Comparing private number plate prices
It’s not always possible to compare prices of private number plates, if you’re not comparing apples with apples.
We often get queries asking us to explain why one registration number has a higher asking price than another. And the person is sometimes comparing a prefix style number plate with a dateless registration number. There can be huge differences in price if this is the case.
It’s no good asking (about the advertised price of a specific private number plate):
“Having bought 2 other plates from DVLA Auctions over the last 3 years (both of which were “2 ***”) for less than £4k it seems this is a high price”
The problem I have here… I have absolutely no idea of the rest of the registration number being used as a comparison. All other things being equal, if the letters are XFJ the selling price will be lower (as the demand will be lower) than if the letters are JMS.
Here’s my response:
“As I do not know the full registration numbers you have purchased from the auctions, it’s impossible for me to compare them against 6 SJG.
The asking price is based a number of factors, including the rarity of the letter combination and the level of demand. The different letter combinations are not available in equal quantities, especially in the case of dateless private number plates like this one. Also, the demand for this combination of letters is quite high.
It is also influenced by the price that the seller of that number plate wants to achieve.
You would also, as a rule, expect to buy at a better price at an auction as it is dependent on who wants the registration number on that day. So it’s not valid to compare auction prices with an advertised price for a private number plate.”
The published selling price of a private number plate at a DVLA auction is the hammer price. It doesn’t take into account the buyer’s premium and vat.
