The Top 50 UK hotspots for private number plates

Private plates are becoming more and more popular - and it's easy to see why. Allowing drivers to personalise their vehicle and show off their personality, number plates are one of the most beloved car accessories. In recent years, the industry has seen a surge of interest. Rare letter combinations, names or sentimental formations can be the ideal accessory for those drivers looking to express their personality.

Recently, we have conducted research into the most popular areas of the UK to purchase a number plate. As private plate specialists, we have combined our data to determine which areas have the highest demand for personalised number plates, revealing the top 50 UK postcode district locations most likely to buy a personalised plate (based on sales per head of population).

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Methodology

The data for this research report comes from our expert database, compiling the number of private plates throughout the country and dividing them into their respective postcode areas (around 124) and postcode districts (around 2977). From this, our team have developed a visual, interactive heat map (see below) depicting the concentration of number plate sales across the UK and utilised a colour coding system to display information and help establish the buying trend and patterns of personalised number plates in Britain.

It is important to note that this data set compares the total number of personalised plate sales in the region in comparison to the population of the area. The sample size of this research is 32,000. For a more precise overview of number plate popularity by region, check out the map we have created below.

Dark red: The areas which have seen the highest demand for personalised number plates.

Orange: Areas that have seen a relative amount of demand for personalised plates.

Green: Areas which have seen little demand for private plates.

White: Areas that have seen no demand for personalised number plates.

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The Top 50 UK Locations Most Likely to Purchase a Personalised Plate...

According to our database, these postcode districts are the most likely to buy a private number plate:

The top 50 postcode districts for number plate sales:

• NE20, Ponteland
• HU14, North Ferriby
• CM4, Ingatestone
• IG7, Chigwell
• LE14, Melton Mowbray
• HP18, Aylesbury
• CM21, Sawbridgeworth
• EN10, Broxbourne
• LN3, Bardney
• IP29, Bury St Edmonds
• CM5, Ongar
• ML5, Coatbridge
• BT46, Maghera
• ST18, Stafford
• SP6, Fordingbridge
• TN26, Bethersden
• SY10, Oswestry
• CW8, Northwich
• CT18, Folkstone
• RH14, Billingshurst
• CW11, Sandbach
• DA13, Gravesend
• PH33, Fort William
• NG23, Newark
• WA13, Lymm
• PE22, Boston
• CF35, Bridgend
• TS15, Yarm
• MK17, Milton Keynes
• BT71, Dungannon
• BT80, Cookstown
• DN10, Bawtry
• LN8, Market Rasen
• TN25, Challock
• SL9, Gerrards Cross
• BT32, Banbridge
• ST19, Penkridge
• CO13, Frinton on Sea
• G69, Baillieston
• WF13, Dewsbury
• PO38, Ventnor
• BT18, Holywood
• CV7, Exhall
• UB9, Uxbridge
• TS9, Great Ayton
• KA6, Dalrymple
• PR3, Garstang
• B93, Solihull
• ST15, Stone
• WF15, Liversedge

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The Results

We found Scotland and North of England post code areas having the highest ownership, but parts of the West Midlands and the Eastern Home Counties were also strong. The South Coast and South West less so.

As a whole, the top postal areas for sales when population is considered are towns and rural areas. Big cities, in particular: London, Liverpool, Edinburgh and Bristol come lower down the list.

More rural areas, such as Shrewsbury, are likely to have less access to reliable public transport. Shropshire has one of the highest private car ownership rates in the UK (according to the Office of National Statistics), and this is likely because the area has less access to buses, trains and other forms of public transportation. As car ownership rates and reliance on private cars are considerably high in this area, it is reasonable to conclude that the area makes the list because there is a larger vehicle density here.

Moving down to the district level of post codes the picture is more nuanced. Of the top 50 hot spots 18 are in the South of England. Many of these in a ring around the capital with places such as Ingatestone, Sawbridgeworth, Aylesbury, Chigwell, Ongar, and Broxbourne all scoring well.

In other areas of the country, we see hot spots in North Ferriby, Melton Mowbray, Bardney, Bury St Edmonds, Stafford and Fordingbridge.

In Scotland, personalisation is strong full stop. Top scorers were Coatbridge, Fort William, and Dalrymple. Baillieston in Glasgow is also the highest ranked city code in our survey.

In Wales, Bridgend easily made the top 50 with the country as a whole scoring strongly.

Northern Ireland has its own registration system, 3 letters and 4 numbers, which produces very accessible and versatile plates ideal for personalisation, BAZ, CAZ, and DAZ for example. Both plate regimes can be used in either place. Consequently, 5 of the top 50 hotspots came from here, Maghera, Dungannon, Cookstown, Banbridge and Holywood making it a plate powerhouse.

But our top scorer, out of nearly 3000 post code districts across the nations, is Ponteland in Northumberland.

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Conclusion

Personalised number plates have become a phenomenon since the DVLA introduced them in 1989. With over £2.5 billion raised for the Treasury they are now widespread throughout the UK.

Although some of the places in our research can be described as affluent this does not explain the whole picture emerging. We feel rates of car ownership and provision of public transport are particular ingredients.

Our customers have shared with us many different reasons why they buy a personalised plate citing fun, individuality, seeing it as an investment or showing their team affinity or regional identity (such as the 10 W plate for inhabitants of the Isle of Wight).

The genius of what the DVLA did was to provide individuality and accessibility at the same time. A huge range of choice and an affordable, but graded, price structure. This egalitarian approach coupled to the ingenuity of the nation led to a market of millions of people.