P 7 Sold for $15 million
AA9 Sold for $10.3 million
CA 3 Sold for R340,000
1 FS Sold for R220,000
1-GP to 8-GP Auction Sold as a complete set for R1,890,000
9-GP Auction Sold for R167,000
MANDELA-GP Auction Sold for R66,000
1-CAA Estimated up to R150,000
Personalised number plates can be far more valuable than their appearance suggests. In South Africa, some combinations cost only a few thousand rand, while highly sought-after single-character plates can cost more than R100,000.
For motorists, collectors and number plate enthusiasts, the value of a registration number depends on several factors, including the number of characters, the province, rarity and demand. The most expensive individual personalised number plate documented as sold in South Africa is CA 3, which fetched R340,000 at auction in Johannesburg in 2009. In November 2016, the collection 1-GP through 8-GP sold for a combined R1.89 million.
Only a limited number of single-character registration combinations are possible. That scarcity can make short registration numbers particularly attractive to collectors and to motorists looking for a distinctive plate.
A registration such as 1-WP, A-WP or 1-GP is immediately recognisable, and considerably rarer than a longer personalised combination. The value of a plate can therefore extend beyond its original government-issued price.
Some South African number plates have achieved significant prices through private transactions and auctions. In November 2016, Wheels24 reported that a collection of single-character Gauteng plates, from 1-GP to 8-GP, sold at a Stephan Welz & Co auction in Johannesburg for R1.89 million.
The sale shows how scarce registration numbers can attract substantial demand. If the eight plates had been acquired at the listed Gauteng price of R6,600 each, they would have cost R52,800. Compared with the R1.89 million auction result, that is a substantial increase in value.
Individual plates have also sold for far more than their issue price. Contemporary reports described CA 3, at R340,000 in 2009, as the most expensive individual plate sold in the country at that time. The Free State plate 1-FS was previously sold for R220,000.
Number plate values are determined by availability, demand, legal ownership and what buyers are willing to pay at a particular time.
Personalised registration numbers are associated with a vehicle and its registration record, but they can be transferred under the applicable provincial procedures.
Because a desirable number can be transferred, a rare combination can have value beyond the vehicle that originally carried it. The rules on registration, retention and transfer differ between provinces, so owners should check the current requirements with the relevant licensing authority.
Changes to vehicle registration systems, and the introduction of additional security features, could affect the future cost of number plates. In 2024, Gauteng announced plans for upgraded registration plates, citing cloned and fraudulent number plates, as well as the limited number of combinations available under the existing system.
The proposals prompted debate about the potential cost of the new plates and whether motorists would have to pay more. Any future change to South Africa’s registration plate system could influence both the cost and the availability of personalised combinations.
The highest recorded sale is a collection, not a single plate. The rare single-digit Gauteng plates 1-GP through 8-GP were auctioned by Stephan Welz & Co in Johannesburg in November 2016. The collection sold for a combined R1.89 million, making it one of the most valuable number-plate sales recorded in South Africa.
The highest documented price for an individual plate is CA 3, which sold for R340,000 in 2009. Contemporary reports described it as the most expensive individual plate sold in the country at that time. The Free State plate 1-FS was previously sold for R220,000.
A registration number’s market value depends on its rarity, province, meaning, historical significance and demand. A particularly desirable combination can sell for substantially more than its original issue price.