Fancy Noida vehicle no. fetches record ₹27.5 L in auction

The transport department in a statement termed it as the highest sum ever fetched for a registration number by the Noida transport department

Noida: A premium registration number, UP16FH0001, has fetched a record-breaking ₹27.5 lakh during an online auction conducted by the central government transport portal, officials said on Tuesday, adding that a Noida-based pharmaceutical firm booked the number for a Mercedes car.

According to the transport department data, there are nearly 1.1 million vehicles registered in the district. (HT Archive)

The transport department in a statement termed it as the highest sum ever fetched for a registration number by the Noida transport department.

“The UP16FH series was recently launched by the transport department, and the auction process was started. The bidders were required to deposit a security amount of ₹33,333 to participate in the auction,” said Nand Kumar, assistant regional transport officer (ARTO), Gautam Budh Nagar.

“During the bidding, a pharmaceutical firm of Sector 126 emerged as the highest bidder at ₹27.5 lakh. Later, the bidder was provided an online link to secure the number and it paid the full amount for allotment,” Kumar added.

There were seven bidders for this number and the base price was ₹1 lakh, said transport official Vinay Singh.

In September, another premium number, UP16FH0008, was auctioned to a private company for ₹11 lakh.

Officials said for the past sometime, bidders have backed out after making high-value bids, including one who offered ₹32 lakh for UP16EP0001 in 2024 but later did not purchase it.

In a separate incident last week, a high-profile Haryana auction for what was touted as “India’s most expensive vehicle registration number” (HR 88 B 8888) -- valued at ₹1.17 crore – collapsed after the highest bidder failed to pay the full amount, inviting a government probe into both the failed transaction and the bidder.

Fancy registration numbers auctioned on www.parivahan.gov.in are grouped into four categories: the first includes premium numbers such as 0001, 0002 and 0003; the second features numbers like 0010, 0011 and 0022; the third consists of combinations such as 0018, 0027 and 0036; and the fourth covers numbers including 0020, 0030 and 0040.

According to the transport department data, there are nearly 1.1 million vehicles registered in the district.