Value my number plate: UK valuation guide
Check your registration and work out sale proceeds from a real offer. For a market valuation, compare achieved sales and request specialist quotes.
Check your number plate
Independent format check and sale-cost calculator. We do not have achieved-sale data, a DVLA valuation feed or an issued-registration database.
Enter a registration to check its format.
What would you keep from a sale?
Enter an actual offer or your own proposed price. This calculation does not predict market value.
Enter a price and valid fees to calculate proceeds.
DVLA charges £80 to take a registration off a vehicle. Assignment after paid retention is free. Include the £80 only if it applies to your transaction; check who pays it and whether commission includes VAT.
How to value a private number plate
Compare the same format, length, initials or name and number pattern. Keep achieved prices separate from advertised asking prices. An unsold dealer listing is not evidence of what a buyer will pay. Request several written quotes and compare the amount you would receive after commission, fees and VAT.
Is this a DVLA number plate valuation?
No. KnowTheCost is independent of DVLA. DVLA sells registration rights through its own service and auctions; those purchase prices do not establish the resale value of your existing registration. You cannot submit your own plate to DVLA's sales auction through this calculator.
Check the right to sell and assign
A personalised registration is a right to assign a number, subject to DVLA rules. Check your V750 or V778 and vehicle eligibility. You cannot use a registration that makes a vehicle appear newer, or transfer a Q/QNI registration. Do not change spacing to make a name read differently on the physical plate.
Taking a number off a vehicle costs £80. A retention document is valid for 10 years; assignment using that paid retention is free. Check the official procedure before accepting payment.
Sources, checked 2 October 2026: buying registration rights, retaining a number, display rules.
Compare number plate formats
Format helps choose comparable sales; it does not set a fixed price. Examples illustrate structure and are not availability checks.
Dateless Number Plates
A 1, ABC 123, 1 ABC
No age identifier; includes older and Northern Ireland formats
Suffix Number Plates
ABC 123A
1963–1983 format
Prefix Number Plates
A123 ABC
1983–2001 format
Current-Style Number Plates
AB12 CDE
September 2001 onwards
Single-Letter Number Plates
A 1, X 99
Dateless subset
Two-Character Number Plates
A 1, 1 A
Dateless subset
Name Number Plates
BOB 1, A1 BOB
Several registration formats
Initials Number Plates
JS 1, AB 100
Several registration formats
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