Personalised Number Plate Information

NUMBER PLATES:

Most of the time, the agency successfully eradicates any plates that may shock or offend the British public.

But every now and then, one slips through the net.

While they may possess the largest number plate database in the UK with millions of conventional registrations, the website also holds some of the most hilarious and outrageous licence plates DVLA-approved to roam Britain’s roads.

And considering their comical value, some of the best plates carry with them an unbelievable price tag – close to half a million pounds in one instance.

Naturally, the Sun Online Motors team sifted through their archives to compile a list of the top 10 most outrageous number plates in the UK – but don’t be surprised if your favourite shocking plate has an equally outrageous asking price.

10. TTII TTS – £8,499
9. F4 KKA- £16,800
8. 69O MY – £6,999
7. PUII HER – £3,499
6. OR64 SAM – £40,000
5. OO04 OOK – £10,472
4. I5 EXY – £95,000
3. B4I FKU – £9,999
2. MRI3 UTT – £495,000
1. PEN 15 – £110,000

ormerly the most outrageous number plate in Britain, the infamous CUII NNT registration has been banned.

Despite resembling one of the most explicit words in the English language, the licence plate slipped through the DVLA prohibited list in 2016, and was given a value of £6,000.

Some of the country's rudest number plates have been revealed - and could be yours for the cool price of £495,000.

Outrageous plates such as TTII TTS, F4 KKA and PEN 15 are available to buy online for those inclined to splash out on an expensive joke.

Each year, new plates are approved by the DVLA, with a cheeky handful slipping under the invigilators' noses and finding themselves onto Britain's streets.

The list will normally include personalised plates spelling out rude words or potentially offensive messages, as well as religious or homophobic terms.

The list of personalised plates the DVLA believes to be in poor taste runs into many pages.

For the 2016 registration year, the DVLA's censors refused a large number of plates, including B16 COX, CR16 PLE, PR16 CK and BU16 ERY.

Some of the more vulgar terms to be outlawed by the licensing agency include B16 NOB, FA16 OTS and TT16 TTY.

But plenty of new number plate combinations will be allowed, and names are expected to be a high seller.

The private number plate market in the UK is worth around £2.3billion a year, and some number plates can sell for astonishing amounts of money.

In 2014, the plate '25 O' sold for a record-breaking £518,000 at a DVLA agency auction, beating the previous record by nearly £100,000.

A publicly-funded committee meets twice a year to decide which number plates are unsuitable for Britain's roads.

The Minister of Transport, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, says the Ghanaian public is increasingly becoming intolerant of perceived corruption and poor service delivery at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA).

According to him, many of the authority’s clients consider it to be the worst in terms of service delivery, thereby creating avenues for middle men, popularly known as ‘goro boys,’ to take advantage of the stifling bureaucratic system at the place.

He has therefore asked management of the DVLA to quickly deal with the ‘goro boys’ syndrome at their various offices.

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Acrylic Number Plates

Acrylic number plates sigify the registration mark of a vehicle.

They can be made of different materials, but more commonly seen are metals and acrylics. But as to how the standard specifications on the use, make and display guidelines of number plates are, it would vary with every city and country. There are some who would prefer to have their number plates more personalized. As long as how it is obtained abides with the regulations, such is possible. In fact, motorists of today are starting to appreciate better the value of vanity plates.

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Police patrolling the M6 north pulled over a pricey Lamborghini after it was spotted missing a NUMBERPLATE.

The pricey supercar - which can cost around £200,000 - was stopped in Staffordshire on Sunday.

It is not uncommon for number plates to be stolen from vehicles.

Criminals target cars that are similar to the car they are driving, in an attempt to avoid apprehension and identification when committing crimes.

If you ask someone who has had their plates stolen, they will soon tell you how costly, inconvenient and stressful it can be.

Police are asking community members to do all they can to secure their number plates and make them more difficult to remove. Police will continue to target and detect offenders, but they need your help.

If you notice your neighbour’s registration plate is recently missing, tell them, and encourage them to report it to police immediately.

If your number plates are stolen you will firstly need to report the theft to your local police. You will need to contact Service Tasmania and pay to get new plates. You will also need to contact your insurance company.

You will have some explaining to do if you are pulled up by the police as it is also an offence to drive a car without plates affixed.

A stolen number plate is most likely being used on a car that is being driven by someone without a licence or is disqualified from driving, and is potentially an unsafe or dangerous driver. They are also actively avoiding police in order to commit a range of crimes including petrol stealing, car theft and burglaries.

Thefts are occurring during the day and night and are being stolen from cars parked in all areas including carparks, public streets and private driveways.

Park your car in a secure place, off the street, ideally with garaging and sensor lighting. Stay alert, report suspicious behaviour to police.

Kicking off on 6 February to coincide with 'Safer Internet Day', the campaign seeks to remind people that the only place to find DVLA services is on Gov.uk, and that any text or email asking for personal information is not from the DVLA and should be deleted without clicking.

Aimed at all motorists, the campaign's emphasis is on digital channels, as online is where phishing is most prevalent.

But the DVLA recognises that, given the broad age range of its audience, many motorists renew their car tax by phone. The organisation is therefore targeting traditional media too.

With social the medium of choice (via the DVLA's Twitter and Facebook channels), impactful imagery is being used to convey the message, built on a 'mask' visual depicting danger and crookery.

The campaign's central message is telling people what they should and should not expect when dealing with the DVLA online or on the phone. Activity encourages people to click through to a DVLA news story that gives details on staying safe online and on the phone. It provides links to sites including Get Safe Online and various government portals where they can report suspicious behaviour.

The timescale of the campaign is indefinite, with the DVLA planning to reinforce its messaging on a regular basis into the long term.

Measuring the campaign's impact will be a critical element in the push. The DVLA will track the number of views to its news story and is monitoring impressions and engagement on social media, its media coverage and calls and complaints made to its call centre.

Liz Rees, the DVLA's head of external comms, said: "We often receive messages from customers and colleagues about refund scams purporting to be from DVLA. More recently, people have been posting their documents online without realising that their personal details are clearly visible. It’s important that motorists understand the risks of posting personal details online.

"We also want to remind them that we will not send any texts or emails asking for personal details and that the only place to find official DVLA services and information is Gov.uk."

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2010 Car Number Plates

We're now just over a month away from the introduction of the 2010 number plate on all new cars hitting the road after the beginning of March.

While the excitement surrounding the introduction of new number plates may go over some people's heads, during the past few years a real demand has grown for personalised plates, with some selling for an absolute fortune at auction.

Music legend Elton John's former number plate ELT 70N recently went up for auction for just under £1,000, but that's nothing compared to the £113,815 one crazy person (in the nicest sense) shelled out on a 1 HRH number plate auctioned by the DVLA at the beginning of 2009. And even that has some way to go to surpass £254,000 paid to take ownership of the 51 NGH plate.

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Are you a cat lover with a few hundred quid to spare? How about a huge Dennis the Menace fan keen to show your appreciation via the medium of your motor? Well you’re in luck as the DVLA – the body in charge of car registrations in the UK – is holding 2017’s first live auction of registration numbers this week and among the plates on offer are WH15 KER ( yours for a starting price of £700) and BE11 ANO (a mere £400). The event – which starts on Wednesday – will see a total of 1,500 personalised registrations being auctioned to members of the public. The registrations on offer have been chosen by DVLA to suit all tastes, styles and budgets and range from plates that reflect names such as EL17 OTT, HA15 RRY and PA14 ULA through to quirkier offerings such as OUR 848Y, OLD 800K and YOU 105E. And fans of Harry Potter could find themselves spellbound by POT 110N which carries a reserve of £250. The agency will be aiming to build on the success of its live auction programme in 2016, which raised £25.6 million through five sales – setting a new record for a second consecutive year. Last year, the total sales of personalised registrations by the DVLA surpassed £147m, taking the total amount raised since the sales began in September 1989 to £2.4 billion. Sales by the agency suggest that interest in personalised plates has soared in recent years with a 150 per cent increase of registered bidders for its live sales since 2011. On average 9,500 customers com[pete for lots per auction. Adam Griffiths, of DVLA Personalised Registrations, said: “It’s been nearly three months since our last live sale, and I am really excited by our first sale of 2017 where some really great registrations are available to bid for. We have experienced two successive record-breaking years and, when you look through the catalogue at the registrations we have compiled for this sale, I am very hopeful that this success will continue.” He added: “Bidding in person is by far the most popular way to buy a registration and it is at the auction where you will find the real atmosphere – it’s a great day out and we make the experience as enjoyable and friendly as possible. If you can’t make it to the auction we offer free telephone, internet and absent bidding facilities”.

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Eric Morecambes Cherished Number Rescued!

Eric Morecambe's 1971 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow has been spared from the scrapheap at the last minute.

Peter Yates, who runs a wedding car firm in Morecambe, spotted the car in a Shrewsbury junkyard just 24 hours before it was due to be dismantled.

He said finding the car - which had the number plate EM100 when Morecambe owned it - was a 'miracle'.

The car was owned by the comic from 1971 and 1974 - as shown by the original order note - and Yates says it still smells of cigar smoke.

How the car came to be in a scrapheap is unknown. Seven years ago the car, including the personalised number plate, sold for £36,000 at auction.

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Police have generated Dhs 8.4 million in revenues from the auction of 150 distinctive vehicle licence plates (category III) during the fourth electronic auction on Saturday. It was organised in cooperation with Emirates Auction, the leading auction company in the Middle East specialising in the organization and management of auctions and electronic.

The double-digit number (77), the highest amount in the auction, reached Dhs1,460,000 after a fierce competition that lasted until the last seconds of the auction closing on the Emirates Auction website.
While the three, four and five-digit plates attracted a number of auctioneers.
The number 11111 was able to reach the barrier of Dhs680,500, while the number 555 sold for Dhs465,000.
The number plate 10000 was sold Dhs 374,000, the number 5555 sold for Dhs356,500.

Brigadier General Saif Al Zari Al Shamsi, Commander-in-Chief of Sharjah Police, said: "We are pleased to conclude this successful auction of the distinctive vehicle number plates’, which comes within the strategy of the Sharjah Police General Command to employ modern technology and systems to improve the quality of services provided to customers according to international standards.
It was also an opportunity for citizens and residents to acquire special plates with their desired numbers.

Al Shamsi thanked Emirates Auction for its efforts in organising the fourth electronic auction and other auctions that contributed in achieving the Ministry of Interior's strategy to enhance customer satisfaction and improve the quality of services provided to them.

Do you fancy driving around Launceston as Batman while keeping an eye out for your nemesis, Joker?

Two number plates going under the hammer this month could turn the childhood dream of a DC Comics’ fan into reality.

Batman and Joker number plates are up for grabs at Tullochs Auctions’ Collector Car Auction.

Auction manager Jesse Reid tips the plates will bring out the young superhero and villain in bidders.

“The plates themselves are enough to have an auction on,” she laughed.

It is expected the Batman plate will fetch up to $35,000 while the Joker is only tipped to reach $2000.

In July a number plate bearing the number one sold at Tullochs Auctions for a staggering $310,000.

Ms Reid admits although Batman is expected to fetch $35,000, the huge amount paid for the number one plate showed anything was possible.

“There’s a lot of number plate investors – they’ve been really undervalued for a while – and have been picking up,” she said.

The increased interest has resulted in 24 number plates being put up for sale at the upcoming auction.

But it is not only stamped aluminum up for grabs at the Collector Car Auction.

A rare, left-hand drive 1974 LJ Holden Torana built in the Philippines could sell for a “very affordable” price.

With one owner, Ms Reid tips the car will fetch up to $45,000.

As of Tuesday evening, pre-bidding, the top bid lodged was $22,500.

The Torana coupled with a Falcon XB John Goss Coupe and a 1986 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 Targa is likely to draw car enthusiasts from the woodwork.

The Porsche Targa – with a desirable Tasmanian history – is likely to sell for between $85,000 and $95,000.

A FX 48-215 featured in Saturday’s story in The Examiner about the closure of Holden will also go under the hammer.

“We’re looking somewhere around the million with the interest in the stock we’ve got,” Ms Reid said.

The auction manager said the popularity of vehicles had been increasing.

“The car auctions have a fairly big mainland following and we get a great response,” she said.

The Collector Car Auction will be held on October 21 from 1pm.

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Number Plates as an alternative investment

Investing in car registration plates may seem like an unorthodox way of making money and a considerable statement in the process. Nevertheless, hundreds of investors and drivers now choose to purchase car registration plates with significant future returns available. The most obvious reason for purchasing car registration plates is to personalise your vehicle, to make you stand out from the crowd.

Even a mere decade ago, drivers with personalised registration plates were seen as wealthy and successful. In the present day, car registration plates are now more accessible and economical for the everyday working man to purchase. Drivers looking for a potential investment must keep in mind that the registration plate they purchase must be easy to sell on in the future.

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In fact, when the DVLA issues a car’s registration plate, they actually follow a very distinct system.

While it may look like a random combination, a number plate can actually tell you how old the car is and where it was registered.

A new format for registrations was introduced in September 2001, meaning all cars registered after that date would have their number plate made up of three parts.

How to tell where the car is from

The first section of a number plate is the local memory tag – the first two letters of the plate.

This identifies where the vehicle was registered, and is itself broken down into two parts.

The first letter stands for the local area, for example E denotes Essex, while L stands for London.

The plate’s second letter then identifies at which DVLA office in that area the registration took place – multiple letters can signify the same DVLA office.

How anyone can tell how old your car is just by looking at it

The two numbers in the middle of your plate identify how old the car is.

The DVLA issues two lots of number plate combinations each year on March and September 1st.

All plates issued between the 1 March and the end of August will use the same two numbers as the year they are registered.

For example, a car registered in May 2017 would have “17”.

Vehicles registered between September 1 and the end of February the following year, use a similar pattern of higher numbers.

When the format changed in 2001, this group of vehicles were identified differently by starting the labelling from “51” rather than “01”.

Therefore this second lot of numbers will always be 50 plus the year the car was registered – so after 2010, the number starts with a 6.

For example, a vehicle registered in December 2009 will show “59” on its plate but December 2011 will be “61”.

Is any of the plate random?

The final three letters of the number plate tend to be a random combination that make the registration unique.

But it’s not uncommon for cars with neighbouring letter sequences to be from the same manufacturer, due to batch allocation of new registrations to dealers by the DVLA.

The letters “Q” and “I” are excluded from the random sequence, along with any phrases that are deemed offensive.

Using the current scheme, there will be a sufficient combinations to last until the end of February 2051.

What about registrations before September 2001?

From 1983 onward, licence plates used a leading single letter to represent the year of first registration.

The letter “A” was used in 1983, progressing through the alphabet, finishing with “Y” at the end of August 2001.

The rest of the characters on the plate were random.

Prior to 1983, the same system was used, but with the year letter at the end of the plate rather than the beginning.

A PETITION against a police chief's decision to sell the first number plate issued to the county has gathered over 850 signatures.

Retired police constable Alan Matthews started the online petition after he found out that the 'AB 1' licence plate was up for auction.

Police enthusiasts have lambasted the decision to sell the plate, which has traditionally been used on the staff cars of Worcestershire's Chief Constables.

West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) John Campion claims the sale will enable him to invest in frontline policing.

Mr Matthews, aged 69, who worked for West Mercia Police from 1985 to 1994, said: "It's a piece of police heritage that shouldn't be sold off.

"It was the original number that the chief had. I just think that there's other ways the PCC could save money.

"I'm getting quire ratty about it. When you have been in the police you see how much waste there is.

"It's a sad thing that people in the UK have so much history but don't think much of it."

Jon Cherry, the director of regplates.com, thinks the plate will sell for between £225,000 and £275,000.

He said: "We have sold similar plates recently at this level and the market for high quality original issue number 1 plates is very strong.

"The buyers of these are intent on having only the best and only this plate will suffice!"

Mr Campion said his priority is use the assets at his disposal to make West Mercia a safe place.

"The prospect of a chief constable or any public servant using a private number plate belongs in a time gone by, both for security reasons and public expectation," he said.

"Therefore a considered decision has been made to market ‘AB 1’ and any sale proceeds will be reinvested towards frontline policing in West Mercia."

He acknowledged the history behind the plate but said it had not been used for around six years.

A spokesman for Mr Campion said he was not selling anything else apart from the number plate.

Vehicle registration was introduced in 1903 and it is believed 'AB 1' was first issued to Worcestershire's Chief Constable Herbert Sutherland Walker in 1908.

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In 1963, numbers were running out once again, and an attempt was made to create a national scheme to alleviate the problem. The three letter, up to three number system was kept, but a letter suffix was added, which changed every year. In this scheme, numbers were drawn from the range AAA 1A to YYY 999A for the first year, then AAA 1B to YYY 999B for the second year, and so on. Some areas did not adopt the year letter for the first two years, sticking to their own schemes, but in 1965 adding the year letter was made compulsory. As well as yielding many more available numbers, it was a handy way for vehicle buyers to know the age of the vehicle immediately. At first the year letter changed on 1 January every year, but car retailers started to notice that buyers would tend to wait until the New Year for the new letter to be issued, so that they could get a newer" car. This led to major peaks and troughs in sales over the year, and to help flatten this out somewhat the industry lobbied

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