The DVLA held its first auction of 2022 from 12th to 18th of January. This was a timed, online auction, although the agency is hoping to hold live auction events again beginning later this year.
The sale featured the usual variety of numbers for sale, from name and word plates to short combinations and initials. There were also those ever-present mystery numbers whose appeal may be obvious to the bidders but remains obscure to the rest of us. Interest was strong, as always, and while the auction didn't feature any lot likely to achieve a sum rivalling some of those from earlier sales, those numbers that were included sold for some very respectable prices.
Here are the top performers in this recent sale.
| Registration | Price |
|---|---|
| 75 O | £89,973 |
| PAK 157N | £82,140 |
| 1 OSM | £45,033 |
| OP71 ONS | £38,613 |
| 11 YK | £35,403 |
| 6 XN | £31,808 |
| UPP 41B | £30,267 |
| 1 RUT | £29,047 |
| 8 XV | £28,341 |
| MUU 5A | £25,773 |
| CHR 4S | £25,285 |
| 2 OCM | £24,617 |
| 10 HSD | £24,502 |
| 6 NJW | £23,590 |
| 10 RAH | £22,049 |
| H911 AND | £21,908 |
| 825 M | £20,637 |
| 24 YED | £20,354 |
| 111 NAS | £19,109 |
| 450 A | £18,775 |
Two of the top 5 places are taken by PAK 157N ('Pakistan') and OP71 ONS ('options'). These were probably the best of the word numbers on offer. Many of the other lots that proved popular were short, dateless combinations.
The top sale, 75 O, was the latest in a long line of ‘O’ plates that have been offered for the first time in recent years, starting with 1 O, which sold for £218,360 in January 2009. The highest price achieved by an ‘O’ registration was £513,680 for 25 O, in November 2014. Perhaps surprisingly, many two-digit ‘O’ registrations have outsold their single-digit rivals. Here are the top ten 'O' number sales from previous years:
| Reg | Price | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 25 O | £513,680 | 2014 |
| 1 O | £218,360 | 2009 |
| 77 O | £161,235 | 2021 |
| 2 O | £147,740 | 2009 |
| 60 O | £122,060 | 2016 |
| 6 O | £104,084 | 2009 |
| 99 O | £103,403 | 2021 |
| 9 O | £95,738 | 2010 |
| 10 O | £94,454 | 2010 |
| 5 O | £91,244 | 2009 |
