RTA to sell three-digit car plates at cut price

The vanity plates will be offered at a discounted, fixed rate of Dh130,000.

DUBAI // On any given weekend evening, you can play a game of "spot the most expensive licence plate" on Jumeirah Beach Road.

The three-digit number plate has long been the pinnacle of vanity in Dubai. A random collection of three digits is valued almost as highly as the luxury car it's on.

Now, from the start of the Holy Month of Ramadan, the Licensing Agency of the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) will offer three-digit vehicle number plates of Codes G, F and K at a discounted, fixed rate of Dh130,000.

"This service is offered for the first time to various community segments, particularly the enthusiasts and collectors of distinguished three-digit numbers, who continuously ask for the allocation of such numbers citing difficulties in obtaining them from the external market," said Mohammed Abdul Nimaat, the director of Vehicles Licensing at RTA's Licensing Agency.

"Not to mention the prices, which might be as high as Dh150,000 for each plate or up to Dh170,000 at some auctions.

"This is a great opportunity for people to get a suitable three-digit number plate."

Not everyone seems as excited about the news as the RTA might like.

"I think this move will lower the demand on the three digit plates," said a 38-year-old Emirati business owner who did not want to be named.

"They've made it readily available and taken away what makes the three digit plates special," he said.

"I've been buying number plates as a hobby for more than 10 years now. I've made some good investments on some of them, but I think this whole idea of having a nice number on your car is beginning to fade.

"Everyone will have them now, the exclusivity will disappear, and it won't be something special anymore."