Dubai License Plate Sells for Record-breaking €13.6 Million at Charity Auction

It concerns a license plate with the number 7 in the middle and the letter P on the far left. The license plate was auctioned by auction house Emirates Auction LLC during a charity auction. Proceeds will go to the global food aid initiative of Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, the 1 Billion Meals Endowment.

The United Arab Emirates often auction these types of sought-after license plates for charity. Ultra-rich Middle Easterners use them to show off their status and wealth. The last time an auction yielded a record return was in 2008, when businessman Saeed Abdul Ghaffar Khouri paid 52.2 million dirhams (12.9 million euros) for a number 1 license plate in Abu Dhabi.

In the Middle East, license plates with the lowest possible number are the most popular and therefore the most expensive. A year ago, a record with the combination AA8 also raised 8.8 million euros. But also in other countries, special license plates sometimes bring in a lot of money. For example, earlier this year someone in Hong Kong bought a license plate with only the letter ‘R’ for the equivalent of 2.9 million euros.

In countries such as Dubai, Belgium, the US and Great Britain, motorists have a greater or lesser influence on what appears on their license plates. They are called vanity plates, and can bring in extra money for the government because some people are willing to pay extra for them. The VVD has twice included the idea of ​​doing this in the Netherlands in recent election plans, but it never happened.

The number 7 number plate can be transferred to any car registered in the Emirate, supercar or not. However, it is unlikely that the car on which the plate is attached will be more expensive than the license plate itself. The name of the buyer has not been disclosed. The record will be included in the next issue of the Guinness Book of Records.

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