How do I find out how much my private number plate is worth?
How do I decide how much my personalised number plate is worth?
We're asked this question many times. And it's a question. How do you know how much your number plate is worth? If it's worth anything at all?
There are a lot of factors that come together to make some number plates worth more than others. We've pulled together the main ones that can affect the value of your number plate.
Here's a starter for 10...
The less you need to squint to work it out, the more your number plate is worth!
Read our guidelines, then do your homework. And compare your number plates against other similar ones on the market right now. Make sure you compare the same number plate formats as that makes a lot of difference.
It’s acceptable to replace some letters and numbers on registration plates, to make a name. For instance the letter A can be replaced by the number 4.
These are the main things that affect how much a number plate is worth:
Name number plates are worth most
As a rule, if a number plate has an easily recognisable name on it, it's worth a lot. Especially if it doesn't have too many 'spare' letters or numbers on it.
A full name (like Simon or David) is harder to create on a number plate so it's worth more. But popular shortened names (like BOB, SUE, or KEV) make great personalised number plates and sell like hot-cakes.
If it's really difficult to make the name, and there aren't too many letter / number combinations that make it, then the price goes up.
The value of the number plate depends on what style of number plate it is too.
Here are some name number plates:
How much is a word number plate worth?
If your number plates make a distinct word (without having to squint too much, or distort the letters, then they can be worth a bit. It all depends on how popular the words are. Words like 'HORSE', 'Turbo', 'Power'... these are popular. Other words like 'Sexy' are pretty sought after too!
Here are a couple of examples:
Car model number plates are worth a bit too
Lots of owners like to put the make or model of their car on private number plates.
How much your number plate is worth depends on how many similar number plates are available and how many cars are suitable.
Here are some examples of car related number plates:
Are your initials worth anything on a number plate?
If your initials are common, like AJS or JMH then yes! Again, it's all about how much demand there is. Registration plates like A1 JMH will be worth a lot more than A1 LFU. So the letters really do matter.
Having said that, there is a mot more choice with initials, so these number plates are not worth as much as a number plate that makes a name.
Number plate style
Over the past 100 or so years, different styles of number plates have been used. As a rule of thumb, the older number plates are more valuable than the newer styles. Especially dateless number plates, which are always popular.
Current style number plates are the most recent, starting in 2001. So they're generally not worth as much as older style, unless the letters combine to make a good name or word.
Prefix number plates can be worth a little more as there are generally less of them available. Here's an example of some initials on a prefix number plate.
Suffix number plates can be worth a little more as there are generally less of them available. Here's an example of some initials on a suffix number plate.
Dateless number plates are generally worth the most, because they don't have an age identifier, and were issued only up until 1963.
Irish number plates are the most easily available, and the cheapest number plates on the market. They can start from as little as around £50.
Are letters and digits on a number plate worth much?
All UK private registration plates (except dateless style) have 3 letters. The value of your number plate depends on how much demand there is for those letters, and how many are available. Take a look around... if there are loads available, then it's reasonable to assume that the demand is low and those letters are not worth as much on a number plate.
Dateless (and sometimes Irish) number plates may have just 2 letters or one letter. These are generally worth a bit more. How much depends on all the other factors we've talked about above.
The number of digits also affects how much a number plate is worth. The fewer digits there are, the better. And if the digits have some significance (like 333 or 21) all the better.
So how much is your number plate worth?
As you can see, there are a lot of things that come together to work out how much a private number plate may be worth. And some are easier to work out than others.
Get your free number plate valuation.