Search Dealer Registration Plate Websites

Step 2. Search dealer websites

Most of the mainstream and established dealers (a list of which can be found at the end of this guide) have searchable databases for their registration numbers. To find a current dealer, try Googling private number plate, cherished plates or similar.

Enter a search term on any of the websites and you'll be given a list of plates and prices. Try different variations of your plate (eg try ABC, ABC1, ABC12, BC123 etc) to get more of a feel what prices they are commanding. RegTransfers have a useful search engine:

http://www.regtransfers.co.uk/main/searchs/advanced.asp

Using other dealer's websites, we see a number of interesting plates for ABC 123:

You'll make a judgement call here. I'd consider 123 ABC to be of similar value to our ABC 123. Even though ABC 4, ABC 61 and ABC 100 are more similar in form, 123 ABC is a spun reversal of ABC 123. If a prospective customer is looking for just ABC then they might well be tempted by any of the others but if the "123" part is of equal importance then this will command the extra premium. The average price between the three dealers selling this plate is £25,239. A dealer may be able to sell your plate for this figure, but allow for the fact that they'll probably be negotiated down.

The second example using C17 MAA shows some differences over ABC 123:

Despite some minor variations, our plate C17 MAA sits directly between two plates that are available – C16 MAA and C18 MAA. There might be a possible name association, but Cilma(a) doesn't seem that popular a name. So it's fair to assume that with a dealer C17 MAA is worth somewhere between £436 and £519.