July's DVLA auction was an online event that ran from Wednesday 22nd July to Tuesday 28th July 2026.
As always, prices quoted in this report include fees and taxes.
July's Top 5
July's highest price was the £111,332 paid for 97 O. Once again the top spot was taken by one of the ever-popular 'O' registration series. The DVLA auctions in March and May of this year were also topped by 'O' numbers.
In second place was 1 VYR, which achieved £94,004. This one would make a great name/initial plate for someone named Ivy whose surname begins with 'R'. It is, of course, also a digit-first number one registration which adds to its value and appeal.
Third place was taken by AR52 NAL (£60,780), a great Arsenal plate. Not quite a perfect spelling but it works at a glance nevertheless. It's also a great way to celebrate the club winning the Premier League for the first time since 2003/2004. Coincidentally, in 2004 another Arsenal plate, AR53 NAL, sold for £46,736. Comparison between the two prices shows how much the value of private plates has risen: AR52 NAL achieved a higher price than its 2004 counterpart, despite the earlier example being the better spelling.
This month's number four was IG 63 (£38,408), a short combination and a very desirable initials registration.
The top five was completed by 1 VYX, potentially another great 'Ivy' plate, which went for £37,296.
Words
There were some interesting word combinations this month.
At £35,318, we hesitate to call 570 LEN (Stolen) a steal, but it's still a good number. We've seen other plates representing 'Stolen' in previous auctions: some people just seem to enjoy teasing the police.
DEV 61L (Devil) at £18,756 is another word that has appeared in the DVLA auctions several times in the past. This one was considerably less expensive than some we've seen.
615 LAM (Islam) sold for £18,620, C4 ARS (Cars) for £17,891 and 63 AST (Beast) for £16,160.
321 RUN (3, 2, 1, Run!) was purchased for £15,060. We liked this one, but it's a shame the UK registration format doesn't allow exclamation marks.
GH05 STS (Ghosts) at £14,924 was the latest example of another word we've seen on several previous occasions, and a very effective one.
BLU 3X (Blue X) was an intriguing lot. As someone was evidently content to pay £13,936, we can't help wondering what its significance is to the buyer. The appeal of D355 ERT (Dessert), on the other hand, is clear to see. A great plate for a baker or for the owner of a cafe or restaurant at £10,153.
Names
As well as Ivy and Arsenal, quite a selection of other names were represented in July's auction. Some were near-perfect spellings while others were very easy to read despite the odd extra, missing or substituted character.
ELL 110T was a good example of the name at £30,992. OEL 80Y (Del Boy) may need a slightly longer glance to decode, but someone was still happy to pay £22,340. LUD 10W (Ludlow) was a perfect representation at £17,260.
ASA 8D (Asad) was worth £14,924 to someone, despite the extra character, and the same goes for HAK 331M (Hakeem) at £13,688.
MAR 110T (Marriot) didn't quite spell what it was supposed to, but it still works very well visually, and so achieved a price of £13,676.
Four in the 'perfect' category were MA25 DEN (Marsden), which sold for £11,328, GM51 NGH (Singh) which made £8,374, AB24 HAM (Abraham) at £6,149 and AU51 NGH (AU Singh) at £2,713. As registration numbers spelling 'Singh' are a regular feature of the auctions, and the supply seems virtually endless, it was no surprise to see GM51 NGH and AU51 NGH amongst the lots.
Cars
In the car category, we saw the usual Porsche number plates and, as usual, 911 owners were the most spoilt for choice. 911 MJS sold for £18,632 and the very similar 911 NJS for £6,408. DNS 911 sold for £7,632, 911 JDR for £6,075 and 911 SMR for £5,036.
AUD 1G was purchased for £10,598, presumably by an Audi owner. A little less obvious was F849 TRS (£9,733) which is very likely a reference to the Ferrari 849 Testarossa.
L43 MBO (Lamborghini) sold for £8,201 all in, and JAG 3X (Jaguar) for £7,879.
Aesthetic
Although they're not often chart-toppers where price is concerned, some of the most interesting combinations we see are those that carry no obvious meaning or reference. This catch-all category includes those plates that catch the eye despite their apparent meaninglessness. Features such as symmetry (or close to it), character repetition or the inclusion of certain characters, such as 'O' and 'X', are often enough to hook buyers.
7 OOX may or may not have had some actual meaning to the buyer, but it's a good-looking plate that was worth £17,656 to someone.
77 XXX (£9,350) is our first example of repeated Xs, and 675 XXX (£8,003) was another.
100 OGO (£8,744) may, at a stretch, be a stretched rendering of the word 'logo'. Whether or not that was the intention, the repetition of the O/0 characters was probably always going to attract the buyer. The visual effect is clear when it's actually on a real plate, as 'O' and '0' look absolutely identical in the regulation font.
The numbers and initials in 9000 RM (£7,323) and 6000 GB (£6,767) may have been chosen for their appearance, or they may mean something to the buyer(s). The latter may be a patriotic choice. An even more striking example of the repetition of O/0 was A500 OOO which achieved £3,813. Repetition of a different digit occurred in AS 7777 (£5,284).
OO26 OOO (£5,036) was a good example of the near or partial symmetry that has proven popular with bidders. The effect is particularly striking when the repeated characters are 'O'/'0' or 'X'.
123 OOH (£3,491), like 321 RUN that we saw above, is another combination that just cries out for an exclamation mark. Older (much older) readers may hear it read out in their heads by the late Frankie Howerd; younger readers may have to search YouTube.
Top 50 Sales
| Plate | Price * |
|---|---|
| 97 O | £111,332 |
| 1 VYR | £94,004 |
| AR52 NAL | £60,780 |
| IG 63 | £38,408 |
| 1 VYX | £37,296 |
| 570 LEN | £35,318 |
| ELL 110T | £30,992 |
| 542 A | £27,284 |
| 1115 P | £26,666 |
| 750 GT | £24,911 |
| 9 HSM | £24,812 |
| KAL 5A | £24,812 |
| 202 G | £24,800 |
| OEL 80Y | £22,340 |
| 1 OYE | £22,340 |
| URZ 1 | £21,722 |
| 45 ADR | £21,104 |
| 880 H | £21,104 |
| 112 W | £19,992 |
| 992 C | £19,868 |
| 5 LUX | £19,868 |
| 2 WVC | £19,856 |
| DEV 61L | £18,756 |
| YAS 6 | £18,682 |
| 911 MJS | £18,632 |
| 401 AN | £18,620 |
| 1 KYP | £18,620 |
| 615 LAM | £18,620 |
| 41 YAN | £18,496 |
| 77 OC | £18,027 |
| 4 KVS | £18,014 |
| 188 RHM | £18,014 |
| C4 ARS | £17,891 |
| 7 OOX | £17,656 |
| 3 KYO | £17,409 |
| 966 KSA | £17,396 |
| 849 X | £17,396 |
| 831 O | £17,384 |
| LUD 10W | £17,260 |
| 177 MB | £16,778 |
| 4 KHC | £16,296 |
| 63 AST | £16,160 |
| 2 OMR | £15,666 |
| 965 KWT | £15,604 |
| ARV 7N | £15,530 |
| REU 3 | £15,295 |
| 321 RUN | £15,060 |
| 1 LXG | £15,011 |
| 808 L | £14,961 |
| 170 J | £14,937 |
* Prices include fees and taxes.
The stats
July's DVLA online auction comprised 2,000 lots, 1,974 of which were sold and 26 unsold (including one withdrawn). Purchasers spent a total of £7,049,040.
The next DVLA online auction will run from Wednesday 2nd September to Tuesday 8th September 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 June 2026
Learn more about personal number plates that sold for great prices in the DVLA's previous auction.
