,010 | B273 |
| 1 VYX | Dateless | £2,400 | £30,110 | B284 |
| 111 SO | Dateless | £2,200 | £30,010 | B278 |
| 122 A | Dateless | £2,500 | £30,010 | B282 |
| 303 O | Dateless | £2,500 | £30,010 | B277 |
| 992 AB | Dateless | £2,200 | £30,010 | B283 |
| AUT 15M | Suffix (ABC 123D) | £300 | £30,010 | B277 |
| 200 OOO | Dateless | £1,200 | £29,600 | B271 |
| 570 LEN | Dateless | £800 | £28,510 | B284 |
| 7007 JB | Dateless | £1,500 | £28,010 | B272 |
| 8008 S | Dateless | £2,500 | £27,410 | B272 |
| 440 O | Dateless | £2,500 | £26,550 | B285 |
| 1 ORO | Dateless | £2,400 | £26,260 | B272 |
| 4000 O | Dateless | £2,500 | £26,230 | B283 |
| 321 OO | Dateless | £2,200 | £26,010 | B276 |
| RVS 1 | Dateless | £2,400 | £26,010 | B271 |
| 86 OO | Dateless | £2,200 | £25,760 | B270 |
| 123 AS | Dateless | £2,200 | £25,510 | B281 |
| EMZ 1 | Irish | £2,000 | £25,510 | B278 |
| 296 CS | Dateless | £2,200 | £25,260 | B285 |
| JSK 7 | Dateless | £1,200 | £25,210 | B273 |
| 315 A | Dateless | £2,500 | £25,190 | B286 |
| HMZ 4 | Irish | £500 | £25,160 | B277 |
| MVS 1 | Dateless | £2,400 | £25,110 | B273 |
| 8000 O | Dateless | £2,500 | £25,060 | B270 |
| 150 OOO | Dateless | £800 | £25,010 | B280 |
| 26 OD | Dateless | £2,200 | £25,010 | B285 |
| 296 VS | Dateless | £2,200 | £25,010 | B275 |
| 296 X | Dateless | £2,500 | £25,010 | B277 |
| ELL 110T | Suffix (ABC 123D) | £250 | £25,010 | B284 |
| JSZ 1 | Irish | £2,000 | £25,010 | B279 |
| VFF 1 | Dateless | £2,400 | £25,010 | B285 |
| 98 UK | Dateless | £2,200 | £25,000 | B286 |
| PAD 5L | Suffix (ABC 123D) | £350 | £25,000 | B277 |
| PAD 6L | Suffix (ABC 123D) | £350 | £25,000 | B271 |
| 154 M | Dateless | £2,500 | £24,990 | B278 |
| 6 RUP | Dateless | £1,200 | £24,510 | B271 |
| F90 FER | Prefix (A123 BCD) | £200 | £24,110 | B286 |
| 40 NAN | Dateless | £1,200 | £24,040 | B272 |
| 160 Y | Dateless | £2,500 | £24,010 | B271 |
| YDS 1 | Dateless | £2,400 | £24,010 | B278 |
| 7 HSK | Dateless | £1,200 | £23,510 | B270 |
| 121 O | Dateless | £2,500 | £23,360 | B275 |
| 91 SS | Dateless | £2,200 | £23,110 | B276 |
| 23 RAD | Dateless | £1,200 | £23,010 | B278 |
| 74 OO | Dateless | £2,200 | £23,010 | B275 |
| 7777 O | Dateless | £2,500 | £22,960 | B280 |
| 244 AR | Dateless | £2,200 | £22,810 | B285 |
| 411 OYS | Dateless | £800 | £22,770 | B276 |
| OSK 1 | Dateless | £2,400 | £22,500 | B272 |
| BUL 1T | Suffix (ABC 123D) | £500 | £22,450 | B282 |
| 11 BUX | Dateless | £300 | £22,250 | B277 |
| 542 A | Dateless | £2,500 | £22,010 | B284 |
| CTA 1T | Suffix (ABC 123D) | £500 | £21,910 | B286 |
| 105 B | Dateless | £2,500 | £21,710 | B271 |
| 1115 P | Dateless | £2,500 | £21,510 | B284 |
| 1 LRV | Dateless | £2,400 | £21,510 | B282 |
| 77 LAW | Dateless | £1,200 | £21,510 | B275 |
| 930 TBO | Dateless | £800 | £21,500 | B282 |
| DUA 4A | Suffix (ABC 123D) | £350 | £21,470 | B283 |
| DAM 1T | Suffix (ABC 123D) | £500 | £21,090 | B271 |
| 1 VLW | Dateless | £2,400 | £21,010 | B275 |
Download the auction results (CSV)
Source: DVLA timed online auction results. Hammer prices exclude the buyer's premium, VAT and the £80 assignment fee.
- How far back the results go: 1989
- Sales held each year: nine, with each one running online for seven days
- Price that gets published: just the winning bid on its own
- Added to every winning bid: 20% VAT, a 3% buyer's premium with VAT charged on that premium, and an £80 fee from the DVLA
Plates sold through the DVLA auctions
The DVLA has held plate auctions since 1989 and keeps a record of every one of them. By September 2014, the DVLA had sold 4.2 million registrations and taken in £2 billion altogether, says GOV.UK.
These days the sales happen online. There are nine auctions a year, with each one running for seven days, so fresh results turn up about every six weeks.
Some plates do not find a buyer. One that fails to sell might get offered again at a later auction, which means a registration you have seen listed can show up again later.
What sold plate prices do not include
The figure shown in the results is the winning bid, which the DVLA also calls the hammer price. Fees aren't included, so the winner always paid more than the figure shown.
Every winning bid carries three extra charges:
- 20% VAT, worked out on the winning amount
- a buyer's premium of 3% of that amount, with VAT charged on it too
- an £80 assignment fee, the DVLA's own charge for moving the registration onto a vehicle
You can read about all three on the DVLA auction help pages.
Opening prices follow the same rule. A plate's opening price leaves out the VAT, the premium and the fee as well, so a plate ends up costing more than its opening price even when nobody bids against you.
What DVLA registrations sold for, and what winners really paid
Below, the bid you would see in the results sits beside the full amount the winner handed over, with VAT, the premium, the VAT charged on that premium and the £80 fee all counted in.
| Full amount paid by the winner | Bid as published |
|---|---|
| £1,316 | £1,000 |
As the bid grows, the gap widens, since most of the extra cost comes as a percentage of the bid. For a cheap plate the £80 fee is the biggest extra of all; for an expensive one it is the VAT.
Ravi spots a plate he likes sold at £1,000 in last month's results. Once you add 20% VAT, the 3% premium plus its VAT, and the £80 fee, that plate's winner handed over £1,316. If he compares it with a plate a dealer is offering, the fair figure to use is £1,316 rather than £1,000. That same thinking applies when you set a spending limit before you bid. With a set amount to spend in total, the highest bid you can make is lower than that amount, because the fees take the remainder.
How this is worked out
As a rough guide, the winner paid the bid plus just under a quarter of it again, plus £80. So a £1,000 bid cost £1,316 in total.
Judging a plate with the results
Because these results show what people genuinely bid, they are a firmer guide than a dealer's asking price. A dealer can ask whatever they like, but an auction result shows what someone was actually willing to bid. Just remember to add the fees before you compare.
When you look up a plate like the one you have in mind, make a note of the winning bid and add the fees. That gives you the true cost of the closest sale, and that is the number to set against any other offer you are thinking about.
If a plate you had your eye on did not sell, keep watching later sales. The DVLA says unsold lots may come back in a later auction, so a result is not always the final word.