The first DVLA auction of this year was an online event that ran from Wednesday 14th January - Tuesday 20th January 2026.
As always, prices quoted in this report include fees and taxes.
January's Top 5
This month's high achiever was 15 LAM. As a perfect "Islam" plate, it's not surprising that it commanded a high price but, nevertheless, £192,908 is an impressive amount and a great start to the year.
As an aside, we should mention that, in the past, DVLA has been very wary of releasing registrations referencing religion. They seem to be relaxing that attitude somewhat, but a few years ago it is unlikely that 15 LAM would have been released. The same is true of the several plates we have seen spelling out variations of "Devil" in DVLA auctions. In case this recent, more relaxed attitude to releasing previously withheld combinations should lead to unforeseen issues, the Secretary of State retains the power to withdraw problematic plates, even after issue.
Second place in January's top five was 81 O. As we have seen again and again, O plates are very popular and can sell for big money. £80,531 is a good price for a good registration. Apart from any significance the numbers may have for the purchaser, the fact that the combination also spells "Bio", just adds to its value.
At number three in January's rankings was SAM 1S ("Sam's") at £56,948. At number four was the three-letter number 1 plate JSZ 1, which sold for £30,992, and in the number five slot was 11 DSK at £24,800.
Words
January's selection of word registrations was a bit of a mixed bag. As well as some fairly spot-on representations, there were a number of imperfect renderings that demonstrated well how it is possible to get an easily recognisable word number plate for a bargain price, so long as one is prepared to accept the odd extra or missing character.
The purchaser of 13 OYS (£16,160) clearly has something to say about boys - but we're not sure what. Presumably, the new owner of 816 BEN (£15,542) is either a very tall person named Ben, or a big fan of the famous Westminster clock tower and bell.
DEV 71L, which sold for £15,369, is another in quite a procession of "Devil" plates we've seen sold at the DVLA auctions. GLO 64L (£9,980) surely has international appeal, even though it can only be assigned to a UK car, while RAP 61D, at £9,980, may be a subtle boast about the speediness of the new owner's vehicle.
One neat plate that seemed like quite a steal was HO75 HOT ("Hot shot"), a really good rendering for just £6,260.
Names
Amongst the top names bought by auction bidders this month were YAS 7 ("Yas") for £22,958, AFF 1A ("Affia") for £18,880, MOH 21N ("Mohsin") for £17,396 and SEB 555 ("Seb's") for £15,011.
Lower prices also secured some fine name representations, including JAC 40B ("Jacob") at £11,834, DRK 45H ("Dr Kash") at £8,176, SAM 133R ("Sameer") at £8,151 and 15 LAK ("Isla K") at £7,508.
It was reassuring to see that DVLA still hasn't run out of "Singh" plates: ON51 NGH, which sold for £5,123, was just one more in a seemingly unending run of auction appearances for the name!
Aesthetic
As always, there were some registrations that didn't spell out words, names or messages but, instead, displayed sufficient visual impact to attract bidders.
OO58 OOO, which sold for £6,520, is a combination of two popular themes: strings of repeating Os or 0s and full or partial symmetry. Similar arrangements featuring X instead of O have also earned good prices at past auctions. H8 OOO (£5,036) also displayed the repeating Os motif, as did A600 OOO (£4,418) and B90 OOO (£4,418).
Top 50 sales
| Plate | Price * |
|---|---|
| 15 LAM | £192,908 |
| 81 O | £80,531 |
| SAM 1S | £56,948 |
| JSZ 1 | £30,992 |
| 11 DSK | £24,800 |
| YAS 7 | £22,958 |
| IBZ 63 | £22,365 |
| 140 G | £20,598 |
| 111 NSS | £19,967 |
| 4321 OO | £19,559 |
| 110 AG | £19,386 |
| 55 UK | £19,312 |
| AFF 1A | £18,880 |
| 155 T | £18,818 |
| 24 YA | £18,707 |
| 1 OMK | £18,657 |
| 89 XX | £17,409 |
| MOH 21N | £17,396 |
| 1010 A | £16,914 |
| 962 S | £16,890 |
| SRZ 11 | £16,766 |
| 4 WRS | £16,284 |
| AVI 55 | £16,160 |
| 13 OYS | £16,160 |
| 115 C | £15,790 |
| 816 BEN | £15,542 |
| 8 KSA | £15,419 |
| 177 Y | £15,419 |
| DEV 71L | £15,369 |
| 21 RAN | £15,134 |
| 917 A | £15,060 |
| 11 TJW | £15,048 |
| 1 YHB | £15,048 |
| SEB 555 | £15,011 |
| 105 L | £14,986 |
| 68 HL | £14,924 |
| 981 M | £14,924 |
| VCW 1 | £14,924 |
| HAS 55 | £14,912 |
| 720 J | £14,640 |
| 1 OTF | £14,430 |
| 25 YS | £14,294 |
| 6 KTL | £14,170 |
| 911 JJS | £14,034 |
| 1 UTY | £13,997 |
| 515 X | £13,960 |
| 1010 B | £13,948 |
| 170 P | £13,688 |
| 51 RAS | £13,688 |
| SYR 14A | £13,688 |
* Prices include fees and taxes.
The stats
January's DVLA online auction comprised 2000 lots, 1,970 of which were sold and 30 unsold. Purchasers spent a total of £6,678,687.
The next DVLA online auction will run from Wednesday 11th February to Tuesday 17th February 2026.
The Regtransfers auction
Buy and sell with our number plate auction. You can see what is coming soon or jump in to the listings.
DVLA Auction November 2025
Learn more about personal number plates that sold for great prices in the DVLA's previous auction.
