The meteoric rise in the popularity of private number plates continues to grow and sales of Irish number plates are no exception. More people are now turning to Irish number plates when buying a new registration as the most popular names and initial combinations from the UK number plate series become increasingly scarce.

Irish number plates are car registrations that originate in Northern Ireland. They follow a format displaying 3 letters followed by up to 4 numbers. The registration ALZ 3214 is an example of an Irish number plate. Irish number plates differ from their DVLA counterparts by displaying the letters I or Z within the registration. The addition of these letters creates many more popular combinations than DVLA number plates cannot offer such as WIL, GIL, BIL and CAZ registration plates. Other combinations such as BIG and DIG are available and are extremely popular with plant companies and landscape gardeners.

Prices of Irish number plates can be significantly lower than UK car registrations and many cheap number plates are available. You can buy Irish number plates for under £100 and name plates such as CAZ start at around £400. Costs increase with lower or neater numbers with number 1 plates commanding the highest prices. The registration BIG 1 was bought at auction by Sean McCrory for over £100000. He has also added the registrations BIG 2 and BIG 3 to his collection. BIG 1 smashed the previous record for the most expensive Irish number plate ever sold which was held by WIL 1 at £50000. Since then Roman Abramovich, billionaire tycoon and owner of Chelsea FC paid £285000 for the registration VIP 1, another Irish number plate, which at the time was the most expensive number plate ever sold in the UK.

Irish number plates are classified as dateless registrations and can be assigned to any vehicle regardless of age. Many people buy Irish number plates to use as cover plates, hiding the age of their car and giving their vehicle a classic look. The cheapest Irish cover plates have less popular letter combinations and a mix of 4 different numbers.

Drivers of DVLA registered vehicles can have an Irish number plate assigned to their car. Irish registration numbers must be transferred directly onto vehicles in England, Scotland and Wales with timescales of approximately 4 weeks. Once the transfer is complete the registration number can be transferred off onto a DVLA retention certificate if so desired. You can buy Irish number plates that have already been transferred onto a UK retention certificates however the price often reflects the cost incurred. The most common place to buy Irish number plates is via a number plate dealer who can transfer the registration for you.

Car registration numbers held on a DVLA certificate cannot be assigned directly to a car in Northern Ireland. Residents in Northern Ireland wishing to have a DVLA number plate on their vehicle must transfer it car to car from a vehicle registered with the DVLA. Number plate dealers such as Cape Plates offer a Northern Ireland transfer service and provide a pool of vehicles for customers who do not have a car to use on the UK mainland. As two transfers are involved the timescale is approximately 8 weeks and a second transfer fee must be paid.

With the advantages of lower prices, great letter combinations and the fact that they are all dateless registrations, it is clear to see why Irish number plates are such a popular choice and a viable option when buying a new reg.