UK Single-Single Number Plate Registry

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Thought it was time to update the FAQ section...

Q/ Are all 1x1's transferable?

A/ Not at all. I have the following as non-transferable, E 7, J 5, L 8, 1 M, N 2, N 7, T 7, 8 U, Z 1, Z 5 and 1 Z

I'll deal with the easy ones first.

Z 1, Z 5 and 1 Z are Dublin plates, as such they fall under the registration laws of Ireland and are therefore non-transferable as they no longer permit transfers.

1 M is assigned to the High Commissioner of Malaysia. Whilst it can be transferred it can only be done so to a vehicle for the use of the High Commissioner of Malaysia and can't be sold.

8 U is assigned to a 1957 Phillips Gadabout moped. The current owner bought it as a pile of parts in 2010. They spent some time restoring it and re-registered it in 2012 and were able to keep the 8 U plate on the vehicle but DVLA marked it as non-transferable

The others were reassigned by DVLA at request as the vehicle once wore the plate. L 8 as an example was assigned to a Cadilac that was bought in ~1910 when it was registered EL 671 (it was first registered A 7368). It's thought the plate L 8 was transferred onto the vehicle in ~1920. In 1932/33 the vehicle, and plate, were sold to General Motors who housed it in the General Motors museum in USA until the late 1950's. It did return to the UK in 1960/61 for a short period and during this time it was taxed but also experienced gearbox issues which meant an extended stay in the UK.

The Cadilac returned to the UK permanently ~1979 and was assigned the usual SX nnnn plate. The current owner purchased the vehicle in late 2023 and it was under extensive research into its history that they discovered that it one wore the plate L 8. An application was made and the DVLA assigned L 8 back to it on a non-transferrable basis.

Q/ What is a "Lost" plate? And how does it become "Lost"?

A lost plate is one that through research is confirmed as no longer a valid registration, that is neither registered to a vehicle, not on a certificate of entitlement nor on a retention certificate.

This happens when a plate is registered to a vehicle and it isn't retained for whatever reason before the vehicle is scrapped or exported. It can also happen if a retention certificate or certificate of entitlement is allowed to lapse.

All "Lost" plates listed as such on this website have also been confirmed as such with the DVLA.

Q/ What's the most expensive 1x1 ever sold?

A/ There are some 1x1's that have sold for an amount in excess of £1 Million. You will see thoughout the site that sometimes an owner or seller has asked me not disclose the amount involved and I will respect that.

Q/ What's the least expensive 1x1 ever sold?

A/ In modern times 8 X was sold at DVLA auction in late 1992 £3,869.38. It was advertised eight months later for £12.5K. Historically it's impossible to know what they sold for in the early 20th Century, but many were reissued between 1955 and 1962 for £5, the most famous been M 6

Q/ How many 1x1's were issued?

A/ This is answered in the 'About' section, but in short it's 435.

Q/ Are any of the remaining 1x1's owned by family from original issue?

A/ Yes, but obviously not many. G 6, S 3 and U 3 are known to be family owned since original issue.

Q/ Are there any people who own more than one 1x1?

A/ Yes, it's taken quite a while to compile but you may be surprised to hear that there are over 40 people who own two or more 1x1's.