DVLA Number Plate Auctions Get a Fresh New Look with John Pye & Sons
There’s some big news for anyone who loves hunting down that perfect personalised number plate! The DVLA has just teamed up with national online auction house John Pye & Sons to run all its official number plate auctions.
After a competitive tender earlier this year, John Pye won the contract to manage the DVLA Personalised Registration Auctions – taking over from the previous supplier (BCA) who handled it for more than 15 years. Over the next five years, John Pye will be running at least nine auctions every year, offering around 18,000 unique registration numbers and raising an estimated £43 million annually for HM Treasury.
The auctions will continue to run on the familiar DVLA Auction website – but there’s a twist. John Pye’s in-house tech team has given the whole platform a major refresh. Expect a smoother experience, easier navigation, personalised number plate suggestions, and live countdowns to keep you hooked right up until the hammer drops.
You’ll have to register for a brand new account on the website to be able to bid. But the best news to come from this new supplier is the announcement that the Buyers Premium fee has been slashed from 7% down to 3%. We’ve updated our DVLA Auction calculator with this new figure to maintain accuracy.
The new contract officially kicked off on 1st October 2025, with the first auctions going live on Wednesday 15th October 2025.
If you fancy bidding on a new plate for your car (or maybe just browsing some of the quirky options that come up), head over to the usual website dvlaauction.co.uk to see the refresh.