HR88……: Which car number plate is the costliest in India? Find out

The vehicle registration mark ‘HR88B8888’ has officially become India's most expensive number plate, fetching a staggering ₹1.17 crore in an online auction held in Haryana state on Wednesday.

The state transport authority conducts weekly online auctions for these VIP (very important person) or 'fancy' registration numbers. The process allows potential bidders to apply for their chosen number between 5 PM on Friday and 9 AM on Monday. Following this initial stage, the competitive bidding process commences, concluding when the results are formally declared at 5 PM on Wednesday. The entire event takes place digitally via the official fancy.parivahan.gov.in web portal.

The number ‘HR88B8888’ proved particularly popular this week, attracting the highest number of applications — 45 in total —amongst all the available vehicle numbers.

The auction for this specific registration plate started with a base price of ₹50,000. The figure soared throughout the day, hitting ₹88 lakh by midday, before the final bid settled at the record-breaking ₹1.17 crore upon the 5 PM close. By comparison, the previous week's top mark, 'HR22W2222', realised a significant sum of ₹37.91 lakh.

Understanding the registration mark

'HR88B8888' is a unique ‘VIP’ vehicle registration mark purchased at a premium through the online bidding process. The code components break down as follows:

• HR: The state code, signifying the vehicle is registered in Haryana.
• 88: Denotes the particular Regional Transport Office (RTO) or district in Haryana where the vehicle is registered.
• HR88 is the RTO code for Kundli in the Sonipat district of Haryana.

• B: Indicates the specific vehicle series code issued by that RTO.
• 8888: The unique, four-digit identifying number assigned to the vehicle.

What elevates this number plate's value is its appearance: since the uppercase letter 'B' visually resembles the digit '8', the entire mark appears as an unbroken sequence of eights, featuring only one digit repeated throughout the sequence.

Kerala man bought car number plate worth ₹46 Lakh

In April this year, Venu Gopalakrishnan, a tech billionaire from Kerala state, bought a VIP licence plate for his Lamborghini Urus Performante, ‘KL 07 DG 0007’, for ₹45.99 lakh.

The bidding for this registration number started at ₹25,000 and rose quickly, resulting in a record-breaking final price.

The '0007' registration mark, a clear nod to the iconic James Bond code, provides an undeniable sense of exclusivity and further cements Gopalakrishnan's standing within Kerala's high-end car community.