Most expensive number plates
The most expensive number plates sold in the UK top out at £926,000, paid for 1 F in November 2025. Elsewhere the prices climb much further, and one plate on a world list brought in 24.3 million US dollars.
- Highest UK price: 1 F, £926,000 (November 2025)
- Global record: MM, 24.3 million US dollars
- DVLA auction extras: VAT of 20 percent, a buyer's premium of 3 percent that includes VAT, and an £80 fee
UK registrations with the highest sale prices
All nine of the UK's priciest registrations are very short, usually one or two letters and a single number. Three changed hands in 2025 alone, so the list keeps shifting. The prices below come from Regtransfers.
| Registration | Sale date | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 1 F | Nov 2025 | £926,000 |
| JB 1 | Jul 2025 | £608,600 |
| 25 O | Nov 2014 | £518,480 |
| X 1 | Nov 2012 | £502,676 |
| G 1 | Sep 2011 | £500,126 |
| RR 1 | Sep 2018 | £472,000 |
| F 1 | Jan 2008 | £440,625 |
| DB 1 | Sep 2025 | £437,000 |
| SH 1 | Apr 2019 | £415,143 |
The world's most expensive plates
According to Absolute Reg, MM tops the world list at 24.3 million US dollars. Two Dubai registrations follow, and each made more money than any UK plate.
| Registration | Amount |
|---|---|
| MM | US$24.3 million |
| Dubai AA8 | £7.9 million |
| Dubai D5 (2016) | AED 33 million, roughly £7 million |
The cheapest of these three still costs over seven times the UK record.
The F 1 plate and the 1 F plate
F 1 went for £440,625 in January 2008. It is still among the nine priciest UK plates today.
Reversing the letter and the number did better still. In November 2025, 1 F fetched £926,000, more than twice what F 1 brought in, and it holds the UK record now. You can find both sales on the Regtransfers website.
What buyers really pay
The figure you spot in auction results is only part of what the buyer paid. DVLA results show the winning bid on its own, without any fees, as its auction help page sets out.
The total for a DVLA auction winner includes:
- VAT on the winning bid at 20 percent
- a 3 percent buyer's premium on the winning bid, with VAT included
- an £80 assignment fee
A buyer's premium is an extra charge the auction adds to the winning bid. The assignment fee covers the DVLA handing you the right to put that plate on a vehicle.
Take any winning bid. Add VAT, the premium and the fee, and you have the total. Because VAT and the premium rise with the bid, the higher the price, the bigger the gap between the published result and what the buyer actually paid.