Strange choices of Personalised Number Plates

I know it takes all sorts... if we were all the same, life would be pretty boring - wouldn't it?

When it comes to choosing a personalised number plate, the first option most of us think of is our first name. The next option that springs to mind is our initials. Or maybe our surname. After that, most of us get stuck.

But some of us get a little more imaginative. Hobbies and job are popular options. Though maybe some of us take our jobs a little too far....(!)

The Drainman has picked a personalised number plate that sure catches the eye...

Others do it by making a statement - here's an "awesome" personalised number plate.

I'm really not sure if this one was deliberate... or just a fluke. But that's quite a message the owner of this BMW is putting out with their personalised number plate. Or maybe it's a misguided effort at Lesley...?

And if you didn't know this Porsche carried some POW, take a look at the personalised number plates..

And could this personalised number plate possibly have a film connection...?



A little imagination opens up a worls of possibilities beyond just names...

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Personalised registration plates more common in some parts of UK

It seems personalised registration plates are more common in some parts of the UK than others. Scotland, and more specifically Stirlingshire, came top as the most likely to have a personalised number plate.

A recent survey by elephant.co.uk discovered that as many as 14% of car owners in Stirlingshire had a personalised number plate, compared with less than 1% in areas such as Cumbria and some parts of Greater Manchester. That's quite a difference. And BBC Scotland were quick to pick up on the popularity of personalised registration plates in Scotland.

There's no doubt that personalised registration plates are more popular than ever. Since the DVLA made them more easily available, at a price point many can afford, they're no longer the preserve of the rich. Having said that, they're still more likely to be found on high value luxury cars than an everyday runaround. Perhaps it's not surprising that Ferraris, Mercedes, Porsches and Jaguars appear at the top of the list of most likely to have personalised registration plates. The least likely cars to have a personalised registration plate were Skodas, Rovers, and Daewoo's. We'll leave you to draw your own conclusions on why that might be....

Not only does the percentage of personalised registration plates vary depending on where you live, but it also seems to depend on occupation too. Nursing home owners came top, as the most likely at 13.4%. Next came Local Government Chief Executives, haulage contractors, and sub-postmasters. At the other end of the scale, it seems newspaper photographers, park rangers, and road sweepers are amongst the least likely to have a personalised registration plate.

Overall, these figures suggest that around 4% of us across the UK currently own a personalised registration plate. Significanlty less than Stirlingshire figures. That would seem quite low... so we may need to do some spot surveys of our own.

Buying a cheap personalised registration plate

So you want to buy a cheap personalised number plate? What is cheap? £100? £1000? Budgets will vary from one pocket to another. In reality, whatever our budget we want to make the most of it.

Usually at the bottom end of the price range, Irish number plates are great option for a cheap private number plate. They can start from as little as £100. Though some of the more presitigious ones have sold for £1000's. They're cheap because there are usually many of them available for sale, so there's plenty to choose from. And they're popular because

1. There's no age identifier so they can be used to hide the age of a vehicle without the usual restrictions, and
2. They're a much cheaper option for getting a name on a personalised number plate. KAZ, GAZ, or LIL for instance.
   

The current style number plates are cheap too. Or at least, they can be. And again, this is partly down to the abundance of these plates on the market. With 2 releases of each letter combination every year there seems to be plenty to go around. They start from as little as £159. The more common initials annd popular letter combinations disappear quickly, so you do still have to be on your toes. And it sometimes pays to buy as soon as the combination is released rather than waiting till you own a vehicle that's new enough to assign it to.

Generally speaking, prefix number plates can be cheap. Again from around £159. But the more common initials and short names have been bought up, and they're back on the market at much higher prices. So prefix style number plates are not the cheapest personalised registration plates for the majority.

Of course, the key to making the most of your budget is to get the best price you can. And that means hunting around so you get a feel for what would be a reasonable price. Comparing number plate prices, you'll find that they can seem to vary wildly. There can be some good reasons for this of course - and they're not always obvious. Other times it can just be down to the level of commission fee added by the dealer. Though, of course, if you buy the personalised number plate direct from the owner, you'll also save on the dealer premium.

The quickest and easiest way to get a cheap personalised registration plate is to check number plate prices and keep track of what you've seen. Use a number plate price comparison service. Big dealers, small dealers, and private sellers from all over the internet - in one place.

My personalised number plate - how long to sell?

So you've decided to sell your personalised number plate?

But will it sell? And if so, how long will it take to sell? I get asked these questions all the time.
Truth is, I can't tell you how long it will take to sell any personalised number plate. It can take as little as a couple of days, or several years.
What I can tell you is how to work out how likely it is to sell.

The basics are pretty straightforward. Take a look at how many similar number plates are available for sale. For some letter combinations, there are literally hundreds for sale. For instance, take the letters CLG. At the time of writing, there are over 100 'good' prefix number plates for sale, with the letters CLG. By 'good', I mean prefix number plates where the digit is under 20(these are usually the first to sell). If you go over 20, there are literally 100's available. So, if you're selling K22 CGL (for example).... it may take a while. If you sell via a number plate dealer, there's the dealer's premium that will be added to whatever price you agree with them. So that's likely to set the price at around £400+.

As there's plenty of choice, a buyer is probably going to choose K19 CLG, priced at under £200.

So what about something a little less straightforward? Here's a Porsche number plate for sale. Yes, it's got 911 - so great for a Porsche 911 owner. JPH - a reasonably common set of initials. Great. So now all we need is a buyer with the initials JPH, and a Porsche 911.... a narrow market. Not impossible, but may take a while.

See where I'm coming from?

Then of course there's th price bracket. You may have a fantastic personalised number plate for sale. Maybe something like... PAU 111S. That'll appeal to 10,000's of possible buyers. Fantastic. Should sell pretty quickly then? No. Of course, such a good personalised plate will attract a higher asking price. It's likely to sell for well in excess of £10,000. So we're looking for a very rich man named Paul! It could take a year or more to sell this number plate.

Realistically, a well priced good number plate will sell more quickly. Popular shortened names (like Sue or Rob) will sell if they're priced competitvely. As will initials that are common (such as AJB or JMH). Again, there has to be a reason a buyer will choose yours over other personalised number plates for sale.

In a nutshell, patience is key. Most personalised number plates will take a little time to sell. And it's important to anticipate the extra DVLA fees that might be associated with keeping the registration number on retention (if applicable).

How do I buy a personal number plate?

Do a search of personal number plates on any search engine, and you'll find hundreds of results. That's a lot of trawling around to find the right personalised registration plate.

And.....

• where do you start anyway?
• aren't the number plate companies all the same?
• how can they all sell the same personal number plates?

The truth of it isn't really which number plate company to buy from. There's only one of any car registration number. So it's just down to a number plate price comparison, and of course....service.

Don't necessarily assume that larger companies will give the best service....some of the smaller companies will spend more time giving you advice and suggestions.


So... where do you start buying a personalised number plate?

1. Get some ideas for a personalised number plate. Don't restrict yourself to your name or initials - think about hobbies, nicknames, car models, special words...etc. What would you like your personal number plate to say about you?
   Use the various websites to give you some ideas, and get suggestions from your friends.
   
2. Decide on your budget. Be realistic - it's unlikely you'll find your first name without a very large budget.
3. Use a number plate price comparison site (of course!) to check out the best prices across the dealers. Remember, some personal number plates will be subject to vat - so factor that in when comparing prices. Then check the registration number is still available - it's possible that it may have been sold.
   
4. Make an offer. Be realistic. If your offer is too low, it may not be taken seriously. If you want to offer significantly less than the asking price, explain why. Is it priced high compared to other similar number plates?

You'll usually find many of the same personalised number plates being offered for sale by a number of different companies. But in the end, there's only one of any registration number....and one owner. So don't make offers to a number of dealers - it gives the owner the impression that there's more than one person interested!



Aren't all number plate companies the same?

The truth of it isn't really which number plate company to buy from. There's only one of any car registration number. So it's just down to a number plate price comparison, and of course....service.

Don't necessarily assume that larger companies will give the best service....some of the smaller companies will spend more time giving you advice and suggestions.

And remember, buying a number plate direct from the owner will save you paying a dealer's premium. Some personalised number plate companies put you in direct contact with the owner.



How can companies sell the same personal number plates?

Firstly, see how the company is selling personalised number plates. Are they a number plate dealer? If so, there's a commission fee built into the selling price. Almost all number plate companies work this way.
However, there are one or two companies that do not. Look for words like 'commission free' or 'no commission fees'.


Secondly, it's possible that an owner may advertise their personal number plate with more than one company. Prices may vary dependent on how much the number plate company decides to add on top as commission.

Thirdly, some dealers may advertise their own commission sales with other dealers. That potentially puts more than one dealer between you and the seller!

For more info, check out these Top 5 tips for buying personal number plates.

Will my personal number plate sell?

Comparing your number plate is the answer....

If you've ever tried selling a personal number plate, you'll know it's not easy. And it can take months, if not longer, to sell one.

Why does a personal number plate stay on the market for so long? Why is it so difficult to sell a personal car registration number plate?

If you're selling a high value personal number plate, the number of possible buyers with the budget to buy it will be smaller. So you'll need to be patient.

Even a cheap personalised registration plate can take a long time to sell.

This is because there are just so many number plates on the market at £500 and below. So comparing the personal number plate you're selling with what else is on the market is the key. Or more importantly, compare number plate prices. Be realistic. If there are lots of very similar number plates for sale, you must price yours competitively if you want someone to choose your personal number plate over someone else's. If your personal registration number is really special, you can afford to ask for a higher price.

Number plate prices vary widely, and sometimes there appears to be no rhyme nor reason for the variation.

Let's take a (theoretical) example:

Personal number plate I want to sell: H22 PLG. Let's say I bought it for £250. It's natural I'd hope to get a little more for it a couple of years down the line. But when I compare my car registration number plate to the other number plates for sale, I find there are over 70 number plates for sale that are very similar to mine. So can I sell my number plate for more than the other 70 number plates? I'd say it was unlikely.

But chances are that it will be offered for sale for more than £250. Especially if I sell via a dealer. That's because there's a dealer commission built into the asking price. So what are the chances of my selling my number plate?