The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is responsible for registering vehicles and issuing registration plates in the United Kingdom. One of the unique services that the DVLA offers is personalised registrations, which allow vehicle owners to customise their license plates with custom letter and number combinations.
These personalised registrations are highly sought after by collectors, car enthusiasts, and anyone who wants to add a personal touch to their vehicle – but I don’t need to tell you that if you’re here reading this!
The DVLA holds auctions of number plates several times a year, offering thousands of unique combinations for sale at once. These auctions have become highly popular, with bidders from the UK (and sometimes around the world) vying for their chance to own a one-of-a-kind cherished plate.
The history of DVLA auctions dates back to the 1980’s when the agency began selling registrations through a mail-order system. In 1989, the first public auction of personalised registrations was held, and it was an immediate success. Since then, the popularity of personalised registrations has only increased, and the auctions have become highly anticipated events.
In recent years, and even more-so during the unprecedented lockdowns of the COVID-19 pandemic, the DVLA have been holding online auctions. This means that despite the high prices of some personalised registrations, the auctions remain accessible to a wide range of buyers from the comfort of their own home.
Over the years, DVLA auctions have generated significant revenue for the UK government. In 2019, the agency reported that it had raised over £160 million in revenue from personalised registration sales. This revenue goes to support essential government services such as road maintenance and safety initiatives.
DVLA auctions feature a wide variety of personalised plates, with prices ranging from a few hundred pounds to tens of thousands of pounds. The most sought-after registrations are those that are short, memorable, and easy to read. For example, the registration “1 D” sold for a record-breaking £352,000 at an auction in 2009.
In recent years, the popularity of personalised registrations has spread beyond just car enthusiasts. Celebrities and business owners have also gotten in on the auction trend, using personalised registrations as a way to promote their brand or show off their wealth.
DVLA auctions of personalised registrations have become a highly anticipated event for car enthusiasts, collectors, and anyone who wants to add a personal touch to their vehicle. With a wide variety of personalised registrations available at different price points, these auctions offer something for everyone. And with the revenue generated by these sales going to support essential government services, personalised registrations are a win-win for everyone involved.
How many DVLA auctions are held per year?
There are several DVLA registration auctions held throughout the year, but the exact number can vary. Typically, there are around 6 to 8 auctions per year, with the dates and locations announced in advance on the DVLA’s website.
These are a combination of online auctions accessible to everyone and live venue hosted auctions held around the country.
However, it’s worth noting that the frequency and format of the auctions can be affected by factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, so it’s best to check the DVLA auction website for the most up-to-date information on upcoming auctions.
What number plates are available at auction?
DVLA only sell registrations that have never been sold or issued in the past. This means the auctions are your only chance to purchase rare registrations that have never been assigned to a vehicle before.
All formats of registration plates are included in auctions. These are dateless registrations, prefix registrations, suffix registrations and current registrations.
You’ll often find that dateless registrations frequently attain the highest selling prices at auction.
What are the fees on a DVLA auction?
There are a handful of fees, on top of the selling price, a successful bidder must pay before their winning registration is available to them.
We have a dedicated page showing these fees, including a handy auction fees calculator so you can work out exactly how much a successful bid will actually cost you.
How do you win a DVLA auction?
Venue auctions are held over 3 days and an approximate time is assigned to each registration up for grabs. Bids can be placed in 4 ways: in-person, telephone, online or absentee.
Online auctions are held over 7 days and bids can be placed on any registrations available over the entire duration.
However, the online auctions run on a system known as sliding end times. This means it doesn’t quite work like other auction platforms such as eBay where bids can be sniped at the last moment. As stated on the DVLA website:
For lots on which any bidding activity takes place in the last 30 minutes the end time will slide by a further 30 minutes and will continue to do so if further bidding takes place. This is to give all bidders a fair chance to bid again, should they wish to.
So there’s no need for tactics – just bid up to what is appropriate for you without the worry of being caught out at the last second.