Owners of Most Expensive Number Plates In The World

Many people around the world who are passionate about cars also spend a lot of money on number plates. While some do it for business, others consider it to be an investment that they can make worthwhile use of. For instance, people who have specific initials may want to have a number plate that matches their design. Others may want one that’s associated with their status.

Numbers and letters are commonly used in signs all around the world, and some of the most sought-after ones are those that only contain a few letters and numbers.

The oil-rich city of Dubai became known as the world’s most expensive place to live when a car number plate known as “AA9” was sold for $10 million – Dh38 million (₦7 billion) last year. Despite this, the amount still trails some of the most astronomical prices paid for valuable and rare number plates.

Check out the most expensive plate number on the earth and who owns them:

Lucky ‘28’ for £1.6 Million in Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, personalised number plates with lucky numbers on them are popular and often sold at a high price. In 2016, a ‘28’ number plate was sold for 18.1 million Hong Kong dollars – which equates to roughly £1.6 million. In Cantonese, the word for 28 sounds similar to a phrase meaning “easy money” or “easy prosper”. After they spent well over a million pounds on this number plate, we can only hope that money comes easily to this buyer.

John Collins’ 25 O’ – £500,000

The ‘25 O’ number is the most expensive registration plate in the UK and it was purchased by John Collins for over £518,000 in 2014.

Then, Collins, a classic car dealer, said he would put his newly purchased ‘25 O’ number plate on his 1961 Ferrari 250 SWB. The Ferrari 250 Series are one of the world’s most expensive classic cars released in the 1950s and 1960s.

Peter Tseng ‘NSW 4’ – $1.8 million

In 2017, Peter Tseng, a Chinese-American billionaire, bought the original NSW 4 license plate, which was first registered in 1910. He paid almost $2.55 million Australian dollars for the plate.

As a sex toy magnate and wine collector, he is known for his collection of number plates. He also owns a 1969 Mercedes-Benz vehicle with a personalised plate.

Balwinder Sahni’s D5’ – £6 million

Balwinder Sahhni, an Indian businessman, paid 33 million UAE dirhams ($8.66 million) for a car number plate. According to him, he wanted the number plate because it means “nine” and “D” is the fourth letter of the alphabet.

He said that he will use the money for his new car, which will be his new Rolls Royce. Sahni is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of RSG International, a property development company based in the United Arab Emirates.

Ghaffer Khouri ‘1’ – £7.1 million

Also from the UAE, Mr Ghaffer Khouri set the record for the most expensive number plate ever sold when he bought ‘1’ for over £7.1 million (Sh950 million) in 2008.

“I bought it because it’s the best number,” he stated after the purchase. He bought it from a number plate auction organised by Emirates Auction Company in 2008. Khouri is the CEO of Abdul Khaleq Al Khouri & Bros Co and CEO of Milipol International Est.

Afzal Kahn’s ‘F1’ plate – $9.5 million

In the United Kingdom, the “F1” number plate has always been a hugely popular and desirable one for vehicles. Awarded for a limited duration, the number plate has always graced some expensive cars, including the likes of the Mercedes-McLaren SLR and Bugatti Veyron.

Any car enthusiast will understand the significance of “F1”, for it denotes Formula 1 – one of the most coveted motorsports in the world. The face value of this registration number increases because the UK government allows only “F1” on the number plate and no other initials and digits. It makes it one of the shortest vehicle registration numbers globally.

The “F1” licensed to a 2013 Bugatti Veyron SuperSport is believed to be the world’s most sought-after registration plate. The number is owned by the founder of luxury car tuner, Kahn Design, Afzal Kahn, and was on sale at one time for ₦10.5 billion (£ 15 million). Kahn purchased it in 2008 for £375,000 (₦291,225,116) and rejected a ₦4.6 billion (£6 million) bid for the plate in 2014.