The United Arab Emirates tops the table as the place with the most license plates to ever be sold across the globe.
The car hire experts at StressFreeCarRental.com have ranked the most expensive license plates to ever have been sold in the world, some of which have now more than doubled in value.
It is clear that not only are the owners of luxury vehicles splashing out on their flashy motors but on the license plates to match.
For those who have particular initials may want to get a number plate to match whereas others may buy a plate for its look or as a status symbol.
Some of the most sought after plates in the world contain only a few numbers and letters, which can instantly make a plate recognizable on the road.
In the top ten however, there are only two plates that contain letters, the rest are single or double digit numbers.
A spokesperson for StressFreeCarRental.com said: “It may come as a surprise to some that someone would spend hundreds of thousands on a custom license plate, but it’s actually very common.
“There are several reasons why people splash out on them, some do it for pleasure, others for business and many see it as a worthwhile investment.
“There isn’t an awful lot of information known about the owners of the world’s most desired plates – this is due to certain countries having reporting preferences.
“Whatever the reason, it’s always fun to spot custom license plates when driving out and about as they tell a story about the person driving that their car often doesn’t.”
Ten most expensive license plates in the world
- 5 – $9,951,477 (33m AED)
- 1 – $9,850,648 (52.2m AED)
- 9 – $5,928,052 (25m AED)
- 5 – $4,755,485 (25.2m AED)
- 7 – $4,076,130 (16.8m AED)
- 7 – $4,019,146 (13.4m AED)
- 9 – $2,926,458 (15.4m AED)
- 2 – $2,801,456 (10m AED)
- 9 – $2,336,981 (10m AED)
- 28 – $2,195,675 (18.1 HKD)
*AED- Arab Emirates Dirham
*HKD- Hong Kong Dollar
Officially crowned the most expensive license plate ever sold in the world, 5 was sold for an eye-watering $9,951,477 back in 2016.
Narrowly missing out on the top spot is, 1. It was actually worth 19.2m AED more than the number 1 when it was purchased.
In third place comes the number 9, which was purchased in Dubai in 2015 for $5,928,052 (roughly 25m AED).
Back in 2007, the number 5 was sold for $4,755,485 and it was labeled one of the most special plates in the world.
The number five and six spots are both claimed by the number 7. Unlike some other places on the globe, in Abu Dhabi the same number can be issued more than once as it can be held in different categories.
In 2010 the number 7 was bought for $4,076,130 and later on in 2016 the same number was purchased for $4,019,146.
9 was purchased twice for extraordinary fees, once in 2008 for $2,926,458 and then again in 2010 for $2,336,981.
In ninth place comes 2 – which may be expected to be higher up the list – which sold for 10m AED in 2017 which would equate to $2,801,456.
And the only entry outside the United Arab Emirates comes from Hong Kong and claims the tenth spot. 28 was sold for 18.1m Hong Kong Dollars ($2,195,675) in 2016.
