What Regplates does

Regplates Limited is a UK private limited company founded in 1991 and headquartered in Hessle, East Riding of Yorkshire, that operates a DVLA-recognised online marketplace for buying, selling, and brokering private ('cherished') vehicle registration plates. The platform centres on a proprietary database advertised at over 45 million (and on some pages 55 million) registrations — claimed to cover 99%+ of plates available in the UK — with multiple search interfaces including prefix, current-style, dateless, and creative filters that match names, car models, sports, and initials to available registrations.

The company's product surface spans core inventory listings (dateless plates, prefix plates, exclusive/cherished plates, name plates, motorcycle plates, DVLA-issued plates), supporting services (a professional DVLA transfer service handling V5 and MOT paperwork, a seller brokerage service, a valuations service, and a plate-backed loan product), auction transactions, and an add-on physical acrylic plate range (plain, UK/GB/Scotland/Wales flag, and 4D styles) priced £20.99–£35.99. Distribution combines a 24/7 self-serve e-commerce site, mobile apps, telephone sales (01482 627 628, 9am–7pm), and online auctions; customer acquisition relies heavily on SEO coverage of all UK letter-pair combinations plus content marketing, social media, and Trustpilot/Reviewcentre reputation signals.

Revenue is generated primarily through one-time/perpetual-license sales of individual plates — with prices ranging from under £500 to over £250,000 — supplemented by brokerage commissions on seller transactions, financial income from plate-backed loans, and unit sales of physical acrylic plates. The customer base is horizontal B2C across persona segments (personalisation buyers, vehicle investors, classic car enthusiasts, gift buyers), all operating within a single-country UK market. Regplates holds DVLA Recognised Reseller status (RNPS license 47727) and is a member of trade associations MIRAD, CNG, and APRT, with PCI DSS-compliant payment processing.

Name

Regplates

Legal name

Regplates Limited

Website

https://regplates.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Regplates Limited is a UK-based, DVLA-recognised online marketplace founded in 1991 that lets individual consumers buy, sell, and broker private ('cherished') vehicle registration plates from a database of over 45 million listings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Number Plates

NAICS

Automotive Parts and Accessories Retailers (44133)

SIC

Retail-Auto & Home Supply Stores (5531)

akta.pro primary industry

Automotive Parts & Mobility Recommerce (Parts, Accessories, Bikes/Scooters) (CRAFAGAI)

Keywords

• Private number plates
• Cherished registration plates
• Vehicle registration sales
• DVLA plate transfers
• Number plate brokerage

Headquarters

HQ city

Hessle

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Number Plate Sales: One-time transaction sales of private/cherished number plates. Prices vary dramatically based on rarity and desirability, ranging from under £500 to over £250,000. This is the primary revenue stream.
2. Registration Transfer Service: Professional transfer service handling all DVLA paperwork including V5 documents and MOT certificates. Free when purchasing a plate from them.
3. Brokerage Commission: Professional brokerage service for selling private plates on behalf of customers. Acts as intermediary to secure buyers while customer retains ownership.
4. Number Plate Loans: Provides loans against number plates as an alternative to selling, offering financial flexibility to plate owners.
5. Acrylic Number Plates: Sale of physical number plates (plain, UK flag, GB flag, Scotland flag, Wales flag, 4D style) priced from £20.99 to £35.99.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Regplates sells UK private and cherished vehicle registration numbers through an online catalogue of over 45 million plates, supported by creative search tools (prefix, dateless, name/initials), DVLA-recognised transfer paperwork handling, brokerage for sellers, plate-secured loans, professional valuations, and physical acrylic plate products. The platform enables individual consumers to buy, sell, and finance personalised vehicle registrations with professional support throughout the DVLA transfer process.

Product overview

Regplates operates as a DVLA-recognised private number plate marketplace offering a comprehensive portfolio of products and services. The core offering consists of private and cherished number plate sales through multiple channels including a database search tool (over 55 million plates), dateless plates, exclusive registrations, auctions, and name-based plates. Supporting services include professional transfer handling, brokerage for sellers, valuation services, and financing options. The company also offers physical acrylic number plates as an add-on product. The platform serves both individual consumers and dealers, functioning as a one-stop solution for buying, selling, and managing private vehicle registrations in the UK.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Private Number Plates Sales of UK private vehicle registration plates spanning dateless, prefix, current-style, exclusive, name-based, and cheap variants, sourced from a database of over 45 million plates. Targeted at UK individual consumers wanting to personalise vehicles, with prices from approximately £280 to over £295,000.
• Dateless Number Plates Registration plates without year identifiers that can be assigned to vehicles of any age, valued by classic car enthusiasts and collectors for maximum flexibility across vehicle registration assignments.
• Motorcycle Private Plates Private registration plates formatted and sized for motorcycles, giving motorbike owners the same personalisation options as car owners.
• Private Number Plate Auction Auction platform for purchasing cherished number plates at competitive prices, including plates held on behalf of the DVLA and by private sellers, with Regplates providing bidding services on behalf of customers.
• Number Plate Transfer Service Professional handling of all DVLA paperwork required to transfer a registration to a vehicle, including V5 documents and MOT certificates, provided free of charge when a plate is purchased from Regplates.
• Sell Private Number Plates (Brokerage) Brokerage service in which Regplates advertises a customer's private plate and works to secure a buyer while the seller retains ownership of the plate until completion.
• Finance Your Number Plate (Loans) Loans issued against private number plates, allowing customers to unlock value from their registrations without selling them outright.
• Number Plate Valuations Professional valuation service providing current market values for private registration numbers, delivered by post or email to inform sellers and buyers.
• Acrylic Number Plates Physical acrylic number plates supplied in plain, UK flag, GB flag, Scotland flag, Wales flag, and 4D styles, priced from £20.99 to £35.99.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 45 million number plates available for purchase
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DVLA (Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegplates is a DVLA Recognised Reseller (RNPS license number 47727) and Registered Number Plate Supplier. The company has a direct link from the DVLA website, enabling verified status. Regplates supplies number plates in line with all DVLA & MOT regulations.
• MIRADminorOthersTrade dealer association membership providing customer protection and industry credibility.
• Cherished Numbers Guild (CNG)minorOthersTrade dealer association membership specifically for cherished number plate dealers, providing customer protection and industry credibility.
• APRTminorOthersTrade dealer association membership providing customer protection and industry credibility.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• NewReg: UK-based personalised registration plate dealer offering buying, selling, and search services. Competes directly with Regplates in the same DVLA-recognised reseller category and serves overlapping consumer and investor segments.
• Personalised Number Plates: UK dealer offering personalised and cherished registration plates with search and DVLA transfer services. Direct peer serving the same buyer use cases (name plates, initials, gifts) with a similar product-led online experience.
• Regtransfers: The UK's largest dedicated cherished/private number plate dealer, offering buying, selling, and valuation services for UK private registrations. Direct competitor in the same product category with a similar DVLA-recognised reseller model and multi-million plate inventory.
• VReg: UK private registration dealer offering buying, selling, and valuation services. Comparable product offering targeting the same vehicle personalisation and gift-giving customer base in the UK market.
• National Numbers: Long-established UK private number plate dealer buying and selling cherished registrations with brokerage and transfer services. Operates the same DVLA-linked resale model with overlapping customer segments of individual collectors and gift buyers.
• Plates4Less: UK private number plate retailer focused on making cherished registrations affordable, with a searchable database and DVLA transfer handling. Targets similar entry-level to mid-tier buyers in the same resale market.
• Indigo Plates: UK cherished number plate dealer providing search, brokerage, and transfer services. Operates in the same niche resale market with comparable DVLA-linked fulfilment model.
• Bespoke Plates: UK personalised registration plate specialist offering name, initial, and bespoke combinations. Targets the same name/initials matching use cases as Regplates' creative search tools.
• CarReg: UK private number plate company offering cherished registration sales, search, and transfer services. Competes in the same DVLA-recognised reseller category with similar self-serve and assisted sales channels.

Broad incumbents

• DVLA (Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency): UK government agency that issues vehicle registrations, runs its own auctions, and sells plates directly. Although not a private reseller, the DVLA is the source of all inventory Regplates trades and operates an adjacent direct-to-consumer channel.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/regplates
• YouTubeyoutube.com/regplates
• Facebookfacebook.com/regplates
• Instagraminstagram.com/reg.plates
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/reachlocal

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Regplates