South Africa's most expensive number plates costs R113,619 or $6,000

The most expensive number plate in South Africa today comes with a hefty price tag of R113,619, ($6,000) not including license and registration fees. This luxurious identifier features a single alphanumeric character and is specific to vehicles registered in the Western Cape province.

According to Plates SA, a leading manufacturer of personalised number plates, the coveted plates will look something like “1 – WP” or “A – WP.” These “vanity plates,” as they are commonly known, allow South Africans to personalise their vehicle number plates with any combination of numeric or alpha characters, subject to approval by the Department of Transport.

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The cost of prestige

In 2016, a collection of single-character Gauteng plates, ranging from “1 – GP” to “8 – GP,” sold for R1.89 million at auction. This significant sale was reported by Wheels24 at the time. Considering that the original owner paid R52,800 for the set, this reflects a return on investment of an impressive 3,480%.

Regional pricing variations

Prices for personalised number plates vary across different provinces and suppliers in South Africa. For example, in the Western Cape, Plates SA offers the following pricing for various number plate sequences:

4-7 alpha and/or numeric characters: R3,307 (e.g., “HELLO 1 – WP”)
3 alpha and/or numeric characters: R6,419 (e.g., “XYZ – WP”)
2 alpha and/or numeric characters: R14,469 (e.g., “Z9 – WP”)
1 alpha and/or numeric character: R113,619 (e.g., “A – WP”)

In Gauteng, the prices are:

3 alpha and 3 numeric characters: R2,100 (e.g., “007 XYZ – GP”)
4-7 alpha and/or numeric characters: R4,100 (e.g., “4U2C – GP”)
1-3 alpha and/or numeric characters: R6,600 (e.g., “M5 – GP”)

More than just plates

These personalised plates must comply with South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) regulations, displaying the logo or hologram, coat of arms, or background as sanctioned by the province where the vehicle is registered. Moreover, vanity plates are transferrable, adding to their value as potential investments.