PERSONALISED NUMBER PLATES SOAR

Sales of personalised number plates have more than doubled over the past decade , figures obtained by the BBC suggest .

More than 1 million transactions took place in 2024, up from about 500,000 in 2014, according to data from the Driver and License Agency (DVLA )

That includes. plates bought directly from the DVLA, as well as those that change hands privately . Plates can be bought for less than £200 but the most lucrative can fetch hundreds of thousands od pounds.

Experts told the BBC private plates were increasingly being seen as an investment - often never being used on a car.

The value of private number plates depends on the popularity of the combination of numbers and letters.

The DVLA raised £276 m for the government from personalised plates last year.

Rob Nichols from Exeter who is a finance director says trading plates has been a fun sideline .

After buying a number plate featuring his initials on his BMW, and recently bought another two plates he did not use and selling them for profit.

ALL ABOUT IMAGE

Another growth area is young people . There are two sides, you have collectors , people who buy cherished plates. Then there's the younger generation , who aren't bothered about plates that are valuable-they won't plates with meaning.

On social media people in the car scene are often known by their number plates.

17 year old Noor Dar from Manchester from enjoys peruses the face book group where different combinations are shared. Deciphering messages behind plates - Phrases like YOU 105T are a popular past time for some.