Discovering available private number plate combination has never been easier

Some will say that a private number plate is only for those of us who don’t really know what to do with a pile of money. And, to some extent, they may be true. After all, aren’t these plates the epitome of smugness rich brats?

However, according to the numbers released to the public, the Treasury earned £102 million from private number plates only in 2015. This means that over 335,000 people chose to embellish their cars with a meaningful plate and were happy to pay more for this.

So, does this mean that more and more people in the UK have more money than they can spend? Not really; it just means that people no longer see the idea of a personalised plate as something that shows vanity and snobbery. But why do people actually do it?

Top five reasons why people like private plates

We’ve analysed a few great stories from people with cool cars and even cooler number plates and these are the main reasons that stood out:

1. Vanity

While you won’t be seen as a snob, many people still do it to show off. Whether you got a great car and you want to make sure people know it’s yours, or you just want to flaunt your success in front of everyone, vanity remains the number one reason. Still, this doesn’t make you a bad person, just one with things to show to the world.

2. Emotional reasons

We develop affection for the weirdest of things and we use even weirder ways to keep a reminder of the things of which we are emotional. Thus, a private number can remind you of your beloved or your first gig, or anything that is important to you.

3. Tradition

In some families, having a personalised number plate is tradition and everyone gets one with their first car. This is usually the name of the owner or a combination that gets as close as possible. This is why many dealers offer the possibility to get the number as a gift for someone.

4. Advertisement

A cool car with a great plate can be quite the centre of attention so why not take advantage of the situation and promote your business or personal brand? Just imagine how cool it would be if you are a company that rents limos for events and you’d have personalised number plates that fit most popular events such as marriage, prom, or bachelor parties? Take for instance the plates used on the car that was used by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at their wedding – JU5T WED.

5. Personalisation

This is somehow connected with the first reason as people like to make their cars their own. The personalised number plate is a form of automotive jewellery and shows how cool of a person you actually are. You didn’t have to buy this cool plate, but you did because you like unique things that speak about your personality.

How to get the perfect plate

Well, this is usually the easy part as you can just to an online search using one of the available services. A great private number plates search service is the one where you can introduce what you want the number to be like, and you’re offered a wide range of options and prices.

For instance, if you want to make the plate look like your name, you simply introduce it in the search bat and hit Search. You’ll be offered a list of suggestions and you can choose the one you like most, according to your budget.

This is possible, because more and more people who want to sell their plates use the same services to find a buyer. So there is an online market where both demand and supply meet, which makes things incredibly easier.

Of course, if you don’t find what you’re looking online, you can participate in auctions, but this means you’ll have to drive to wherever the auction is being held without the promise that you’ll be able to buy the plates. This is why the online market is so much more popular than the local ones.

The editorial unit