Personalised number plates can be a great piece of memorabilia or a way to make yourself stand out.
DVLA hosts various auctions throughout the year where you can register and get your hands on a private reg plate for yourself. The reg plates available at auction include rare and prestigious registration numbers that may resemble a unique word, vehicle name or a person’s name. They may also be plates starting from ‘1’ or dateless plates which don’t have a year identifier. DVLA holds both in-person auctions (called Traditional Auctions) and online auctions, called DVLA Timed Auctions. Traditional Auctions feature more prestigious plates and are spread across two to three days while Timed auctions feature lower end, specially requested plates and go on for a week. The minimum bid on reg plates usually ranges from £70 – £2,500, depending upon the demand for the number plate. In December 2021’s Timed Auction, the highest reg plate was DEV 1L which sold for £240,010. This year, DVLA will be hosting seven online auctions and two at a physical venue.

Before the auction

Before the auction, a catalogue of the personalised plates (and their associated reserve price) is released by the DVLA, arranged in alphabetic order. To bid on a number plate, you first need to register online. Once registered, bidders must submit a ‘maximum bid’ which only you can see - this is essentially the maximum amount you’re willing to spend on a number plate. Note that a 7% auctioneer’s commission fee, 20% VAT and an £80 assignment fee will be added to the sale price which will be reflected in the invoice if your bid is successful. For example, if you buy a number plate for £200, you’ll be charged a 20% VAT of £40 + 7% commission fee of £14 + 20% VAT on the commission fee of £2.80 + assignment fee of £80 which will bring the grand total to £336.80.

During the auction

Once the auction starts, the auction system will automatically increase bids on your behalf in increments of £10 and stop until you win the bid or when you reach your maximum bid limit. You can increase this limit if you want to keep bidding until the end time. You’ll be able to view the highest bid on the number plate at all times, but you won’t be able to see others’ maximum bids. Remember: once you’ve placed a bid, you can’t remove it.

After the auction

Once the auction ends, you can view the final price the number plates were sold for online. If you win a bid on a number plate, you must pay within five working days of the auction in the ‘My purchases and invoices’ section in your account online. You’ll need your registration number and lot number as references to make the payment. If you fail to pay within this time period, you’re charged a late payment fee of £50 per week. Once DVLA receives the payment, you’ll be sent a V750 - certificate of entitlement – after which you can assign the registration number to your vehicle. If you were unsuccessful, DVLA will automatically refund your deposit, usually within three working days. You can cancel your purchase within 10 working days after the online auction if you wish to. This is not applicable for purchases made on behalf of a company.

1. 12– 18 January 2022
Starting time: 10:00 am End time: between 11 am – 4:30 pm, depending on your registration Number of registrations available: 2,500 Number plates available for registration can be viewed on the DVLA website (external link) 2. 23 February 2022 – 1 March 2022 Starting time: 10:00 am End time: between 11 am – 2:10 pm, depending on your registration Number of registrations available: 1,000 Number plates available for registration can be viewed on the DVLA website (external link) 3. 30 March 2022 – 5 April 2022 Number plates available for registration will be viewable from 21 January 2022, 12:00 noon. 4. 11 – 17 May 2022 Number plates available for registration will be viewable from 4 March 2022, 12:00 noon. 5. 27 July – 2 August 2022 Dates and Number plates available: to be announced 6. 7 – 13 September 2022 Dates and Number plates available: to be announced 7. 23 – 29 November 2022 Dates and Number plates available: to be announced

1. 22 – 23 June 2022
Venue: Stratford Manor, Warwick Road, Stratford-upon-Avon CV37 0PY 2. 19 – 20 October 2022 Venue: Oxford Belfry Hotel, Milton Common, Nr Thame, Oxfordshire. OX9 2JW If you’re not after private number plates, you could get your hands on a ‘22’ number plate in March 2022 if you register your vehicle after 28 February 2022. Learn more about the new 22-plates.