Dubai auction fetches Dh6.7m for rare CC44 number plate

An unidentified car enthusiast has purchased a distinctive CC44 vehicle number plate for Dh6.7 million ($1.8 million) at a high-profile auction in Dubai, ensuring a standout presence on the road.

The sale, the largest of the evening, occurred during an event organised by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) at the Hilton Dubai Al Habtoor City over the weekend. A total of 60 rare number plates were offered to bidders.

The auction generated total proceeds of Dh65.7 million. The CC44 plate led the sales, followed closely by BB18, which went for Dh6.6 million; BB80, sold at Dh5.9 million; and BB117, which fetched Dh1 million.

Record Bids

The open auction, the 121st of its kind organised by the RTA, featured three-, four- and five-digit combinations from codes AA, BB, CC, H, U, V, W, X, Y and Z.

The event underscored the lasting allure of unique number plates for motorists seeking to distinguish themselves. Bidders have demonstrated a willingness to pay top prices for premium plates, with in-demand numbers achieving record sums. In April 2023, an Emirati bidder paid a record Dh55 million for Dubai’s number 7 plate at an auction benefiting the One Billion Meals campaign.

That transaction surpassed a record set in 2008, when businessman Saeed Al Khouri paid 50 times the opening Dh1 million bid for the coveted number 1 plate at a charity auction in Abu Dhabi.

Growing Demand

Dubai’s expanding market for premium vehicle plates is set to welcome the UAE’s first escrow-backed online marketplace. The Mazal app will hold buyers’ funds until ownership transfer is confirmed, providing security to a secondary market that has traditionally relied on social media, independent brokers and manual processes.

The platform complies with RTA regulations, offering a secure marketplace with verified buyers and increasing confidence in high-value auctions. Dubai’s private number plate market is growing by about 20 per cent annually, with single-digit and special-number plates commanding high values. Over the past three years, the city’s status-symbol vehicle plate market has seen Dh1.7 billion in transactions, according to Mazal app data analysts. Mazal will manage these high-value transactions.