NEW DELHI: In a landmark auction in Haryana, the vehicle registration number HR88 BB 8888 has become the most expensive licence plate ever sold in India, fetching an astounding ₹1.17 crore on Wednesday.
The bidding war unfolded on the state government’s official VIP number auction portal, where the price had already surged to ₹88 lakh by midday before crossing the crore mark later in the afternoon. The number belongs to the Kundli RTO series under Sonipat district.
Although the reserve price for numbers in the HR88 series was fixed at ₹50,000, this particular registration attracted 45 enthusiastic bidders, pushing the auction into record territory for the first time in the country.
This milestone comes shortly after another Haryana VIP plate, HR22 W 2222, was sold for ₹37.91 lakh just a week ago.
Officials said the extraordinary demand stemmed from the number’s rare visual appeal. The continuous string of eights, combined with the letter “B” resembling the shape of an ‘8’, made it a highly coveted sequence. Numerology enthusiasts consider 88 a powerful symbol of unending prosperity, success, and positive energy—qualities that significantly boosted its desirability among high-end vehicle owners.
Luxury car buyers and followers of numerology often compete fiercely for such auspicious combinations, with Haryana emerging as a hotspot for premium number auctions. The state conducts these auctions every week—registrations open on Friday, bidding takes place early in the following week, and final results are declared on Wednesday.
The winning bidder must deposit the complete amount within five days to secure and block the number for future use.
