You can get private number plates to suit pretty much any budget, which is a good thing at the moment, as personalised plates are proving to be hugely popular with all kinds of people. The kinds of people who, just a few years ago, might not have even considered accessorising their vehicle with a private registration. So how do you know if a number plate is good value for money?
On a budget?
If you don’t want to be splashing out too much cash, you can get private number plates from as little as £80, but these might not be as ‘unique’ as you’d like them to be. It is worth noting that on top of this, you will also need to pay for the processing fees through the DVLA, so if you’re on a budget, factor that cost into the overall price of the plate.
Which plates are the most popular?
How much a plate is worth depends on several different factors, and some plates are therefore more popular than others. Here are a few of the factors that will change a number plate’s value:
- Dateless registrations (if there is no number identifier on the plate) are more unique, and therefore, generally more expensive.
- If the plate makes use of a make or model of a car, the value is likely to go up as there will be other owners of the same vehicle that would like to get their hands on that kind of personalised plate.
- If the numbers and letters make up another well-known word or name, again, this is likely to be a highly sought-after plate. Full Christian names and surnames are very popular.
- While very unique names or words that are hard to make out may be popular for their exclusivity, if it is too particular, it may not have as much value as you think: for example, if the plate uses someone’s nickname and date of birth, it is extremely high in value for them, but it might not be to anyone else.
- Suffix and prefix registrations can still be popular, especially if they include low numbers or popular letters such as B or M.
The value of private number plates generally decreases if they don’t contain any readable names or words within the registration; these obviously won’t be very unique and so there won’t be as many people willing to buy them. Generally, people who want personalised plates want to make their car individual, they want to stand out from the crowd, and so, often, only a highly unique private registration will do.
To find out which plates fall into your individual budget, browsing online is a great way to see what’s out there – and it may even give you some ideas if you aren’t sure what to go for.
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