Are number plates an ego boost?
Just found an interesting article in the Guardian which refers to a 2002 paper written by Professor Andrew Oswald of the University of Warwick.
When exploring the value or number plates – professor oswald has attempted to formulise valuaing number plates whilst also assessing the criteria for their purchase
“number plates dont have a function apart from status”
Not strictly true- number plates are used to identify vehicles but certainly you are provided with a registration number FOC by the DVLA so to pay more for a number plate adds no additional function – whether a number plate is A123ABC or DAV1D – both will be used to recognise vehicle ownership on the DVLA’s systems.
“they don’t pay for funny words, the pay for their own name”
The findings revealed that number plates are somewhat narcissistic – first names, surnames and nicknames are more valued and popular than words although generally and number plate which reads as a word will have an increased value.
“number plates are like domain names”
Interestingly there is a close link between number plates and domain names – both are an expression of indiviuality and both can be memorable (and expensive) Professor Oswald recognises that domain names have an intrinsic function whereas number plates are much more about pure status.
The fact is we all buy number plates for a variety of different reasons – sometimes as a gift and sometimes as an ego boost. Number plates provide a great deal of fun and amusement for all those who enjoy them and they have spawned various clubs forums and blogs (like this one) - so it can’t all be that bad?
