Uzbekistan’s most expensive license plate sold for over $122,000

According to the Uzbekistan Commodity Exchange (UZEX), the online auction for the plate number 10 777 ZZZ concluded with a winning bid that was 8.3 times higher than the starting price of 187.5 million UZS. The auction lasted eight days.

To finalize the deal, the buyer must complete the payment within five working days and register the license plate with the Road Traffic Safety Service.

In 2023, other high-value license plates included 01 777 RRR, which sold for 893 million UZS, and 01 888 BBB, which set a previous record at 965.25 million UZS (nearly $75,000 at the time).

In total, 87,000 license plates were sold through the commodity exchange in 2023, generating 396.1 billion UZS in revenue. The most expensive plate that year sold to a legal entity for 450 million UZS, slightly exceeding the previous record set in 2021.

In 2024, the volume of plate sales nearly doubled, reaching around 800 billion UZS. A total of 195,000 plate combinations were sold, with 97% of them purchased by individuals.

The payment for acquiring a license plate through an elevated-rate auction — equal to 3.5 times the base calculation amount (currently 1.31 million UZS) — is deposited into a special treasury account. These funds are used to cover the costs associated with producing license plates. Of the total proceeds, 80% goes to the state budget, while the remaining 20% is allocated to a special fund to improve the material and technical resources of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and provide social incentives for its employees.