Single Letter and Single Number Plates
A single-character registration is one letter and one number, such as X 1, 5 R or 1 F. They are the shortest registrations that can be legally displayed in the UK, and there are only a few hundred of them. This guide explains how many there can be, which letters were never used and what they have sold for, using the documented sales in our database.
What is a single-character plate?
Single-character plates, also called one-by-one or 1x1 registrations, combine one letter with one number from 1 to 9. They come in two forms:
They are dateless, so they can go on a vehicle of any age. Those with the number 1 are the most valuable of all Number 1 plates.
Where did single-letter registrations come from?
When registration began under the Motor Car Act 1903, each council was given a code. The single letters went to the largest authorities, starting with A for London, while smaller areas received two-letter codes. Numbers in each code were issued in sequence, so the single digits 1 to 9 were among the very first registrations issued anywhere in the country. When councils later ran short of numbers, they issued "reversed" registrations with the number in front of the letters, which is where number-first single-character plates come from.
Which letters were never used?
Two letters do not appear in Great Britain's single-letter registrations:
- I, because codes containing it were reserved for Ireland. See Northern Irish number plates.
- Q, which was reserved for temporary and special registrations and is now used for vehicles whose age or identity cannot be confirmed. See Q plates explained.
Z was used, however. Although many codes containing it were reserved for Ireland, single-character registrations using Z do exist, so it counts towards the possible total. Our sales records match this: none of the 194 different single-character registrations we have documented uses I or Q.
How many single-character plates are there?
With 24 usable letters, the numbers 1 to 9 and two layouts, there are at most 432 single-character combinations (24 × 9 × 2). That is the theoretical ceiling. Some combinations may never have been issued, some are held by councils or long-term owners and rarely come up for sale, and a few may have been lost.
A small number of special registrations also use the number 0, such as S 0 and G 0. These were created for civic use and are covered in our guide to the UK's single "0" number plates.
What are the most expensive single-character plates?
The highest documented sale for each registration, including auction fees and VAT where known:
| Registration | Price | Date | Sold through |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 F | £926,000 | November 2025 | RM Sotheby's |
| 1 E | £900,000 | December 2025 | The Plate Specialist |
| U 1 | £750,000 | November 2025 | Leeds City Council |
| X 1 | £502,676 | November 2012 | Regtransfers |
| G 1 | £500,126 | September 2011 | Regtransfers |
| F 1 | £440,625 | January 2008 | Bonhams |
| S 1 | £397,500 | September 2008 | Bonhams |
| 1 D | £352,411 | March 2009 | DVLA |
| 1 K | £350,000 | 2018 | Private sale |
| 1 S | £340,000 | March 2010 | Not recorded |
| 5 R | £336,000 | April 2023 | Historics Auctioneers |
| M 1 | £331,500 | July 2006 | Bonhams |
| T 6 | £330,000 | July 2019 | Regtransfers |
| V 1 | £330,000 | October 2006 | Regtransfers |
| X 7 | £310,100 | August 2021 | Regtransfers |
The number 1 dominates: 12 of the 15 highest prices are Number 1 plates. Among the rest, 5 R, T 6 and X 7 show that other single digits can also pass £300,000.
How have prices changed?
Many single-character plates first reached the open market through DVLA auctions in the 1990s. Of the 209 single-character sales we have documented, 160 were DVLA sales, and 143 of those took place between 1989 and 1999.
| Period | Documented sales | Median price |
|---|---|---|
| 1989–1999 | 147 | £9,048 |
| 2000–2009 | 21 | £100,136 |
| 2010–2019 | 17 | £203,100 |
| 2020 onwards | 15 | £250,180 |
Prices are not adjusted for inflation, and the later periods contain few sales, but the direction is clear. A single-character registration that sold at a DVLA auction in the 1990s for around £9,000 would typically be worth well over £200,000 today. Our Number Plate Price Index tracks prices across formats, and every DVLA result is searchable in our DVLA auction sold prices.
Frequently asked questions
Can you still buy a 1x1 plate from the DVLA?
Not anymore. The DVLA's last documented single-character sale in our records was in 2010, and none have been recorded since. Today they are sold through classic car auctions, dealers and private sales.
Is A 1 the most valuable registration?
Not by recorded sale price. The highest documented sale is 1 F at £926,000. Some famous single-character plates change hands so rarely that there is no recent price to compare: the last documented sale of A 1 in our records was in 1959, for £2,500. Its reverse, 1 A, sold for £202,400 including fees (a £160,000 hammer price) at the DVLA's first auction in 1989.
Can a single-character plate go on any car?
Yes. They have no age identifier, so they can go on any vehicle that meets the DVLA's usual conditions. See which vehicles a private plate can go on.
Where can I see every single-character sale?
In our Sales Explorer, which has a leaderboard for one-by-one registrations.
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