DVLA number plate auctions

In a DVLA number plate auction, registrations that have never been issued are sold in a timed online sale. The £80 assignment fee, VAT, and a 3% buyer's premium with VAT on it all come on top of your winning bid.

A21 OYL

In our price check, A21 OYL was the cheapest DVLA plate, at £250 all-in at DVLA.

9DVLA online auctions a year, 7 days each

£130lowest DVLA auction reserve price

3%DVLA auction buyer’s premium, plus VAT

£80DVLA assignment fee, already in DVLA prices

The way DVLA timed auctions work

According to GOV.UK's main guide, DVLA runs 9 auctions a year, all online, and each lasts 7 days. A different GOV.UK page puts the number at about 6 a year, so look at the auction site calendar. The lowest reserve price is £130.

On dvlaauction.co.uk you will find each DVLA timed auction, and money goes to John Pye & Sons Ltd. DVLA sells only registrations that were never issued, so numbers used in the past are not listed here. For those, run a number plate search that covers the dealers.

The finish time shifts. A bid placed in the final 30 minutes pushes the end time back by up to 30 minutes, so a bid made late does not take the win just because of the clock.

What you pay beyond the bid

The starting price is the minimum bid, and it leaves out VAT, the buyer's premium and the assignment fee. If you win, the charges are:

your winning bid
VAT at 20%, charged on your winning bid
a buyer's premium of 3%, plus VAT charged on the premium
the DVLA assignment fee of £80

Take £1,000 as an example of a winning bid: the total is £1,000 + £200 VAT + £30 premium + £80 fee + £6 VAT on the premium, which comes to £1,316. Keep that in mind when you set your maximum bid. You can read the terms on the DVLA auction help page.

How to bid in a number plate auction

Sign up on the DVLA auction site. Without paying any deposit, you receive a spending limit of £1,000.
Bids above £1,000 need a deposit of 10% of the highest amount you plan to bid. Should you not win, the deposit is refunded automatically within 3 working days.
Enter your bid. You cannot undo a bid, so before you click, check the registration and the maximum you want to place.
Winners must pay in full within 5 working days after the auction ends, with payment due by 11.59 in the evening.
Once your payment clears, DVLA sends the V750 certificate of entitlement to you within 3 weeks.
You can assign the private plate to your car with the V750, or hold the certificate and use it later.

Buying for another person works too: name them as a nominee with no extra charge, and a company name can also be the nominee. GOV.UK sets out the wider buying rules in its private plate guide.

Fixed price or auction?

In a private plate auction you choose your own maximum, though the extra costs stack up and every bid is final. On DVLA's fixed price plates, VAT and the £80 fee are already included, and each dealer sets their own prices. The two options are compared in our guide to DVLA number plates.

To check what similar plates have sold for, see the DVLA auction results. The published results reach back to 1989 and list winning bids only, with no fees included.

What happens when plates remain unsold?

You cannot get unsold registrations right away. Such registrations may appear in a later auction, and you can sign up for a message if the registration you want comes up again.

Common questions

How do the DVLA number plate auctions work?

Each one is a timed online auction on dvlaauction.co.uk that runs for 7 days. Register, bid no more than your spending limit, and pay within 5 working days if you win.

How much do you pay in fees at a DVLA auction?

The winning bid incurs VAT at 20%, a buyer's premium of 3% with VAT also due, and the £80 assignment fee. None of these are included in starting prices.