Private Registrations – Sniffing Out a Bargain

Those who know a little about private registrations will be more than aware of some of the prices that have been commanded by what has become a luxury motoring accessory. In the last eighteen months, MR51 NGH sold for £101,050, 1 OO for £197,048 and 51 NGH for £253,888. VIP 1 was sold to Roman Abramovich for £285,000 and M 1 broke the British record at £331,500. However, this is nothing compared to the £3.5million which was achieved in the United Arab Emirates for a private registration reading simply ‘5’.

Little do most people know, however, that you can get your very own private registration on your car from well under £100. In fact, these are quite often some of the most desirable numbers for older vehicles, as they tend to be ‘dateless’ in that they don’t correspond to a particular year of issue. For those of us who would rather mask the true age of our well-looked-after but, let’s face it, ancient car, a dateless plate is a marvellously cost-effective way of obtaining your very own private registration.

For many people, Irish registrations offer the best value. These registrations include the letters I and Z – both of which are generally exempt from issue on British number plates. If these letters happen to form part of your initials or name, you may find that an Irish number plate is actually your only viable way of having a truly personalised plate. What’s more, they tend to be the most cost-effective way of personalising your vehicle at under £100. If you decide that Irish registrations aren’t for you, however, there are plenty of cheap British alternatives, such as HKU 798, UME 885 and 912 UXT.

So, as you see, you really don’t need to be a millionaire to be able to afford your own private registration. All you need is a few minutes to search for a cheap dateless alternative, and you’ll soon be keeping up with the Joneses!